Coronavirus: as final exams loom, Hong Kong’s university students push for ‘fairer’ alternatives, including a pass-fail option
- Online learning has been more difficult for some than others, student unions say, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Real-time exams running up to three hours, taken in cramped homes filled with distractions, a recipe for stress one student leader says
All eight of Hong Kong’s public universities have said they plan to conduct final exams online next month – some in full and some partially – amid continued uncertainty over Covid-19, even as students continue to push for alternatives they see as more fair given the difficulties of online learning.
Student unions at a number of schools have asked that a pass-fail option be made available for most courses, meaning students would not receive letter grades and the classes would not be counted towards their overall grade point average.
Among the schools already offering the option, along with the ability to withdraw late from courses, are the University of Hong Kong, University of Science and Technology, and Education University.
About 100,000 students across the eight schools have been learning online since the coronavirus pandemic forced the February suspension of face-to-face classes, a situation likely to last for the rest of the second term.
Jacky So Tsun-fung, of Chinese University’s student union, believes a pass-or-fail evaluation for most of this semester’s courses should be on the table, given some students had struggled in the absence of face-to-face courses.