At my son’s school for this semester only (since it was a new different issue), they gave the students the option of p/f but after finding out the grades they could turn them to regular grades which he is taking all regular grades ?.
I can’t see having that option going forward.
BTW - finals weren’t easier. In fact he thinks they were harder like one question taking 6 hours hard.
Learning is still happening.
These are very generous options, even if the classes or exams are harder.
Nobody really knows for sure about that yet, and some medical school are already saying P/F this semester will be accepted (D is premed as well). For example from HMS:
“Special Notice Regarding Spring/Summer 2020 Grading and MCAT
The Office of the Committee on Admissions at Harvard Medical School (HMS) recognizes that the process of evaluating pre-requisite coursework has been significantly impacted by the decision of many undergraduate schools to adopt an online instruction model, given the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. While HMS has always assessed such pre-requisites based on traditional grades given by colleges and universities, we understand that many such schools are emergently creating policies by which the evaluations for spring and summer courses during 2020 will be on a pass/fail basis. So that no applicants are disadvantaged as a result of this unprecedented event, HMS will accept pass/fail grading for spring and summer coursework during 2020”
Things are changing rapidly. Just a month ago most of us on CC thought there was no way colleges would be back in person this fall but it looks like most will attempt it, albeit with many restrictions and precautions.
However, if colleges offer online courses as another option for students, I don’t see this as “disastrous” or a “farce”. Any student can come live on campus if they want to, or get off campus housing, or live at home and take online courses. I think colleges are trying to be flexible to encourage students to enroll next fall. I give them credit for trying to make this work in this most difficult time.
The other point is that this is not a long-term event where international students, immunosuppressed students, etc. will be “barred” from college campuses indefinitely. We will develop better medicines for treatment of this disease and quite possibly develop a vaccine. The college experience should get better each and every semester as medicines are available and colleges experiment with what works and what doesn’t work.
Two other points about 5th year and gap years. Colleges are not going to give undergrads a highly discounted or free 5th year. They have lost tons of money already this year from reimbursement of R&B; endowments shrinking from bad financial returns, less revenue from college’s medical hospitals as elective surgeries, etc have been reduced or stopped, loss of D1 college athletic revenue, etc. Plus adding a 5th year impacts the next group of students coming through. Not going to happen.
Lastly, someone said that colleges cannot limit the amount of students taking a gap year. Why can’t they limit the number of kids taking gap years? Students don’t have a god given right to take a year off because they don’t like the fall semester options. Colleges need tuition, R&B revenue to sustain their operating expenses each year, they cannot and will not give unlimited gap years to students, otherwise there will not be a college to come back to in the fall of 2021!
I believe that’s true. Unlimited gap years (or leaves of absence) are not going to happen IMO. Too disruptive to planning and operations. In pre-covid times gap years were not an issue because very few students requested them. Times are different now and everyone should understand that.
Some things CU-Boulder is looking at – they anticipate announcing their plan by or before June 1 :
Our planning team today is sharing potential academic instruction and first-year experience ideas for faculty input and feedback. Many of these ideas have originated directly from faculty, staff and students, and they include:
Beginning the semester as planned in August, with an enhanced first-year academic experience that features academic and residential cohorting. In this model, all first-year students would belong to closely-knit peer groups where they share academic courses and experience student life and co-curricular activities together in local campus environments.
Offering two eight-week sessions for some courses within the typical 16-week semester.
Reducing the number of contacts individuals have through enhanced physical (social) distancing in classrooms and between class times by extending the daily class schedule, staggering in-person attendance, and increasing transition times between classes to reduce the population density of students and faculty. In this model, all large lectures would be delivered remotely, with smaller in-person recitations.
The flexibility for students and faculty to participate in-person or remotely as circumstances allow, including the option to complete the semester remotely after Fall Break or to remain on campus for specific course-related needs in order to reduce the potential for the virus spreading due to domestic or international travel later this fall.
There are many more details in development, and our planning team is developing additional campus input opportunities we will share with you in the coming days.
Note (not from the email):
Unfortunately this is likely true. My family has resigned ourselves to the fact that the most likely scenario is that our daughter will have to go through the whole application process again next winter and expand her list as I can’t imagine colleges that she declined offers from or withdraws from will be all that receptive to her next year.
Here are some reasons why it would not happen on my campus (or in my case):
I’m an adjunct. I get paid less than the janitorial staff. They would have to pay me more money to do hazardous janitorial labor.
