Spring 2021 End-of-Semester Reminders and Updates
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Our third semester during a pandemic is coming to an end. You did it! Congratulations on making this a successful semester during this challenging time. I am so grateful for your continued dedication to your students’ success, support of your colleagues, and commitment to your teaching, service, research, and creative endeavors throughout this academic year. Thank you very much! Today I am writing to share a few reminders regarding the end of the semester.
Grading
Final grades submission is to be completed in FlashLine before midnight Sunday, May 16th. Login to FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors Category / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources Section to access the links to submit final grades. The University Registrar has posted Faculty Grades Processing FAQs that are helpful as well as grade posting deadlines for your convenience.
Please note, that due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this spring semester, we have created revised grading options and deadlines for students that are again in effect for Spring 2021. These options and deadlines require no additional work from you as instructors, and you should submit your grades in the same manner that you usually do. I am sharing this information because some instructors have asked what they need to do regarding these changes. Again, report your grades as usual (e.g., letter grades). As with our fall 2020 semester, the most important change for this semester is:
- Students can opt to take up to two courses on a Pass/Fail basis per term. Only courses for certain programs cannot be taken for Pass/Fail. All other courses have been approved to be taken Pass/Fail. The deadline for students to submit a request is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Again, you do not need to do anything different than normal. Simply submit grades for students as you normally would. If a student opts to take your course for Pass/Fail, their grade will be changed to Pass (Y) or Fail (Z) by the Registrar’s Office after your final grades are recorded. Importantly, however, we do request that you diligently post your grades by the grade posting deadlines as many students' decisions will be predicated on the letter grade that they receive. Many will wait to see their grades to decide if they should exercise this option. Again, it is therefore especially important that you post your grades by the deadline.
For complete information on KSU grading policies, including IN marks and NF or SF grading policies, procedures, and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the University Catalog. If you have any problems accessing FlashLine or if you need technical assistance, please contact the HELP desk at 330-672-HELP (4357) or via the Online Support Portal at Tech Help. If you have questions about submitting your grades, contact the Registrar's Office at 330-672-3131.
Please note, that due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this semester, we have modified the policy regarding Pass/Fail grading for undergraduate and graduate courses taken during spring 2021.
Blackboard Grade Push
The Grade Push Application is designed to allow for all grades in a section to be pushed from Blackboard Learn to the Final Grades roster at once. The Grade Push Application will be active during the final grading window of your course sections. You can access the Grade Push Application within FlashLine through the Faculty & Advisors Category / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources Section. Grade Push User Information is available at support.kent.edu by searching "Grade Push." For more information on processing grades, see the FAQ page on the University Registrar's website.
Universal Online Student Surveys of Instruction (SSIs)
As usual, all course evaluations will now be delivered electronically through Flash Survey. Reports will be available 11 days after the surveys close. Similar to our response to SSIs in relation to COVID-19 for spring and fall 2020, reports will be available to faculty only and are not to be used in personnel files, such as those submitted for tenure, promotion, or renewal.
FERPA
In light of the provisions of FERPA, please preserve and maintain the privacy of your students and their records. Do not ask students to submit assignments in open mailboxes or in unattended, publicly accessible places and do not provide graded assignments for student pick-up in public venues. Similarly, do not post grades publicly and do not link students' names and/or ID numbers in conjunction with grades.
Student Support
Our students have experienced a lot of stress during the pandemic. The Step Up and Speak Out website and mobile app provide helpful information on Do's and Don'ts of dealing with distressed and disruptive individuals and lists resources that are available 24 hours a day. If you identify a student who may reasonably pose a potential threat to self, others, or the University, please consult with the Care Team.
The Care Team is a cross-divisional crisis management committee that collaboratively assesses and coordinates a response in these situations. Referrals to the Care Team may be made quickly by contacting Dean of Students Dr. Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell (tdrumme1@kent.edu; 330.672.8003) or Student Ombuds Dr. Amy Quillin (aquillin@kent.edu; 330.672.9494).
Get Ready for Canvas!
Canvas is planned to be available for all faculty on May 12th! At that time, you will be able to log in with your Flashline credentials at kent.instructure.com.
You will have a variety of options for online (live) training sessions, self-paced training, and individual consultation opportunities.
- Practice Course. Each instructor will have access to a Canvas Practice Course. Consider this course to be your space to explore and apply lessons learned from trainings and workshops.
- Canvas in a Flash. (available now in Canvas). Self-paced orientation to Canvas with pedagogical considerations for designing and delivering instruction in any classroom.
- Training.kent.edu. Online (live) Canvas training sessions and workshops.
- 1:1 Help & Support. Individual consultations with our team of Instructional Design and Educational Technology staff.
Visit www.kent.edu/canvas and check your email for regular updates and additional information about delivering your course(s) in Canvas. More details will be coming soon on how to set up your Fall courses in Canvas!
Thank you for all you do. This has certainly been a challenging year, but your commitment and dedication did not fade. And because of you, our students are making excellent progress toward their degrees, new knowledge and art has been created, and our community has been supported. I hope you make time to rest and rejuvenate this summer.
My best,
Melody