CECAS Faculty & Staff Resources for Undergraduate Studies

Updates From This Week (October 4-10)

Posted on by putman

Here are some updates and new information from this past week.

Spring 2021 Planning

  • As of now, all policies and procedures that are currently in place will remain in place in the Spring semester (e.g., masks, room capacities, class attendance cohorts, online only option for students, etc.).

Fall 2020

  • Instructors should have communicated to students their plans for how they will be handling class for the remainder of the semester.
  • Instructors should communicate to students whether the final week of class (November 30-December 4) will be online or blended.  There seems to be a lot of confusion about this.  The University is not making this decision, it is up to each instructor.  All final exams/assessments will be online.
  • Enforcement of face coverings in the classroom. Refer to class regulations.  No students will be given an accommodation to not wear a face covering.
  • Instructors are encouraged to continue to be reasonably flexible with students as it relates to coursework and the circumstances we are all dealing with related to the pandemic.  Many students are overwhelmed and a little bit of support can go a long way.  You are also encouraged to reach out to students who have exhibited changes in behavior (attendance, missed assignments, etc.).  Sometimes students respond when they know that someone is looking out for them.
  • Study/test taking spaces have been identified around campus and students have received an email with this information.  Students are also free to use available classrooms as study spaces or spaces to participate in online classes when they are on campus.
  • The last day for students to withdraw from a class without final grades is October 23. Therefore, it is important that instructors provide students with an indication of their progress in the course at least a week before this date.  This information can also be valuable during their upcoming advising sessions.
  • Academic Council approved a modified Final Exam Policy for the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.  This gives instructors the flexibility to allow students to exempt the final exam/assessment regardless of their grade in the course going into the exam.  It is at the discretion of the instructor to all students to exempt and also to select the cutt-off for exemption.  If the instructor allows exemption, the student still has the opportunity to take the exam/assessment if they choose.
  • THANK YOU to instructors who completed the Success Matters progress reports for students of concern. THANK YOU to advisors who are reaching out to these students.
  • The University is adding a third graduation ceremony for December graduates on December 16. Therefore the CECAS faculty meeting to review the deletion list and approve candidates for graduation has been moved to December 15 at 3:30 pm.  The deletion list is expected to be available around noon on December 15.  More information will be forthcoming
  • The graduation ceremonies for May and August graduates will be held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville on November 12-15. There will be five ceremonies for Bachelor’s graduates, one for Master’s graduates, and one for PhD graduates.  More information is available HERE.
  • COVID-19 surveillance testing is underway for students and employees. University testing results are available on the COVID-19 Dashboard.  Additional information is also available on this site including wastewater testing results, public South Carolina data, and public national data.  This dashboard will be updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Student Resources

  • The CECAS Technology Loaner Program has a limited number of laptops and webcams available for students to borrow for short durations. Students can request to borrow a laptop or webcam by sending an email to CECAS_EQUIPMENT_LOANS@lists.clemson.edu.
  • Tutoring and other course support options are available for students through PEER/WISE, General Engineering, RISE, and the Academic Success Center. More information about all of these resources is available on the CECAS Tutoring Website.
  • Students who are interested in connecting with other students in their classes to study outside of class can use a new feature in CU Navigate called Study Buddies. Students can access Study Buddies from the CU Navigate mobile app or desktop version. Study buddies can be found as its own icon under ‘Explore’ in the mobile app.  For the desktop version, it will appear as its own icon between ‘Appointments’ and ‘Resources’. We have the ability to pull a report of students in a particular class and section if faculty are interested in learning who is utilizing Study Buddies.

Students and faculty can also setup work or study groups in Canvas.

Faculty Resources

  • Faculty who are advising undergraduate students should consider using CU Navigate as an advising platform. This tool is easy to use and provides quick access to just about all of the information you need for you students.  Some of the features include:  automated appointment scheduling, electronic record keeping, coordinated support network, snapshot of student information and progress, ability to do targeted outreach to students meeting specific user-defined criteria.

Engagement

  • Study abroad programs starting after March 1, 2021 have been cancelled.  Decisions about summer programs will be made at a later date.
  • If you have anything you’d like to advertise on the CECAS Student Opportunities website (target audience is undergraduate students), please send them to engagement@clemson.edu. Items received by COB on Wednesdays will be listed on the Round-up email that is sent to CECAS undergraduate students on Sunday afternoons.  All approved items will be added to the site regardless of when they are received.
  • Please encourage faculty, staff, and students in your departments to use the CECAS Student Engagement Reporting Tool to report attendance at activities and events that are hosted outside of class.  We will periodically share reports about student engagement in your departments.

 

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