Provost and senior vice president Titilayo Ufomata announced changes to classrooms and academic support areas for the fall semester, in an email sent to Saint Mary’s students Friday.
Students will be required to bring their laptops to classes, and those who do not own one must notify interim vice president for student affairs Gloria Jenkin for a loaner. This will contribute to the College’s goal of running a largely paperless campus.
While many classes will meet in person, Ufomata said some will be a mix of online synchronous and asynchronous learning and in-person courses, and some will only meet virtually.
“The synchronous online parts will be conducted through a live meeting program such as Collaborate that allows professors and students to see and hear each other and, most importantly, to interact in real time all together or in breakout rooms for group work,” Ufomata said. “The asynchronous parts will include materials that are posted online for you to work through at your own pace.”
Faculty members will hold office hours online, and the academic advising office will meet with students both in person and virtually.
Other academic services including the Disability Resource Office, the Career Crossings Office and the Success Program will continue working with students either virtually or in-person in a space that allows for physical distancing.
Ufomata said the Cushwa-Leighton Library will open, but several new protocols for safety will be put in place.
“The circulation desk will be staffed, and library users will be able to check out books while reference consultations will be virtual,” Ufomata said. “The Library will offer curbside pick-up for library users who wish to retrieve material without coming into the library.”
The College will also provide an option for pass/fail grades.
“Normally, we would only allow a course to be counted as pass/fail if the student declared the desire for such in the first 10 days of the semester,” Ufomata said. “However, we are extending the opportunity to declare a course for pass/fail grading up until November 12, 2020, the last day of classes.”
