June 5, 2020
Most summer B term courses to be offered remotely
This message was sent to students, staff and faculty and other academic personnel across the University of Washington.
Dear Faculty, Students and Staff,
As we continue to put safety and health first, we have decided that summer B term will be taught remotely, with the exception of a handful of courses, most of which are in the health sciences. These courses require in-person clinical experiences to satisfy accreditation and licensing requirements. Summer A term and full summer courses will be taught remotely, as previously announced.
Recognizing the impact that these extraordinary times are having on our students, in addition to UW leaders urging faculty to provide accommodations to students, the Faculty Senate has approved two new grading options. For spring quarter 2020, S (Satisfactory) grades will count toward degree and graduation requirements. The use of S grades toward degrees and graduation requirements also applies to all graduate programs, with the exception of the professional programs that are not supervised by the Graduate School (MD, JD, PharmD, DDS). Details are available here. Additionally, undergraduates and graduate students may now more easily request that they be late-withdrawn from specific courses because of hardships beginning with spring quarter.
Our planning for autumn quarter continues, with an eye on providing in-person instruction for courses of 50 or fewer students on the Seattle campus, with UW Bothell and UW Tacoma having adjusted limits based on their physical facilities. To learn more about our process, please refer to last week’s message to instructors. We anticipate announcing more definitive recommendations for autumn toward the end of June or early July. If you have ideas regarding autumn quarter, please submit them through the suggestion box on the provost’s website. We also have posted back to the workplace guidance for unit leaders as they plan the next phases of our recovery, in coordination with state public health guidance.
Thank you for your resilience and flexibility as we navigate these challenging times.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Richards
Provost and Executive Vice President
Professor of Earth and Space Sciences
Philip J. Reid
Vice Provost for Academic and Student Affairs
Professor, Chemistry
