Update #21 Guidance on Academic Continuity
September 23, 2020
Excerpted from a message from José Luis Cruz, Ph.D., CUNY’s Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost
The 21st installment of CUNY’s Academic Continuity memo will be uploaded to the University’s COVID-19 portal soon. A summary of new and updated sections is presented below.
- Fall 20 & Spring 21 Instructional Modalities: Preparations for a Largely Virtual Spring 2021 Semester; Conditions for COVID-19 College Closures
- Shared Governance and HR Issues: Updated Labor Provisions Concerning the 2020-21 Academic Calendar; Untenured Faculty Reassigned Time.
- Distance Learning Platforms, Tools & Resources: Student Technology Needs Form; iPAD Trainings; Remote Proctoring Solutions
- University Admissions: Immunization Requirements
- Academic Policies, Requirements and Deadlines: Extension of Deadline to Withdraw from Courses; Guidelines regarding Requiring the Use of Cameras during Live Classes
- Financial Aid and Other Types of Support: Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund
The updated information is reproduced below.
Finally, please note that this will be the LAST installment of our Academic Continuity memo. We are exploring new communication formats to keep you apprised of new policy and practice developments that will make it easier to communicate with campus stakeholders. More as things develop.
NEW Untenured Faculty Reassigned Time: On September 6, 2020 CUNY and the PSC memorialized the following agreement: Untenured Assistant Professors, untenured Associate Professors and untenured Professors (including those employed as faculty counselors or as faculty librarians) whose fourth or fifth annual appointment to a full-time professorial title begins at the start of the 2020-2021 academic year may use the reassigned time provided in Article 15.1(e)1 during the first six annual appointments, rather than during the first five annual appointments. All other provisions of Article 15.1(e)1 remain unchanged.
UPDATE Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund: The Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund was established in April 2020 and has raised $8.3mm to date in direct response to the COVID pandemic and an urgent need to help students with the immediate financial hardship that our students faced. The Fund has been a lifeline to 6,500 students to date, with another expected 4,000 students to benefit in the next 4-5 weeks from grant assistance. We administered cash awards of $500 to 6,000 students between April and July based on targeted populations that included student-parents, students who were close to graduating, undocumented students, international students, and students unable to benefit from federal CARES Act funding. All students additionally met low income financial need criteria based on available financial aid household data. The student grant recipients were 85% from communities of color, and 75% of recipients resided in the three hardest hit COVID boroughs of Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn. As the pandemic continues and student needs evolved, we are also adapting how we support students. This fall we are awarding student “completion grants” from the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund to help pay fees that students have accrued that can inhibit student enrollment and registration in classes. Based on student needs, all undergraduate colleges were able to support students with grants between $200 to $1000 to pay down debts to free up the students ability to enroll in classes without burdensome debt that too often can result in derailing progress towards degrees for so many low income students. We expect to support 2,500 students between this fall and spring with this completion grant support. Finally, we will be continuing to support an additional 4,000 students with direct $500 cash grants this fall using financial aid records to identify student parents, first generation college goers, international students and other high need groups.
UPDATE Immunization Requirements: According to the New York State Department of Health, immunizations are not required for higher education students attending online-only classes. For the purposes of immunizations, therefore, requirements were waived for the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters. For Fall 2020, however, the University will resume online-only, hybrid, and in-person courses across the system. Each campus will be responsible for updating and maintaining immunization records consistent with New York State law, including waiving immunization requirements in CUNYFirst and resuming the collection of immunization documents when appropriate. CUNYFirst has been updated to allow students to register without Service Indicators for missing immunization documents for the duration of distance learning. For students attending on-campus courses for any length of time, and taking 6 or more credits, the immunization requirements established by the New York State Department of Health are in effect for Fall 2020. Immunizations requirements are located at https://www.cuny.edu/current-students/student-affairs/student-services/health-services/immunization-info/.
