Academic Affairs Updates

Academic Leadership has approved an adjustment in the determination of academic standing at the end of the Spring 2020 semester.  Academic Standing will be calculated similar to the end of summer session.  Students currently on probation who raise their GPA above the target GPA will be taken off probation and returned to Good Standing.  Any student on probation who does not raise their GPA above the target GPA will remain on probation.  No students will be placed on academic suspension or academic dismissal at the end of Spring 2020. 

With the changes to the grading options, the S/U election and extension of the course withdrawal deadline, very few students should see their GPA drop below the required level. This change in applying the academic standing rules will minimize the impact of the changes in instruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  For details on all the changes that impact your academic record, see the Records and Registration homepage: https://www.winthrop.edu/recandreg/

Dear Students,

Faculty and academic leaders made two additional adjustments to our Spring 2020 accommodations for students. 

1) We extended the deadline to withdraw from a course until the last day of classes, April 27. This applies to all undergraduate and graduate students. Please think carefully about whether withdrawing from a course is a better option than choosing S/U or taking an incomplete. Discuss these options with your faculty, advisors, and/or student services professionals.  Here is our FAQ on the course withdrawal extension. Please read it before sending any questions:  https://www.winthrop.edu/recandreg/course-withdrawal-spring2020.aspx

2) We have also made changes to grading options for graduate students. Members of the graduate faculty and academic leadership at Winthrop University have approved changes to the Spring 2020 graduate grading policies in order to further minimize the potential negative impacts of the shift to remote instruction on graduate student performance. Previous communications regarding grading options only extended to undergraduate students. Those decisions are still in place.

In short, any graduate student who earns a B-, C+, or C grade in Spring 2020 will automatically receive credit (CR) grades on their records, and the grades will not be counted in the GPA calculation. Any graduate student receiving an F in Spring 2020 will automatically receive an unsatisfactory (UN) grade on their record, and the F will not be counted in the GPA calculation. The graduate grading scale does not include C- or D-level grades. Veterans who require F grades to retain benefits will still receive them. 

These details are spelled out in the chart below. Please read them carefully before reaching out to faculty, advisors, and student services professionals with additional questions. 

• Grades of CR and UN will have no impact (positive or negative) on GPA.
• The grade of CR will award credit for the course in terms of progress toward the degree, but will not contribute points toward GPA calculation.
• Students do not have to choose to opt into this grading scheme. It will be automatic for all graduate students.
• Graduate students will have through Monday, April 27, 2020, to opt for withdrawal from a course, which would result in a grade of N on the transcript.
• This will apply to all courses, including electives, for which a student has enrolled with graduate status.

We hope these additional modifications help ease your mind and give you the confidence for a strong finish to your Spring 2020 studies!

Adrienne

Hello All,

I write to share with you the most recent guidance provided to students earlier today, resulting from a proposal that came to Academic Council on Friday. We had a great conversation and arrived at a plan that will help undergraduate students with the uncertainties that may result from the switch to remote instruction. I know some students are still struggling to work from cell phones. I can't imagine working to my full potential if I only had my cell phone as a tool, as powerful as it is. This guidance has been added to the campus website, along with FAQs, a flowchart, and GPA calculation examples (pdf - 1 MB) to help students and faculty understand these changes.

I also want to draw to your attention the incentive funding we are allocating from next year's budget.  Any full-time faculty members who sign up for the WOTC 101 and 102 sections commencing on April 10 in order to convert a currently-scheduled face-to-face course for fully online delivery on Blackboard for the first time this summer will receive an additional $1000 in professional development funds on top of their normal college allocation. Adjuncts will continue to receive $700 stipends for completing WOTC 101 and 102; the stipend is paid after the online course has been taught.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that the Board of Trustees approved a resolution this morning to allow for test-optional admissions as a result of SAT and ACT test cancellations. We will suspend our requirement of the SAT or ACT tests for admission to Winthrop, for summer 2020 and academic year 2020-2021 admissions only. 

