Write for an Academic Discussion

A professor has posted a question about a topic and students have responded with their thoughts and ideas. Make a contribution to the discussion.
You will have 10 minutes to write.

Your professor is teaching a class on campus life.

In your response, you should do the following.

• • Express and support your opinion.
• • Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Professor’s question:

Many universities are looking for ways to ease the transition for first-year students. One proposal is to make all first-year courses graded on a "pass/fail" basis instead of with traditional letter grades. The goal is to reduce academic pressure and encourage exploration. However, critics argue this might lower motivation. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

Student response 1:

I strongly support this idea because the first year of university is already very stressful. A pass/fail system would allow students to adapt to a new environment without constantly worrying about their GPA. As a result, they might feel more comfortable exploring subjects outside their major.

Student response 2:

I think it's a bad idea. If there is no incentive to earn a high grade, many students will only do the minimum work required to pass. This approach doesn't build a strong work ethic, and consequently, it might not prepare them for the challenges of upper-level courses.