Editor’s Note: This is a public Student Union document which has been reproduced to increase the document’s accessibility for the student body and to ensure the availability of a public record in service of the Danforth Dispatch’s goal of facilitating improvements to the community.
Introduced by Senate Chair of Academic Affairs David Mathisson and Cosponsoring Senators Braxton Sizemore, Maddy Kish, Danny Ecker, Emma Platt, Daniel Moroze, Emmett Klein, Ethan Glazer, Jesse Plank, and Lauren Fulghum
WHEREAS, on December 30th, 2021, the administration of Washington University has decreed that classes shall be held online for a period no shorter than two weeks, causing a significant academic disruption to the Washington University student body, and
WHEREAS, in a manner comparable to March 2020, the majority of students are unable to return to campus, with many lacking access to adequate studying environments, whether that be from noise problems, family obligations, space shortages, a problematic home environment, conflicting work schedules, or other challenges which fall inequitably upon students, and
WHEREAS, in a manner comparable to March 2020, students unable to return to campus lack the academic and social support NECESSARY for students to meaningfully learn and achieve, and
WHEREAS, in a manner comparable to March 2020, the information provided by the University administration gives students no credible way of knowing how long disruptive restrictions will remain in place, exacerbating student stress, and
WHEREAS, the administration’s policy of continuing to implement pandemic restrictions while eliminating every one of the pro-student academic reforms established for the pandemic remains confusing to students, and
WHEREAS, extensive student frustrations with the inadequacy of prior pandemic academic policies, the impact of inadequate policies on student mental health, and significant student support for pro-student academic policies even outside of a crisis situation make clear that the academic policies for the Spring 2020 semester, while helpful, were inadequate to meet student needs, and
WHEREAS, already present student concerns make it clear the upcoming disruptions, if unaddressed by meaningful policy adaptations, will cause a significant amount of harm to the community’s mental health, far beyond that of a normal semester, and
WHEREAS, many studies demonstrate the harmful impact of online education on students’ academic performance, such as a Harvard study which notes that “Taking a course online reduces student achievement, as measured by grades, in that course by about one-third of a standard deviation. Taking a course online also reduces student grades in future courses by one-eighth of a standard deviation, and reduces the probability of remaining enrolled a year later by over ten percentage points”. (Bettinger, Fox, Loeb, and Taylor), and
WHEREAS, significant evidence is also available concerning the many ways online education harms students’ mental health, much of which is summarized in an article by the Kentucky Counseling Center, noting “increased anxiety and stress [for students]”, “Zoom Fatigue”, “social isolation”, and exacerbated family strife among the many issues of online education, specifically problematic in a home-isolated online format such as the type the University has decreed, and
WHEREAS, on the basis of these concerns, in light of the significant similarities between the upcoming semester and Spring 2020, and in light of the facts suggesting the academic adaptations of Spring 2020 were inadequate to meet student needs, and
WHEREAS, so that we may pursue a comprehensive and effective set of policy solutions to support students through the crisis caused by the Omicron variant and the administration’s decree, therefore be it
RESOLVED, that Washington University should adopt the policies described in the accompanying Proposal Section A: Guaranteed Extensions and Leniency Briefings, and further be it
RESOLVED, that Washington University should adopt the policies described in the accompanying Proposal Section B: Midterms and Major Assignments, and further be it
RESOLVED, that Washington University should adopt the policies described in the accompanying Proposal Section C: Pro-Student Grading Policy, and further be it
RESOLVED, that Washington University should adopt the policies described in the accompanying Proposal Section D: Studios, Labs, and Other Points of Concern, and further be it
RESOLVED, that the University administration should drastically improve their efforts to meet student needs through increased collaboration with the legislative and executive leadership among Student Union, and as a minimum standard, substantially improve their efforts to provide Student Union legislative and executive leadership with administration briefings in a manner which shall improve collaboration between Student Union and the University administration.
Proposal Advocating For A Meaningful Academic Policy Adaptation In Response To Academic Disruptions Caused By The COVID-19 Omicron Variant
Introduced by Senate Chair of Academic Affairs David Mathisson and Cosponsoring Senators Braxton Sizemore, Maddy Kish, Danny Ecker, Emma Platt, Daniel Moroze, Emmett Klein, Ethan Glazer, Jesse Plank, and Lauren Fulghum
This Proposal is the document referred to in the Resolution to which it is attached. The Proposal has been made available to provide further detail about the implementation of the policies discussed in the Resolution above.
