In a bold move by the National University of Singapore (NUS) to
reduce the obsession with grades, how its freshmen perform in exams
may no longer count in their final mark.
The initiative, already in place at its medical school, will be
rolled out in phases to other faculties, which could include law
and engineering, from as early as this year, revealed NUS president
Tan Chorh Chuan.
Details are still being worked out for what NUS has called its
"grade-free" system, which will be extended to the whole school
over the next few years. But while there will still be tests and
exams, first-year students will no longer get A to F grades.
Instead they will just be given a distinction, pass, or fail in
their modules - and these will not form part of their Cumulative
Average Point, which determines the quality of the degree awarded
at the end of their course.
ST