As the end of the semester approaches, a handful of students will require extended academic deadlines due to extraordinary circumstances which leave them unable to complete their work. Rather than assisting students in finding solutions during this taxing time, the roundabout system and lack of standardized guidelines across undergraduate schools create confusion and stress.
Particularly because the students already have a lot on their plates, it is crucial that the University have a simpler and clearer system for these students to apply for incomplete grades.
Grades of Incomplete are granted to students who have debilitating illnesses, major family emergencies, or equally grave situations. Having an official procedure can cut down on excess Incompletes and ensure that students complete the required coursework in time for graduation. While Barnard College supplies its students with a few straightforward instructions, students in Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science must apply through the Committee of Academic Standing via five specific yet inordinately convoluted steps. Students in the School of General Studies follow a similarly unclear procedure. These policies are difficult to locate and attend to, especially under the circumstances that led to the request. At times, even professors are uninformed about the official procedure, so they guarantee the student a grade of Incomplete without realizing that they lack the authority to do so. As a result, students may not recognize that further steps are necessary to ensure that the coursework is completed until it is nearly too late.
Difficulties in obtaining Incompletes can be remedied with increased communication. An essential first step is to create a more publicized process, made clear to both students and professors in order to ensure that it is followed. The Committee of Academic Standing can brief advising deans and University health professionals on its practices to utilize all possible guidance resources. Professors should not grant Incompletes on their own, but instead, direct students to their deans to ensure that students are actually getting the grades they expect. Submitting interim grades to deans to report on student progress is also helpful in this regard.
The incomplete option exists to help students balance the responsibilities of academics and the urgent situations which prevent them from completing their coursework. If the procedure were better explained and less complicated, students and professors alike would be more compelled to follow the correct steps. Through increased communication and clarity, the process for applying for grades of Incomplete can serve its purpose.
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