NEW Conditions for COVID-19 College Closures: Recent guidance issued by the Governor’s Office for COVID-19 infection rates on NYS college campuses requires that if colleges reach 100 cases of coronavirus or if the number of cases equals 5% of their population or more, they must transition to remote learning for two weeks, at which time the situation will be assessed for returning to limited on-campus activity. Any colleges, including CUNY and SUNY, that meet or exceed the threshold and are directed to transition to remote learning have to inform NYSED by sending an email with the name of the college(s) and start date of the two-week suspension to OCUEINFO@nysed.gov.
NEW Extension of Deadline to Withdraw from Courses: In Spring 2020, the University extended the deadline to withdraw (W grade) officially from a class from the original date of April 1st, 2020 until the end of regular classes to provide additional flexibility to students. An analysis of Spring 2020 class withdrawals show that students benefited from this flexibility and that withdrawal rates were lower than in previous semesters. Furthermore, the number of retroactive withdrawal extension appeals decreased. This resulted in a reduced number of reported WU (Unofficial Withdrawals) grades which in turn 1) reduced reporting workloads associated to the recalculation of students financial aid information as these grades are treated as F’s in a student’s academic record and 2) reduced administrative work to reverse WU grades to W grades as a result of retroactive grade appeals from students. Based on these results and after consulting with the Academic Policy Committee and the University Faculty Senate, we will permanently extend the date of the last day to withdraw from a class to the last day of classes for a particular semester. This information will be updated in the University’s Academic Calendar: www.cuny.edu/calendar.
NEW Guidelines regarding Requiring the Use of Cameras during Live Classes: As is the case with many colleges and universities that have chosen online and distance learning modalities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty utilizing Zoom, Blackboard Collaborate and other digital technology to deliver course curriculum/material must be sensitive to issues of privacy. To that end, faculty offering classes through web conferencing digital technology like Zoom cannot require that students turn on their cameras during live classes, unless there is a pedagogical need to do so. Per CUNY’s attendance verification policy, students can meet the engagement threshold for attendance verification through participating in an online discussion about an academic matter, engaging in an online academically related activity, or initiating contact with the instructor to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course or course-related question, and none of these criteria requires the use of a live camera. In the case of classes in which there is a pedagogical need to require the use of cameras: (1) The requirement for students to be visible on the video should be communicated in advance of registration and enrollment; (2) Students who do not have access to cameras and therefore are unable to comply with the requirement must be accommodated. With respect to whether the use of cameras can be required during the proctoring of exams in web conferencing digital technology platforms like Zoom, students may not be compelled to turn on their cameras during test-taking. Additional resources pertaining to this policy include Zoom Meetings, Zoom Help, Video Participation Privacy Options, and CUNY’s Cloud System Feature Guide for Faculty.
NEW Student Technology Needs Form: Students who have technology needs – for computers, software, or wi-fi hotspots – are encouraged to fill out a simple form in CUNYFirst to communicate this information to their campus. Once a student logs into CUNYFirst, they should click on the “Tell us your tech needs” graphic to share any tech needs they have through a personalized form. Requests are being managed at the campus level.
NEW IPad Trainings: CIS has partnered with Apple to offer a new series of trainings in the month of September (September 9-25). Trainings are run by students at other universities, last for one hour, and are offered in four content areas: communication tools, collaboration tools, study tips, and productivity tips. Topics covered in each course are below, and while they were designed with students in mind, they are also open to staff and faculty. Those who are interested can sign up for the trainings here.
NEW Online Readiness Training Course: Students at most campuses now have access to Are You Ready?, an online readiness course initially developed by Hostos and later adopted by BCC, Guttman, Kingsborough, Lehman, and York, which helps prepare students for online learning. The self-paced course, which takes a student about 30-45 minutes to complete, includes modules that cover basic technology proficiencies and requirements; the basics of Blackboard; and online learning etiquette, as well as a brief self-assessment to highlight some of the key skills that online learning requires. The course is available within Blackboard and makes use of brief videos, quizzes, and a practice assignment.