Proposal Section A: Guaranteed Extensions and Leniency Briefings
Learning virtually (and most likely from home) poses a unique challenge and set of circumstances for students of all backgrounds. The great majority of our student body will be forced to adapt to a constantly developing situation. According to such circumstances, it is of the utmost importance that we provide students with the means to thrive, and thus augmented leniency in their classes. We believe the most appropriate way to address this is to provide a guaranteed single-use 48 hour extension for each class. The student body has shown interest in such policies as these outlined in this section even outside of these circumstances, especially regarding the extension policy. This extension should be available to everyone, every semester, in every class, with no questions asked, but we support it principally due to the advent of the Omicron variant and its consequences. It may be more practical to instead guarantee extensions when students report symptoms of COVID-19, or present another comparably disruptive medical need.
A priority for leniency briefings is to mitigate student stress by informing the student body of steps the administration and faculty are taking to support them.
Many students may experience scheduling difficulties while learning from home and/or virtually that they would not have previously accounted for during registration (i.e. altered work hours, differing religious practices, unexpected family responsibilities). The University should advocate for the accommodation of such situations by supporting more flexible attendance policies, encouraging professors to record their lectures and allowing for asynchronous participation in coursework. An unaccommodating attendance policy would be detrimental to effective pedagogy in an already compromised learning format, where students may struggle mentally or physically to meet synchronously.
In a similar spirit, one of empathy towards the struggling students of this institution, it is crucial that professors refrain from using methods of assessment that are incongruent with a virtual/at-home learning environment. We hope that the University will recommend against the use of closed book exams and group projects, methods which will be challenging due to the modality of learning and have proven to be so over the past year and a half. The stress inherent to such assessments is unnecessary during such unprecedented times.
Proposal Section B: Midterms and Major Assignments
Almost every WashU student will have a midterm exam or major assignment in the first few weeks of the upcoming semester. These assignments are a common source of stress for many WashU students. For many of us, the online format of learning is not as conducive to true understanding of the material as in-person learning is. Especially in a semester when most material will be taught in person, the challenges of online learning present significant concerns. Because of this, we do not feel that students can fairly succeed on midterms or projects evaluating only material we have learned online. For this reason, we propose that:
Midterms and major assignments worth 15% or more of the course grade should not be issued during the first three weeks of classes, so that students without the necessary support at home have a fair opportunity to succeed academically. This should be three weeks, and not two weeks, so it extends to a week after the online period ends to facilitate a successful transition back to campus. We ask that during the online period, all quizzes or assignments are to be open book to avoid unfair advantages. Students being evaluated from home are subject to too many different obstacles to fairly be evaluated in a closed book format.
The three-week moratorium is designed to give students time to adapt to a disruptive learning environment and have a successful transition back to campus. In addition, professors typically do not assign many midterms or major assignments in the first three weeks, so with these requirements in place, there should not be significant change, while helping ensure each student has equal opportunity to succeed during this spring semester.
With the three-week moratorium on midterms and major assignments in place, it is possible that professors may assign midterms or major assignments due immediately following spring break. During a semester that was disrupted by the pandemic and new Omicron restrictions, it is especially important for students’ mental health that we have an ability to meaningfully rest and recuperate during the break without having to worry about academics. Therefore, during the week following spring break, we ask that professors not have a midterm exam or a major assignment due.
Furthermore, we ask the University to ask professors not to condense major assignments into short periods of time during the rest of the semester to make up for the three-week moratorium. Condensing multiple major assignments into short periods of time can decrease our quality of work on each individual assignment, which may be harmful to both pedagogical effectiveness and student mental health.
