In Hanyang University (HYU), Seoul campus, there is a Grade Dropping System which the students who have studied more than six semesters can drop up to six credits. The classes which can be dropped are the classes which cannot be retaken, and they are replaced with a W which stands for withdrawal. In cases of other universities, the students can drop classes if they wish to during the semester, and replace it with a W.
Recently, regulations on retaking classes have been revised. However, regulations on Grade Dropping System are not revised;therefore, it is raising voices of the Hanyangians.
Cases of Other Universities
In other universities, there exists Class Canceling System. The students of Seoul National University (SNU) can cancel their registration before their mid-term exam. They have no restrictions on canceling the class, under the permission of the professor in charge of the class. According to a staff of the Department of Academic Services in SNU "We have a system called Canceling Registration, and it is for students who feel that the class does not seem like what they have expected, or if they feel hard to follow the class."
SNU is not the only school which has this kind of system. In Sungkyunkwan University, the Class Canceling System existed even before the Grade Dropping System such as the one HYU has. Also in Ewha Woman's university, they lack restriction on the number of classes to cancel, but they at least have to take one class. According to Jung Hey-ji, a sophomore in the Division of International Studies, " Number of students are canceling classes, and I canceled one myself because I found that the class was a bit different from what I had expected. The actual lecture was a little different from the syllabus."A staff from Ewha Woman's University said, "we are giving enough chances for the students to graduate with good grades, and also make up for what they have received in the first time."
Students' Opinion
Sometimes, when students register classes by merely looking at the syllabus during the class registration correction period, without attending the very first class of it, they find out that the class is somewhat different from what they have seen in the syllabus. However, it is too late for registration correction, and there is no choice but to take the class. "I am taking a class which had a syllabus saying that it would deal with current issues if the society, but it never deals with any of the currently going-on issues. And I see no point in studying the issues that had already passed,"said Kim Won-kyung, a freshman in the School of Business. Similar to the case above, there are many other students who need the program. "Last year, I registered a class, and the professor asked us to do something that was not on the syllabus, after the class period. The extra class was no on the syllabus and at that time I had another class. I wanted to drop the class, but I could not as we did not have such system. I had to receive an F for that subject,"said Kim Ji-min, a sophomore majoring in English Language and Literature.
Other students find that the class they have registered is a little hard for them to keep up with. "I had to take a Chinese class, because Chinese was a second major. So I registered a Chinese class, because it was named Basic Chinese. However, after few classes, the class got way too difficult, and I had really hard time keeping up with the work. Although I tried my best, I got C+,"said Jin Seung-won, a credit exchange student from Pusan National University, who majored in Korean Language and Literature.
Following these consequences, many students wonder why HYU does not have a Class Canceling System. According to a survey done by the Hanyang Journal, about 66.7percent of the students in HYU are not satisfied, because they have no freedom to give up or to cancel the classes. "I returned to school this year after finishing my military service, and I find it quite hard to keep up with some of my classes. I probably would not have a chance to take it again, and I have to get good grades to get employed. I feel that the canceling registration system is in need,"said Kim Byung-kook, a sophomore in Information Technology Management.
Current System
Currently, HYU does not have a Class Canceling System. There is a Retaking Class System to replace the unsatisfied grades. However, the regulations have been revised recently. From 2012, the revised regulations on retaking classes will come into effect. According to the new regulations, students will only be able to retake classes in which the grades are lower than C+. "When I return to school, I would not be able to retake the classes that I received B0,"said Jang Yong-suk, a sophomore in English Literature and Language, who will be starting his military service in December.
For students like Jang, there is a system called Grade Dropping System, which allows only the students who have attended school for more than six semester, to drop six credits of their final grades. However, there is a restriction on giving up the six credits. It can only be done on the classes which have been discontinued. According to Seo Yeon-kyung, a staff of the Department of Academic Services, the school has no plan to establish a Class Canceling System. "We are already giving a chance to make up for the mistake the students have made through retaking classes, and the dropping system exists for the classes that cannot be retaken,"Seo also added, "with Class Canceling System, the whole class could be unstable as students can drop out at anytime they want. In that case, the professor and the fellow students will both be unsatisfied. In ERICA campus, we have Class Canceling System, and there are students and professors who do not like it. In many reasons, the Class Canceling System is unnecessary. If students study hard, they can get good grades. The school does not have to give all students the opportunities to receive good grades,"said Seo.
Possible Solutions
As the survey results show, many students in HYU are not satisfied with current Grade Dropping Systems. Students say that the system should be revised once again based on their opinion. "I wish the school will listen to our opinion and make changes based on our ideas and opinions," said Park Se-young, a freshman in the Division of Tourism.
The Class Canceling System has to have a limitation just like the Grade Dropping System. If there is no limitation, the classes will be unstable and the students and the professors will both feel uncomfortable with it.
"I guess Class Canceling System should be applied to the classes which do not follow the original syllabus,"said Kim. Also, when a student struggles with a class, the student should be able to cancel the class with the permission of the professor. "I have no chance to retake the class, and I have no way to make up for that grade,"said Jin.
Adoption of a new system will be difficult; however, Hanyangians expect to see improvement in our system.