Dean's Community Message
April 27, 2020
Dear College of Engineering Community,
Welcome to the final week of classes for the spring semester. I hope you had a good weekend, and were able to find at least a bit of space to unplug during what I know is a tremendously busy part of the year.
Yesterday’s rainy weather in State College felt more like mid-March instead of late April. If you’ve spent any time here, you know that we have at least a few of these days (and sometimes, weeks) every spring — times that make you wonder if “true” spring weather will ever arrive. Today’s quote, submitted by Communications Strategist Jamie Oberdick, reminded me of that hope for something different. Maybe it’s the hope that the rain will cease and the temperatures will rise. Or maybe it’s the collective hope for a much bigger change in the weeks to come.
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.”
—Anne Lamott
Today, I want to remind undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, about the optional alternative grading processes for the spring semester. Please make sure to familiarize yourself with what has been implemented:
Undergraduate Alternative Grading
Visit the Remote Learning site for detailed information. In summary, once undergraduates receive their letter grades at the end of this semester, they will have the option, on a course-by-course basis, for those grades to remain as letter grades or to appear as one of three options on a new satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale: satisfactory (SAT), pass (V), no grade (Z). Note that the system students will use to enter their grade preferences is being developed and will be shared when available.
Graduate Alternative Grading
Visit the Graduate School site for detailed information. In summary, once grade reporting has closed, graduate students will have the option to change their grades to the alternative grading system on a course-by-course basis. Grades of A, B, or C will convert to P. Grades of D will convert to V. Grades of F will convert to Z. More information about this process and key deadlines for graduate students will be forthcoming.
Remote Teaching Resources
The Office for Digital Learning has developed a set of resources built on learning science research that will be helpful for engineering faculty who are teaching online this summer. We provide Canvas course templates to help faculty easily structure their courses as well as best practices for engaging students using a variety of tools and multimedia resources, all designed to help students achieve the course learning outcomes in an online learning environment. Faculty can contact ODL for a consultation.
If you have unanswered questions or concerns, reach out to our College of Engineering response team at L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu. Updates and FAQs are also available at virusinfo.psu.edu.
Take care!
Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering
