Develop Explicit and Flexible Policies

Why should I do this? 

• Mines has explicit information about minimum policy expectations on the website, Faculty Guidance: Teaching and Learning Policies for Fall 2020.  
• Regarding assessment, these include technology requirements, proctoring solutions, exams, remote students, office hours, student participation, and accommodations. In addition to the minimal expectations, we recommend you consider additional flexible policies around assessments in your course. Being flexible with your assessment policies can help maintain the quality learning experiences for our students and also help minimize stress, anxiety, and potentially cheating.  

How can I do this?

• Please communicate policy information for your course to students no later than the first class day. 
• Allow students to drop their lowest homework, quiz, or exam grade.
• Allow students to replace their lowest exam grade with their grade on the final.
• Allow students an opportunity to retake quizzes and to retain the highest of the two scores (without showing students which questions they answered correctly); review answers in class.
• Give students opportunities to make up or redo work and communicate this option ahead of time. 
• For academic misconduct specifically, consider including an “amnesty” policy in your syllabus (changing the number of hours students have at your discretion): Amnesty for Poor Judgement: All assignments and assessments are subject to the institutional Academic Misconduct policy. All submitted material will be reviewed/graded to ensure academic integrity was upheld. Students may voluntarily request withdraw their submission on any assignment or assessment within 48 hours of submission or before any grading/review of said assignment or assessment, whichever comes first. To receive this amnesty, you should email your instructor and state “I would like to withdraw my submission for XXX”.  Your instructor will then set that grade to “zero” and you will not face any other potential repercussions (including an investigation, charge of misconduct, or disciplinary record). We hope you pursue this option if you experienced a momentary lack of judgement. We understand these are stressful times. And while this does not excuse an act of potential misconduct, we are willing to provide a level of forgiveness and amnesty.