Provost Blake recently announced that the university has adjusted the option for most undergraduate courses to be taken pass/no pass for this semester only. Students have been contacted to explain this option and how they go about electing it for their courses.
Many other institutions are going this route as well. What does this mean for the service expectations in your course? If students plan to not complete their service expectation because they can pass the course without it, how are you discussing with them the responsible conversation they should have with their community partner (if their partner organization is open).
We have learned that many CES course instructors (adjunct faculty in particular) are not receiving all of the latest information about courses and resources for shifting to distance learning. Given that, I'm sharing the following message from Kimberly Gross, of Columbian College with some related information/resources.
"This decision was made in consultation with department chairs and the educational policy committee. As you are likely aware, many universities are making this choice and it is something students have been asking for. The messaging to students has emphasized the need for students to consult with their advisors and has reminded them of the need to think through whether getting a grade in a specific course will be important for their future plans. The CCAS advising team is ready to talk through these considerations with students. Students may also want to discuss these considerations with individual faculty advisors or their departmental director of undergraduate studies.
What does this mean for you?
Your undergraduate students will have the option to select whether they are taking your course pass/no pass. This is something the students initiate at their discretion. They may decide this up until the last day of classes. Thus, you will have students in your class who are taking the class for a letter grade and students who are taking the class pass/no pass. Faculty cannot decide their class will be taken pass/no pass, it is up to the individual student to decide if they want to take this option in your course.
We expect all faculty to continue to provide students with the remaining course content and to grade students as they originally planned. You should assume that students are taking the course for a letter grade. We have heard some students are asking if they have the option to pass based on the work completed to date, we expect students to continue to do the work for their courses.
What should you do if students ask you how to elect this option?
Students are encouraged to consult with their advisor. The process for switching a class from pass/no pass can be completed here:
What constitutes pass?
A D- and above is considered a pass
How do you know whether a student chose to take the class pass/no pass when I am inputting grades at the end of the term?
When you are processing your final grades, you can see this in the GWeb final grade submission screen under Grade Mode. For UG students, it will be P for Pass/Fail. All the letter grades are included in the drop down regardless of grade mode so you need to verify the grade mode when you enter the grades.
Faculty will need to carefully check the Grade Mode column (P = Pass/No Pass and C = Letter Grade) before selecting the correct grade from the drop down menu when entering final grades to prevent grading errors.