Let me know if you have any questions. I know you all are moving mountains to be there for our students, providing new modes of instruction, advising them for course registration, and being on call (literally) for all of the other very important work that you do. Many, many thanks for your unflagging energy and commitment to ensuring that they finish strong.

Best,

Adrienne

Dear Undergraduate Students,

Members of the faculty and academic leadership at Winthrop University have approved additional changes to our Spring 2020 grading policies in order to further minimize the potential negative impacts of the shift to remote instruction on student performance.  As a result, we are providing this additional guidance for all undergraduate students and faculty. In short, any undergraduate students who earn D grades in Spring 2020 will automatically receive credit (CR) grades on their records, and the D will not be counted in the GPA calculation. Any undergraduate student receiving an F in Spring 2020 will automatically receive an unsatisfactory (UN) grade on their record, and the F will not be counted in the GPA calculation. 

This will help those students who have already opted into S/U as well. Any undergraduate students who have already selected S/U and who earn a D-level grade will earn a CR and keep the credit hours. The CR will not be counted in the GPA calculation. These details are spelled out in the chart below and in the FAQs, flowchart, and GPA calculation examples (pdf - 1 MB). Please read them carefully before reaching out to faculty, advisors, and student services professionals with additional questions.

Best,

Adrienne

As you have already learned, undergraduate students will have the option to elect additional S/Us on or before the final day of classes.  It is very important for you to make a well-informed decision about choosing to use S/U grading instead of a letter grade for one or more of your classes this semester.

We want to make sure that you do not make an S/U decision that could negatively impact (1) your  Life/Hope or other scholarships, (2) your eligibility for future classes, (3) your overall academic progress, or  (4) perhaps even your upcoming graduation.  Consequently, we suggest that you speak with your advisor or the Student Services professionals in your college prior to selecting the S/U option for a particular class if you have questions or concerns. If you have already selected S/U for some or all of your classes, review that decision with your advisor and/or the Student Services professionals in your college.

Here are only a few things you should consider:

• If you select an S/U in all your courses, you could jeopardize your Life/Hope or Palmetto Scholarship if your GPA after fall was below a 3.000 (or you don’t have a GPA yet because Spring 2020 is your first college semester).
• If you are graduating in May or August and need a specific course that you are taking this semester, remember that a D- in a course gives you credit for the course; a U does not.
• If you are not graduating in May or August, you should consult your Catalog to make sure that you know the specific pre-requisite grade requirements for courses you plan to take in Fall 2020 or later in your degree program. We will accept S grades as satisfying pre-requisite requirements based upon the unique situation this semester. However, a U will not satisfy a pre-requisite requirement, whereas a D- might (unless the pre-requisite course also has a letter-grade requirement).

Again, please use the right resources:  your specific Winthrop University Catalog, your advisor, or your Student Services professionals.  Your best friend may not have the correct information.

Your academic progress and your health are priorities for us.  Please take advantage of the assistance available to you.

Hello All,

As each of you are busy performing incredible feats of re-imagination, I wanted to send a few reminders and words of encouragement:

1) Keep checking into the coronavirus website. Important updates show up daily, such as....

2) Students have selected times to retrieve their belongings this week, with access windows that started today and will end Saturday. This may impact their ability to respond quickly on remote assignments or advising.

3) This is the first week. Like the first pancake, it may not be perfect. That's okay.

4) Think "less is more," and allow yourself and the students you teach/support/advise to ease into all of this change.

5) As you prepare for advising appointments and student problem-solving, think about places where you might tweak your normal checkpoints, such as asking students whether they are opting into additional S/U's and what they need to keep in mind if they have.

Have a great Wednesday!

Adrienne

I wanted to update you on Dacus Library’s remote hours now that the university has moved to remote instruction for the remainder of the semester. Librarians continue to be available to assist you and your students with resource needs. We are regularly checking the Reference Desk email (refdesk@winthrop.edu); we are on chat from 9am-9pm Monday-Thursdays, 9am-7pm Fridays, 1-6pm Saturdays, and 1-9pm Sundays; and we are offering virtual Book-a-Librarian appointments (http://libcal.winthrop.edu/appointments/).