I’m an adjunct. I have a contract to teach courses, not to do janitorial work. They can fire me, but that would be a breach of contract. They can refuse to hire me again next year, but they’re short of staff as it is and I don’t need to work, so they need me more than I need them. I’m not as expendable as I look.
The tenured faculty get paid MORE than the janitorial staff, so having them spend time cleaning classrooms is not economical.
Our faculty is unionized and the union includes the adjuncts. Our union would laugh at the idea.
Hazardous conditions would require PPE, masks, gloves, training, etc. No time for all that.
Protocol is that you erase your blackboards or white boards after class and some professors don’t even do that. Anyone really want to task them with virus wiping?
I went to school literally for DECADES, so I would have better employment options. So yeah, I’m an elitist. I earned it. I’ll restrict my cleaning efforts to my home these days.
Cleaning should be a janitorial function (may actually need higher paid disinfecting teams) , but in these times everyone should pitch in from an increased sense of courtesy and concern. Students, teachers , and staff should all be encouraged to wipe down surfaces THEY use. Have you ever seen Japanese soccer fans as they leave a stadium?
One thing @sylvan8798 brings up is unions not backing efforts like this. That’s probably going to happen - sadly.
The students would have more peace of mind if they where given detergent wipes at the door and cleaned their own desks because then they know for certain it’s clean.
Janitors can then be tasked with deep cleaning just say twice a day in the morning and evening.
Gap semesters or years were probably common at colleges populated heavily by commuter, part-time, and non-traditional students who may have money shortages or work or family commitments that prevent continuous enrollment. But it is these colleges that are least likely to see much change in gap semester or year behavior among students, since their students are less likely to feel entitled to a premium residential experience that they were neither paying for nor getting in the first place.
Haverford has told students that they’re converting common rooms into bedrooms to accommodate students who can’t study abroad, so I’m guessing that they aren’t falling short of students.
Seems as if every college I’ve heard about, including the NJ state university where I teach, allowed the students to take the Pass/No Credit option after seeing the final grades. But my daughter at Temple University had to make this decision before finals, which made the whole process much more of a gamble.
I wouldn’t put as much weight on this statement as ChemAm apparently does.
I am eager to go to my favorite restaurants. But if one of them opened up tomorrow, I wouldn’t go. I’m eager to go when I think it’s safe, and right now I don’t think it’s safe to go to a restaurant where the kitchen staff and the wait staff might be infected with a disease that is contagious and could kill me.
I have no doubt that professors don’t like teaching online and long for the day that they can safely teach in person again. That doesn’t mean they believe that day has come or will come by August/September.
Bowdoin has mandatory C/NC.
Northeastern President outlines the school’s plan for students to be on campus this fall.
“A range of new safety protocols and procedures will be put in place on our campuses. These will include use of face masks, staggered business hours, increased disinfection and cleaning, use of the SafeZone app to check into campus buildings, and large-scale deployment of testing and contact tracing. One of the lessons we have learned from other countries, is that successfully reopening society depends on widespread use of testing and contact tracing—by both public and private entities.”
“Because this situation remains fluid, we will continue to provide updates throughout the summer and into the fall.”
https://news.northeastern.edu/coronavirus/university-messages/our-path-forward/
I am finding it interesting that the “who will clean” question is getting so much discussion. Doesn’t every single workplace that has customers walk in the door have this exact same issue when they open up? From retail, to banks, to law offices?
Doctor and dental offices seem to have been cleaning rooms after use all along, without janitorial staff on hand after each patient visit.
Every business will have to work this out, and many are starting now; I’m sure colleges will figure it out.
I’m surprised that Northeastern made the decision so soon considering that MA is still seeing high infection rates in the communities near/around Boston. Chelsea MA and Revere are 2 of the hottest hot spots in the country and while students may not be going to those towns, it’s possible that university staff would be traveling back and forth.
On another note, has anyone heard anything about fall study abroad? Since Australia and New Zealand have pretty much proclaimed the virus contained/gone, and those are popular study abroad options, perhaps those programs will open?
Australia and New Zealand have both completely sealed themselves off from the outside world. No entry or even exit is allowed for almost anyone including their citizens. They’re currently in discussion to allow travels only between their countries. Besides, their normal flu season hasn’t really started yet.
Not yet… my husband is in the study abroad field and works (or used to work!) a lot with Australia and New Zealand. He’s been told there are discussions in both nations about restricting Americans once they re-open their borders. Americans would either be forced to do a 2-week quarantine upon entering, or have to prove they have antibodies. We now have a terrible reputation abroad in terms of how we’re dealing with COVID in comparison to other developed (and underdeveloped!) nations.