WPI Faculty Approve Special D-term Grading Options for Undergraduate Students

Department(s):

Undergraduate Studies

Dear WPI Undergraduate Students:

First, we’d like to commend each of you on your ability to adapt to an unprecedented situation. You are meeting challenges with patience, persistence, and understanding, for which we’re immensely grateful—and proud. Thank you.

We recognize this is an incredibly stressful time—not only academically, but in your personal lives as well—which is why we have made the decision to update our policy on course grading for this term. This is to give you a choice in how your grades are recorded for one, some, or all of your classes.

The WPI faculty have approved a special grading option for D-Term 2020:

  • All undergraduate students will have the option to select either a Pass/NR grade scale in place of WPI’s usual A/B/C/NR scale.
  • This option may be applied to any or all of your courses, including graduate level classes.
  • Your choices can be made any time before Thursday, May 21 at 5:00pm EST.

We emphasize that this is an option that you, as a student, may exercise for each of your current courses. The decision belongs to you, but we do ask that you discuss this decision with your faculty and advisors before making the selection. Individual students may have special situations or constraints that would guide their choice in this matter. 

This is a statement of support for all WPI undergraduate students from your WPI faculty who, as always, are invested in your success as well as concerned about your well-being in very trying times. We all hope that this helps to reduce your stress as you adapt to this new remote learning environment.

Next week, on the university’s COVID-19 website, we will post details on how this will work as well as answers to other questions about the process.

Sincerely,

Art Heinricher, Dean of Undergraduate Studies

George Heineman, Chair of Committee on Academic Policy (CAP)

Glenn Gaudette, Chair of Committee on Governance (COG)

Tanja Dominko, Secretary of Faculty

Wole Soboyejo, Provost