Please remember that to access the library’s electronic resources, you must login to your Library Account – instructions for how to set up your account and login can be found here: http://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/libraryaccount. We have a number of eBooks (which you can find through our catalog), and databases (https://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/az.php), all of which you and your students can access remotely.

PASCAL and InterLibrary Loan (ILL) requests have been suspended for the time being. Please hold onto any materials you have from other institutions until further notice. Contact Phillip Hays (haysp@winthrop.edu) if you have questions about PASCAL or ILL.

Lastly, we have a Library Services for COVID-19 Response guide that we update regularly with information about library services, remote access, updated electronic resources (such as electronic textbook providers!), and more: http://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/libraryservices_covid. Please share this guide with your students.

Thank you for continuing to use the library’s resources during this unprecedented time. Please contact me (Emily Deinert, Reference Services Librarian, deinertv@winthrop.edu) if you have questions.

Dear Winthrop Faculty and Staff,

Let me begin by saying I am deeply impressed by the resilience and problem-solving efforts I am seeing across Academic Affairs as we all work to prepare for remote instruction, and now with new guidance from Governor McMaster, remote work from home as well! We are reinventing our jobs and roles daily, in response to rapidly changing conditions. Responding to this environment requires patience, creativity, and teamwork. I have the utmost confidence in all of you as you find new ways to deliver on your unwavering commitment to the success of our students. That is why I chose to work at Winthrop. We put student learning at the center of all we do, and that has not changed. We’ve got this!

Please know that the Academic Leadership team, Senior Leadership, and the Board of Trustees stand ready to support you in any way possible as we shift to remote instruction and the remote work environment. Stay tuned to email for updates as we reinvent business processes. Don’t forget to utilize the resources available on our Continuity of Instruction website, which we are updating frequently as new resources are made available.

Please communicate frequently with your students and remember that next week in particular will be a test-drive on many levels. Please provide as much flexibility in your asynchronous remote instruction plans as possible, as students will need to retrieve their personal items from the residence halls in addition to completing course work and planning for advising sessions.

Supports are being developed for students as well, such as the resources for remote learning site provided through our Winthrop Office of Online Learning. Many other supports are available via remote access as well, including tutoring and counseling.

A few updates for all that will help us move through the remainder of the semester with additional focus on course completion and making steady academic progress:

• All remaining Cultural Events credits for seniors planning to graduate in May or August 2020 are being waived, as long as students meet all other degree requirements to graduate.

• For Spring 2020 only, all students will have the option through April 28 (study day) to choose S/U as a grading method for all courses, whether they are major, minor, or elective requirements and regardless of the current number of courses they may have selected for this grading method. The Registrar will contact students regarding how to request the S/U grading method.

• Please communicate with your students soon and frequently, if you have not already. Have contingencies for your contingencies. If you’re all set to go online or have your remote assignments lined up, that’s great! Perhaps also get cell numbers in case you need to set up another communication method.

• Advising will also start next week, and will require adjustments as well. Cut yourself and your students some slack; it doesn’t have to be perfect. Think of this as an opportunity to look beyond the chaos of Spring 2020, and put tentative plans in place for Summer and Fall 2020 courses. Use this opportunity to review with students whether to take advantage of increased S/U options!

• Students who are currently enrolled in internships and other experiential opportunities may have unique questions. Make sure you are prepared to answer them, with updated information from your particular college dean or department chair.

Next week, in the language of my teenagers and the ancients, will be epic! But I have deep confidence in all of you. Your creativity, talent, and dedicated teamwork will see us all through the challenges ahead.

Please check in to the campus coronvirus website frequently. News from Academic Affairs has been separated out from other updates, and will continue to be posted there in the future. I will do my best to keep you all apprised of changes as they arise. Once the dust has settled on the shift to remote instruction and remote work, you will hear from me again on plans for resuming our other work and responding to other pressing questions, such as what this means for faculty on the tenure track who are missing out on important professional development opportunities. I am thinking about and working on all of those things. Adolphus Belk and I will work together to make sure we have solutions in place in support of the faculty and staff.

