Information on Grading and Follow Up to Friday's Faculty Check-In

April 25th, 2020 - 11:37pm

It was good to ‘see’ about 120 of you on Friday at the all-faculty check-in. I’m writing to provide a summary of that meeting (apologies in advance for the length) and have attached the Spring 2020 Grade Flow Chart for your use. As noted, when selecting a grade for students in your courses, you will have available to you the option of EW (Excused Withdrawal). Given the pandemic, I encourage you to use this option for students who have stopped participating and cannot pass the class. An EW grade does not affect a student’s GPA, academic standing, or financial aid status. Additional information about grades appears below in the form of questions from Friday’s session and Jon Horinek’s responses, but the attached flowchart should answer most of your questions.

We also discussed summer session. Summer will be conducted online. 30 faculty teaching this summer who have not had formal training in online education will be completing a six week asynchronous workshop beginning this next week. The workshop is intended to help them learn basic design features and alternatives to lecture that promote student success. The facilitated workshop will share ways to maintain quality instruction an positive experiences for students that will ensure equity for our most vulnerable students. It will also focus on how to create assignments, pages, and discussions that are accessible and promote student engagement.

A second session of this workshop will be provided to 50 more faculty over the summer, with a focus on full-time faculty. A third session will be conducted early in fall semester. Temporary remote instruction is governed by Title 5 regulations. These regulations focus on accessibility and the regular and substantive interaction between student and instructor and these workshops are one method we will use to illustrate to the Chancellor’s Office and ACCJC we are complying with the increasing requirements of exemptions necessary to teach remotely for the summer and fall.

Regarding fall semester, I shared we will be working collaboratively with the Academic Senate, PRAC, UPM, and others to identify safe and feasible methods to teach some content face-to-face in the fall. All indications are significant social-distancing protocols will need to be in place for much of fall semester—and the pandemic may escalate again at some point later this year, which could result in a return to shelter-in-place orders. Because of this, we are going to plan to offer online those courses that can be taught online and focus our collective attention on how to safely offer lab and other hands-on courses at least partially in person. Much work remains to determine the feasibility of this, but every effort will be made to offer the courses currently on the fall schedule.

Based on several requests from faculty, I also reminded everyone who may be requiring synchronous participation to only conduct required synchronous meetings at those times your spring classes were originally scheduled to meet. A number of faculty have reported students are being asked to be in two (or more) places at once for their College of Marin courses because some instructors are either combining lectures from different sections or have moved the meeting time. This is not allowable. Recording lectures and making them available to view in lieu of participating in a live session is one way around this issue.

Also, a student survey and a separate faculty survey will be forthcoming to gauge what is working, what needs to be addressed for summer and fall, and how students and faculty can be better supported.

Finally, I have attached a digital flier for an upcoming event sponsored by Umoja and Psychological Services, “Depressed While Black.” Please support this program by attending and encouraging student participation.

Again, thank you for all you continue to do for our students. And as always, if I can be of assistance at any point, please let me know.

Jonathan

Questions—and answers—from Friday’s Chat box:

Is it possible to retroactively grant an EW to students who got a W by dropping before the deadline because they knew they wouldn’t be able to pass?  Or is there no real diff in the consequences?

Students who withdrew with a “W” grade may petition for a conversion to an “EW” any time after final grades have been entered.

If students petition or are given an EW grade, the fees for the class will be refunded?

Petitions for Withdraw Without a “W” are the only petitions that include a refund. After May 9, students may petition for an “EW” but there will be no refund in these cases.

If a student withdrew after the pandemic started but did not know about the withdrawing without a W will the W stay on their transcript?

Students who withdrew with a “W” grade may petition for a conversion to an “EW” or they may petition for Drop Without a W until May 9.

Is it possible to give a student who currently has an I an “EW”?

It is possible, but Banner will convert the grade to the alternate unless we manually intervene. If you would like to submit a grade change for an existing “I” incomplete you may do so via email.

Send the following information to Jon Horinek:
Student Name
Student M00 ID Number
CRN for course with incomplete
New grade