Proposal Section C: Pro-Student Grading Policy
The ability to denote a class as Pass/Fail as opposed to credit can make a significant difference in a student’s academic experience by providing the student the opportunity to focus more on learning the information as opposed to earning a certain letter grade. This change in focus can relieve some of the stress that commonly results from our rigorous academic schedule, which has been made even more stressful by the sudden change to online learning after an uninterrupted semester of in-person learning—a situation similar to that of Spring 2020. The option of Pass/Fail is especially important to account for unusual challenges students may face, including but not limited to circumstances brought on by the pandemic. When WashU students receive an “F” letter grade, for example, it is not due to a lack of intelligence or effort, but rather a personal or medical crisis, or a severe lack of necessary support, both of which are exacerbated during the pandemic (and the use of online education).
It is crucial that we take action to mitigate the impact of these problems, as we did during the Spring 2020 semester. During Spring 2020, WashU extended the deadline to declare a class as Pass/Fail to the end of the semester, directly prior to Finals, and increased the eligibility of Pass/Fail classes towards Major and Minor requirements. These reforms were helpful, but ultimately inadequate to meet students’ needs. Because of the sudden change in learning style and students’ lack of access to conditions necessary for high-quality learning, occurring in both Spring 2020 and the upcoming semester of Spring 2022, we should, at a minimum, implement the same policies that were in place during the semester of Spring 2020. Because some of these measures were inadequate, we should work towards implementing more meaningful grading policies that help students focus on learning, and not only the letter grade they will receive for any given class this semester.
If the current limitations on applying a class taken Pass/Fail towards a Major or Minor are reduced like they were in Spring 2020, then the deadline to switch a class to Pass/Fail should be extended to April 29th (the last day of classes) like it was in Spring 2020. However, if the limitations are not reduced, then the deadline to switch a class to Pass/Fail should be extended to seven days after final grades are released. We believe either of these policy solutions would meet student needs while creating a balance ensuring students will declare Pass/Fail only when necessary.
We must also consider what happens when students opt into the Pass/Fail structure because they are struggling academically. The current structure leaves an F on the student’s transcript in this situation, which may prevent students from reaching their full career potential because an F is on their transcript often from a situation out of their control. Under our proposed structure, the “F” that students would receive when taking a class Pass/Fail should be replaced with a “No Record” internally, which will then be removed from the transcript. Essentially it should be as if a student who receives a “No Record” never took the class, which is more than enough to dissuade laziness, and is especially important for those adversely affected by the pandemic and Omicron restrictions. Using the same structure, universal withdrawals should be in effect and work similarly: if a student withdraws, then the class should not appear on their transcript. The minimum grade to pass a class taken Pass/No Record should be no higher than the minimum pass grade set for graded courses in each department. The disruptions caused by the pandemic, especially when combined with the new Omicron restrictions, shouldn’t hinder a student’s ability to achieve their academic goals this semester.
Proposal Section D: Studios, Labs, and Other Points of Concern
The weeks that students are online for studio and lab classes present stress and confusion on topics that are meant to be taught in person. We ask that classes with studio or lab sections not require students to purchase any materials to complete coursework during the online period and to have the expectation that students will not have access to said materials, a maker space, or other resources only available on campus. Faculty should adapt their courses to an online format, recognizing that students will not have access to campus facilities and equipment. In addition, studio and lab instructors should recognize that grading policies may need to be adjusted as the availability of resources to some students may be greater than others, resulting in a variation of the quality of work.
For the duration of the online period, faculty should post necessary readings and any other necessary curricular materials on Canvas for students who do not have access to physical textbooks and other necessary educational items. The Senate supports the statements regarding the modified art and architecture studio academic policies sent out by Carmon Colangelo, Dean of Sam Fox Art and Architecture School, and hopes for other University schools to create and uphold similar modified policies. We also hope that each University school provides a space for students to voice any and all concerns regarding modified academic policy.
Numerous students have raised concerns to us that, because they were not advised to bring educational materials home for the break, they have left behind items which they need. We hope this will be addressed by efforts among the faculty to provide all necessary materials online or adapt their plans as necessary so such materials are no longer required. In the event that a student has left behind a necessary educational item which cannot be either posted online or easily replaced, most likely a computer, we ask that the University administration take special action to ensure such issues are appropriately addressed without incurring any financial challenges for impacted students.
We intend to make a feedback form available through which students and faculty can voice their concerns about any issues they would like addressed. We ask that the University meaningfully consider any and all concerns brought to us by students in this way.