Best of luck in your remote instruction adventures, and thanks in advance for doing all you can to model positive thinking, resilience, and creative problem-solving for our students.

Have a great weekend,

Adrienne 

Dear Winthrop Students,

I am deeply impressed by the resilience and problem-solving skills faculty and staff are tapping into in preparation for the shift to remote instruction next week, and now with new guidance from Governor McMaster, they are figuring out how to work from home as well, just as you are! We are reinventing our jobs and roles daily, in response to rapidly changing conditions. Responding to this environment requires patience, creativity, and teamwork. I have the utmost confidence in our faculty and staff, who are unwavering in their commitment to your success.

Next week will see us moving into remote instruction, most of which will be asynchronous, which means you will have some flexibility in when you work on assignments. This may be new to you! So please communicate regularly with your faculty and advisor as you make plans to return to campus to retrieve your personal items, and as you commence remote instruction tasks. Monitor emails and texts. Check out the resources for remote learning provided through our Winthrop Office of Online Learning. Many other supports have been moved to remote access as well, including tutoring, counseling, and general advising processes. Rest assured that we will be here to answer your questions as we work through this transition together!

A few updates for all that will help us move through the remainder of the semester with additional focus on course completion and making steady academic progress:

• All remaining Cultural Events credits for seniors planning to graduate in May or August 2020 are hereby waived, as long as students meet all other degree requirements to graduate.
• For Spring 2020 only, all undergraduate students will have the option through April 28 (study day) to choose S/U as a grading method for all courses, whether they are major, minor or elective requirements and regardless of the current number of courses they may have selected for this grading method. The Registrar will contact students regarding how to request the S/U grading method. Discuss whether this is a good option for you with your advisor!
• Advising will also start next week, and will require adjustments as well. Think of this as an opportunity to look beyond the chaos of Spring 2020, and put plans in place for Summer and Fall 2020 courses. What are your next steps? What do you need to do to be ready for them?

Just as I am confident in the faculty and staff as they prepare to support you, I am also confident in your ability to take these changes in stride and find a path forward to complete your goals. Winthrop students impress me daily with their strength, resolve, and flexibility. Working together, a community with this much talent can get through a challenge of this size and learn things we did not know about ourselves in the process. We’ve got this! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at provost@winthrop.edu with any questions you have in the coming weeks.

Colleagues, librarians are available to assist you and your students with resource needs during our remote instruction period. We have a number of eBooks (which you can find through our catalog), and databases (https://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/az.php), all of which you can access remotely. For instructions on how to access resources remotely, please see our Library Account Setup and Access Instructions guide (http://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/libraryaccount).

Librarians are regularly checking the Reference Desk email (refdesk@winthrop.edu); we are on chat from 9am-5pm through the remainder of Spring Break and will be on chat from 9am-9pm Monday-Thursdays, 9am-5pm Fridays throughout the remote instruction period; and we are offering virtual Book-a-Librarian appointments (http://libcal.winthrop.edu/appointments/).

Additionally, we have a Library Services for COVID-19 Response guide that we update regularly with information about library services, remote access, updated electronic resources, and more (http://libguides.library.winthrop.edu/libraryservices_covid). Please share this guide with your students.

Thank you for your patience as we work on making library resources available to the Winthrop community during this unprecedented time. Please contact me (Emily Deinert, Reference Services Librarian, deinertv@winthrop.edu) if you have questions.

Message from Adrienne McCormick, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs:
Please find additional guidance from Academic Affairs to all Winthrop students. (pdf - 489 KB)

Message from Adrienne McCormick, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs:

Please find additional guidance (pdf - 330KB) from Academic Affairs as a follow up to Dr. Hynd's email from earlier today. We will continue to provide guidance as our planning unfolds. Thank you for your patience and your support of our students and each other as we work through this unprecedented situation together.