Friday, March 20, 2020 12:40 p.m

Grade Changing Update

Good Afternoon Faculty Colleagues,

Thank you all for embracing our Flashes Take Care of Flashes principle and really providing excellent instruction and care to our students in this most unusual time. I am so proud of our community of faculty! Thank you!

I know we are all dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to helping our students succeed. The Ad Hoc Academic Continuity Planning Group, led by Chair of Faculty Senate Pam Grimm and Interim Senior Associate Provost Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, brought forward an action plan regarding temporary changes to grading policies which will give students the flexibility they might need during this time.

These changes (which you will see below) have been approved by myself and President Diacon and have been discussed with your deans and chairs and directors.

The Ad Hoc Academic Continuity Planning Group has also put together a short list of recommended guidelines for instructors which address challenges that instructors and students may face in the remote teaching and learning environments that are necessitated by the current campus disruption.

No action on the part of faculty is necessary for students to choose these options. However, I am sure your students may seek your advice as they continue to make academic decisions.

Please remember that for students who get sick or who may have extenuating circumstances, you may issue the administrative mark of incomplete (IN). Directions for completing the Incomplete Mark workflow are available through the University Registrar website. Please only use this mark as you would in other semesters—based on individual student needs.

The following message will be sent out to all students later today regarding these changes. Thank you again for all you are doing to deliver outstanding instruction to meet your learning outcomes while providing maximum flexibility and an extra dose of kindness!  

 

Dear Students,

Thank you for your patience during the transition to remote teaching and learning. Please know that your success is our top priority as we continue to honor our Flashes Take Care of Flashes commitment.

We know that many of you are concerned about how you will progress academically this semester. To address this concern, and to add flexibility, we are announcing changes to the existing grading policies of Pass/Fail and Course Withdrawal for Spring 2020.

We provide an overview of the changes in these two grading options below, but specific details on them, including specific dates and updates, will be available at https://www.kent.edu/coronavirus/grading by March 30th, the first day after Spring Break.  

Please note that not every option will be available for every course due to accreditation, licensure requirements, and/or learning outcomes that must be met. Before making any final decisions, please reach out to your academic advisor and the One Stop

(or the student services department at the campus you attend) to discuss the impact of your choice on your academic progress, enrollment status, and financial aid eligibility (see https://www.kent.edu/coronavirus/grading).

Opt to take a course for Pass/Fail 

Between now and the end of the semester, you may opt to take your courses on a Pass/Fail basis. This includes undergraduate and graduate courses. There are some situations in which a program has a grade requirement for a prerequisite course, a program course, or licensure requirement, and in such cases the course may not be taken Pass/Fail. Please discuss this with an advisor before taking action in order to best understand the consequences of taking a course for Pass/Fail. Taking a course for Pass/Fail will not impact your GPA. You will receive credit for the Pass grade and no credit for the Fail grade. The Pass (Y) grade and Fail (Z) grade will be posted on your transcript.

Withdraw from a course

Between now and the end of the semester, you may opt to withdraw from a course. This will NOT affect your GPA; however, it may impact your eligibility for future financial aid. Visit https://www.kent.edu/financialaid/SAP to learn about requirements related to financial aid and if you have questions, please discuss them with the One Stop (or the student services department at the campus you attend) before taking action in order to best understand the consequences of withdrawing from the course.

All other grading policies will remain in effect.

Thank you for working through this time with your faculty and with your peers. We’re all in this together! Please stick with your coursework so that you are making good progress toward your degree. And reach out for help if you need it. Contact your faculty member and go to https://www.kent.edu/keeponlearning for support and contact your peers to see if they need a little help. Remember, Flashes Take Care of Flashes!

 

All my best,

Melody Tankersley
Interim Senior Vice President and Provost