EMERGENCY GRADING ACCOMMODATION FOR SPRING 2020

Published Mar 23, 2020 by
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The following emails were sent to students and faculty/staff on Monday, March 23 regarding emergency grading accommodation for spring 2020. An update for graduate students was issued Wednesday, March 25.

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UPDATE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS — MARCH 23

The university continues to adapt to the rapidly-changing circumstances that the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, present to us as a campus and individually. Today is the first day of our moving courses to alternative delivery methods. It’s been a massive undertaking by faculty and staff over the last week to prepare for this shift, and we are grateful for their work to implement. We understand that this change may cause some uncertainty and anxiety for students as we finish the spring semester. We are writing today to make you aware an Emergency Grading Accommodation is being implemented for the Spring 2020 semester.

Key Updates:

  • Beginning today, March 23, we will implement the pass/fail option to undergraduate students. Courses graded as pass/fail under this exception will count towards applicable curricular, major, continuation and graduation requirements.
  • A grade of pass/fail will not count toward a student’s GPA but will count toward earned semester hours.
  • Students will have until June 30, 2020 to elect if a course is or a course is not pass/fail for the Spring Semester. (More details on implementation as soon as the process is in place.)
  • The Honor Roll, Dean’s list and Chancellor’s list recognitions for the spring semester will be suspended.
  • All academic transcripts will have a note added to Spring 2020 indicating the major disruption the coronavirus pandemic has caused to the academic experience.
  • The last day to withdraw without academic penalty has been extended to April 1, 2020. Students who are withdrawing from a course due to COVID-19 should indicate this in their request. Those course withdrawals will not count toward your withdrawal count limit of 16 hours.
  • Incomplete courses from Fall 2019 will not be converted to F’s at the end of spring semester. Those incomplete grades will be extending until Dec. 7, 2020.
  • March 25 Update: Students in the College of Nursing, both undergraduate and graduate, will be exempt from the Emergency Grading Accommodation policy. All Nursing courses will be graded on the current grading scale as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs.

We know you will have questions about implementing pass/fail as an option for undergraduate students. One question we anticipate: Can a student mix and match pass/fail and letter grading for the semester? Yes. If a student is taking five courses this semester, he or she could elect pass/fail for two courses and standard grading for three. The quality points would count for those standard grading courses.

We are making these modifications understanding the extraordinary circumstances this global pandemic has created for us all. This semester has been like no other. We know you may face unexpected challenges. A webpage, Tips for Online Learning, has been created to list resources available to you.

Please take care of yourself and your loved ones, remember to practice social distancing, and know that faculty and staff are ready to help you finish the next six weeks strong.

UPDATE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS — MARCH 25

This message is a follow-up to the Emergency Grading Accommodation announcement, which was emailed to all students and faculty on Monday, March 23.

There are two updates to the Emergency Grading Accommodation announcement. First, students in the College of Nursing, both undergraduate and graduate, will be exempt from the Emergency Grading Accommodation policy. All Nursing courses will be graded on the current grading scale as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. The medical student curriculum and dental student curriculum will also be exempt from the Emergency Grading Accommodation policy. Grading for medical and dental students will follow current grading policies outlined in their respective handbooks.

Second, the Emergency Grading Accommodation applies to all graduate students with the exception previously described for Nursing, Medical, and Dental students. Graduate students with questions should speak with their academic advisor or graduate program director.

We encourage all students to review the ECU COVID-19 website on a regular basis and continue to check their ECU email daily for current information and updates.

Dean of Graduate Studies Paul Gemperline shared additional guidance about the policy on April 1.

UPDATE FOR FACULTY/STAFF — MARCH 23

The university continues to adapt to the rapidly-changing circumstances that the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, present to us as a campus and individually. Today is the first day of our moving courses to alternative delivery methods. It’s been a massive undertaking by you and staff over the last week to prepare for this shift. We are grateful for your work implementing these changes.

We are writing today to make you aware an Emergency Grading Accommodation is being implemented for the Spring 2020 semester (including provision for pass/fail grades). The details for implementation being finalized now with more specific information to come. Currently this applies to undergraduate students only; for information on graduate students, please see the Graduate Students Update above.  Students will be notified of the Emergency Grading Accommodation today as well.

We understand that this change may cause some uncertainty and anxiety for students as we complete the spring semester. A webpage, Tips for Online Learning, has been created to list resources available to them. Please encourage your students to use it.

The university is making these modifications understanding the extraordinary circumstances this global pandemic has created for us all. This semester has been like no other. We appreciate the positive attitude that you have expressed while adapting your coursework to these new delivery methods.

The coming weeks will require flexibility, compassion and understanding. Please take care of yourself and your families, remember to practice social distancing, and let us know how we can help.

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