March 18, 2020

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

We appreciate all your efforts in preparation for our launch of online instruction tomorrow. The University continues to take steps to provide extensive support to students who are affected by this significant disruption. We realize that this transition will continue to present challenges large and small, and we ask for your forbearance as we navigate–together with our students and staff–the remaining weeks of the academic year.

To mitigate the impact our move to online learning may have on our students, we have consulted with a number of deans and faculty colleagues and decided to implement several modifications to University academic policies for the Spring 2020 semester. Further details about these changes will be forthcoming from the Office of Student Services and your Dean’s Office. 

The following changes will be sent to all students:

Academic policy modifications this semester

1. The last date to drop a course this semester is extended to Thursday, April 9.*

2. The last date to withdraw from a course this semester is extended to the last day of classes, Thursday, April 30.*

*All undergraduate students are expected to maintain full-time status (12 credits or more). If your decision to drop or withdraw from courses will cause you to fall below full-time status, please consult your academic dean, financial aid counselor (where appropriate), and advisor before doing so.

3. We are making changes to our existing Pass/Fail policy that will be in effect for this semester. More details will follow in communications from Student Services and from individual school’s deans. Please note the exceptions that apply to the Connell School of Nursing and the Law School as indicated in #4 and #5 below.  At this time, we can announce the following changes:

a. All graduate and undergraduate students will be able to designate courses taken this semester as Pass/Fail through Thursday, April 30. 

b. The limit on the number of courses that can be taken Pass/Fail in a single semester is suspended for this semester.

c. Undergraduate courses taken Pass/Fail this semester will not count towards the University’s maximum six-course limit on the total number of courses that can be taken Pass/Fail for credit towards a degree. 

d. The prohibition on taking a course that is required for core, corequisite, major or minor credit as Pass/Fail is suspended for this semester, and a student can elect to take any such courses as Pass/Fail. 

e. Carroll School of Management and Woods College of Advancing Studies courses, as well as study abroad courses, may be taken as Pass/Fail for this semester.

f. The prohibition on taking a course to satisfy a school’s foreign-language requirement on a Pass/Fail basis is lifted for this semester.

g. Consistent with existing policy, an undergraduate student who earns a grade of D- or higher will receive a grade of Pass for the course.

h. A grade of Pass will not count towards the GPA calculation, but a Failing grade will.

4. Due to licensing requirements, the policy changes specified in #3 above regarding Pass/Fail do not apply to the following courses: BIOL1320/1330, HLTH 2206, MATH1180, NURS2070, NURS2205, NURS2230, NURS3242, NURS3244, NURS4250, NURS4252, NURS4260, NURS6460, NURS6468, NURS6470, NURS7490, NURS7491, NURS7592, NURS7593, NURS7693. These courses cannot be taken Pass/Fail.

5. All Law School classes will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

Should you or your students experience technical difficulties in conducting your online classes, please contact the Center for Teaching Excellence (https://www.bc.edu/offices/cte/about/contact.html) or Information Technology Services (https://www.bc.edu/offices/help/gethelp/contacts.html).  For academic concerns, please contact your school’s Associate Deans and/ or your Department Chair.

We remain committed to the success and well-being of the entire BC community, and are eager to work with you to ensure that transformative teaching and learning continues during the remaining weeks of the semester.  

Sincerely,

David Quigley
Provost and Dean of Faculties             

Akua Sarr 
Vice Provost                                      

Billy Soo
Vice Provost