GRADING

(note: the following are guidelines for you as the instructor - this is not a policy to post in your syllabus. You must draft your own grading rubric or criteria in collaboration with your department chair.)

You have flexibility around how to complete your courses, and it is essential that you clearly communicate your new plans with your students. Students appreciate update emails from you – stay connected and communicate often.

As you are deciding how to move your course on-line, feel free to consult with your Chair, Assistant Chair, or Remote Learning Mentor for ideas. Undoubtedly, students will want to know what is happening in your course as quickly as possible, but you shouldn’t hesitate to tell them that you are thinking this through and that you will get back to them by a specific date and time. Once you have determined appropriate options for your courses, you should share the following important details with your students.

1. 1. If you revise grading rubrics, provide students with updated grading details.

   2. As you revise your syllabus, an updated week-to-week schedule should be communicated to students.

   3. To deliver class content remotely, you’ll need to tell students how content will be delivered (e.g. Zoom, the Nest, O-space, email, G-drive (Google Drive)).

   4. Communicate how coursework and projects will be collected by specifying which online delivery option they will use (e.g. G-drive (Google Drive), the Nest, O-space or email).

   5. Clearly communicate and post project deadlines. Remember that not all of your students will be in the same location, and some may be on the other side of the world, so include the time zone when you post a deadline day and time (5:00 pm PST Monday, April 15).

   6. If participation is part of the course grade, be specific with students about how you intend to measure participation, say by presence in a synchronous or written discussion, or participation in small group collaboration.

   7. Project grades should only be posted to individual students, and through the Nest or O-space due to FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that protects the privacy of students’ educational records including grades.) Final grades should be posted as you have been posting all along, through the link on the Otis Dashboard.

Otis College of Art and Design has adopted a temporary Pass/No Pass grading option for undergraduate students for courses impacted by the transition to on-line instruction, effective immediately for the spring 2020 semester. Students may elect to change their method of final grading to Pass/No Pass (P/NP) through the last day of the term, which is May 5. They may choose to take none, some or all of their courses as P/NP this term only.

Faculty should not change anything about their grading methods and should continue to grade students using a letter grade system throughout the remainder of the semester, including submitting a final letter grade for the course. If a student wishes to choose P/NP, they will complete a P/NP form, and the Registrar will change the letter grade you submit to a P/NP grade on the student’s transcript.

This policy was created in consultation with several stakeholder groups, including the Provost’s Office, Department Chairs and Academic Directors, Academic Advising, the Registrar, Enrollment Management, and the President.

• Undergraduate students may elect to take courses on a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) basis. A minimum grade of C is required for a P. Grades of C-, D and F will earn an NP.

• Courses taken under the Pass/No Pass option will count toward academic progress and graduation requirements if the student receives a grade of P in the course. If a student receives a grade of NP they will not receive credit for the course and will need to retake the course.

• Courses taken under the Pass/No Pass option will not affect a student’s cumulative grade point average.

• Deadline to submit requests to change their grading option to Pass/No Pass (P/NP) or to opt out of the P/NP option is the last day of the semester – May 5.

For a Faculty Guide and FAQs about the policy, click here.

Here's a flow chart that will help students to think through their options.

Otis College of Art and Design has adopted a temporary No Pass grading option for graduate courses impacted by the transition to on-line instruction, effective immediately for the spring 2020 semester. Students may elect to change their method of final grading to No Pass (NP) instead of Fail (F) through the last day of the term, which is May 5. Students may choose to take none, some or all of their courses as NP instead of F this term only.

To avoid any additional work for faculty, faculty do not need to, and should not, change anything about their grading methods and should continue to grade students using a P/LP/F grade system throughout the remainder of the semester, including submitting a normal P/LP/F for the course. If a student wishes to choose NP, they will complete a NP form, and the Registrar will change the F you submit to a NP grade on the student’s transcript.

This policy was created in consultation with several stakeholder groups, including the Provost’s Office, Department Chairs and Academic Directors, Academic Advising, the Registrar, Enrollment Management, and the President.

• A grade of P or LP indicates the graduate student has passed the class. A grade of NP indicates the student has not passed the class.

• If the student receives a grade of NP, the course will not count toward academic progress and graduation requirements.

• An NP will not result in Probationary or Dismissal status – unlike the standard Fail (F). A Fail (F) does result in Probationary or Dismissal status.

• Deadline to submit requests to change your grading option to No Pass is the last day of the semester – May 5.

For a Faculty Guide and FAQs about the policy, click here.