End of term Evaluations and our Syllabus

Hello 301

Good Tuesday everyone;

O.K. we all have some choices to make and I want to work toward as much flexibility for people as possible. I figure there are two ends to your feelings as a class; at one end there are people who really want to focus on school work during this crisis and at the other end there are people who can no longer focus on their school work during this crisis. I land in about the middle myself. The way I see it, we are all in the same boat, but some are in the bow some are midship and some are in the stern, and we all have the same goal: to stay afloat and make our way through this semester with no casualties.

I will say one thing about how I am viewing this crisis, personally; I believe Mother Nature is giving us all a “Time Out!!’ – She has sent us to our rooms alone to think about the mess we have made of our planet and quite frankly the ways we govern ourselves as a peoples.

Now, onto our options. First, no matter which option you choose you need to be aware of the following message I received from the Head of the English Department;

Should the course instructor wish to make a material change to the syllabus after the last day by which students are permitted to drop the course without receiving a ‘W’ on the transcript, the course instructor must explain the rationale to the class. The course instructor must ensure that registered students have access to the changed details in a revised and dated version of the syllabus and should send electronic communication to students to alert them that a change has been made.

O.K. – so what that says to me, is no matter the outcome, if anyone is unhappy with their final grade, there is a clear course of action to be followed. First, talk with the Instructor, next ….. . I hope that elevates stress.

Now, our options:

“Some faculty will also be implementing “reweighting”, meaning that your total work to-date in the course will constitute your entire grade. Specifics about what will happen in each course will be up to the instructor, but all are being encouraged to be as generous as possible under the very difficult circumstances of the pandemic.”

I like the above option, but in our case, I need to complete the Unit three evaluations before many of you are able to make this choice with a sense of security, and I will, there is no panic or rush to make your individual choice as to which option is best for you.

Next, I quote the message from the Head:

1. Students who believe that their grades have been negatively impacted by this unprecedented global crisis will be able to withdraw from their course with a W, with no credit received and no tuition refund. We will offer more information regarding the implications of this choice by the end of the week, along with a form to request the W.

2. A third alternative will be to request that Arts Advising change your registration in any or all of your courses (including two-term courses) to Credit/D/Fail standing. These standings will appear on your transcript, and we will offer more information regarding the implications of this choice as well as how to apply for it later this week. The standing works as follows:

   • “Credit” is assigned when the grade is 55% or higher. Degree credit is earned.

   • “D” is assigned when the grade is 50-54.9%. Degree credit is earned.

   • “F” is assigned for grades below 50%. Degree credit is not earned.

And finally, the best way to communicate your choice of these three options, is to send me an email with a subject line that reads one of the following:

• 301 Re-weight my Grade
• 301 Withdraw with W
• 301 Change Registration

As I say above, you have time to make this decision, I am still taking the remainder of the week off. The first case of the Corona Virus has hit the little Island I live on – and I now have 5 other people sewing mask and everyone is collecting elastic and fabric. Next Monday, I will be back in full force and focused for you all. As you consider your options, please read the following conclusion to the email I received from the Head of the Department, thank you all.

Arts Academic Advising will be available Monday-Friday to answer your questions as responsively as we can, but please be aware that processes and timelines are still being developed. We will do everything we can to support students who had applied to graduate this term; please understand that it has to be a priority to make it possible for them to complete their degree. Information is changing rapidly right now. We remain committed to your academic success and will provide you with additional information as soon as possible. Please continue to follow public health guidelines and work with your instructors, knowing that we will be in touch shortly.

Again, breath as deep as you can often and listen to your favourite music and vision a new future for us – set you minds on creating positive outcomes of this chaos. Thank you all.