Guidlines for Final Grades and Student Procedures Announced
Following the Ministry of Education's directives during the COVID-19 global pandemic, King Khalid University reannounced the implementation of a flexible grading system and scheduling plans, noting that the spring 2020 semester will end on 23 April 2020. All classes were suspended on 8 March 2020, and classroom instruction continued through a successful transition to a fully virtual educational model under the guidance of the Deanship of E-Learning. Facing this unprecedented challenge, the development of student engagement guidelines were critical to success early on. This included a wide variety of assessments, which was conducted in Blackboard, on a weekly basis, totaling 60 marks. It is important to note that 60 marks are based on Blackboard assessments while 20 marks are based on the first progress test, which took place before 8 March 2020. To ease the burden on our students and minimize negative outcomes, not in their control, students will be provided an opportunity to review their grades until 23 April 2020 with options. Those options include the ability to withdraw from the semester without penalty and choose to apply a "No grade-Pass (NP)" or "No grade-Fail (NF)" to their courses. In the case of NP or NF, students will not be assigned grade point average (GPA) points, and therefore, this will not affect their GPA. The Deanship of Admissions and Registration also offers students the ability to apply grades of this semester if it is equal to or greater than the GPA of the prior semester, noting that this will ensure the best quality education possible and the most equitable manner of assessing student performance.
Regarding the final exams, the university clarified they will begin on the 3rd of Ramadan 1441 AH with final exams accounting for 20% of the total grade. The Deanship of Admissions and Registration noted that students will be allotted 1 hour for each exam, except for some courses from the health colleges. Courses that do not require exams or courses that only require a graduation project will follow guidelines sent directly to their respective academic councils.
On the topic of tuition, students who elected to withdrawal for this semester will be reimbursed in the form of credits applied towards next semester.