UPDATE Remote Proctoring Solutions: Towards the end of the Spring 2020 term, the University established a system-wide taskforce, including members from our Committee on Academic Technology, Council of Academic Affairs, University Faculty Senate, and Council of Chief Information Officers, to provide forward-looking recommendations on remote proctoring solutions for Fall 2020.
The taskforce presented its recommendations on June 29, 2020, stating that, whenever possible, alternative methods of assessment such as papers, presentations, annotations, or e-portfolios should be the default method. But also recognizing that there are several courses across the University, including in specialized and licensure programs, that rely on traditional testing approaches and need an online proctoring solution. To serve these courses, the taskforce identified some commercial tools that the University has since been pursuing for possible procurement and implementation. More information will be forthcoming. In the meantime, thank you for your patience — the data privacy, student liability, indemnification provisions, hardware compatibility, and cost considerations in question are quite complex and we are working as purposefully and thoughtfully as possible, fully understanding the sense of urgency involved.
Note: It is important to recognize that students may not be compelled to (1) turn on their cameras during test-taking in web conferencing digital technology platforms like Zoom or 2) agree to the terms and conditions of proctoring solutions procured by the University, Colleges, Programs, and/or those which may be bundled in with specific textbooks. When in doubt, please refer to the following guidance from our Office of General Counsel regarding this matter:
The Office of Legal Affairs (OGC) has reviewed the Terms and Conditions of several online testing application services and it is OGC’s position that faculty cannot compel students to accept the corresponding tools “Terms and Conditions” and that in the event students do not accept the terms, faculty must provide students reasonable assessment accommodations to demonstrate they meet the course learning requirements.
NEW Preparations for a Largely Virtual Spring 2021 Semester: We recently commenced with a Fall semester of mostly online instruction and must now begin to plan our course offerings for the Spring 2021semester. As with the Fall semester, the University’s highest priority in determining the balance between in-person and remote learning and working in Spring 2021 will be to protect the health and safety of CUNY students, faculty, and staff. To this end, colleges must prepare for the possibility that course and work scheduling will remain largely virtual in Spring 2021. This strategy will allow us to be ready for any scenario we might face in the Spring, including the possibility of pivoting to more face-to-face instruction should public health conditions allow, per the staged approach contemplated in our campus reopening plans.
Please note that this guidance is in accordance with the July 9, 2020Board of Trustees resolution that authorized planning fo a largely virtual Fall 2020, inasmuch the resolution recognized that
“[s]ubject to the prevailing conditions and circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and the approval of NYSED to extend such offerings of online courses in academic programs at that time, the University’s decision for the extension of the online and distance learning modality and remote services for the majority of the University’s academic courses, programs and support services for the Fall Semester 2020, shall be conditionally extended to the SpringSemester 2021, as reasonably necessary.”
In planning for a largely virtual Spring 2021, it is important to note that the final determination of what the term will look like will also be subject to federal, New York State and New York City COVID-19 policies, as well as guidance from the relevant regulatory and accreditation bodies, which include the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and the New York State Department of Education (NYSED). It will also require consultation with our Board of Trustees and campus stakeholders, including governance bodies.
As planning for Spring 2021 continues, working with Adult and Continuing Education units will continue to be important to ensuring that programs in adult literacy, industry credentials, vocational and pre-professional programs are offered as critical workforce and career pathway pipelines for students.
NEW Updated Labor Provisions Concerning the 2020-21 Academic Calendar: Per the memo released by Senior Vice Chancellor Pamela Silverblatt on September 14, 2020, the following provisions concerning the 2020-21 academic calendar have been agreed to between CUNY and the PSC: (1) Faculty assigned on a voluntary basis to registration duties during the annual leave period, which is from the day subsequent to the spring commencement of each college and prior to August 26, 2020, who were not paid extra compensation for registration duties performed during that annual leave period shall not be required to perform registration duties for the Spring 2021 semester. (2) Classes conducted during the intersession (the period between the end of the Fall semester and the beginning of the Spring semester) shall be staffed by adjuncts, or by full-time instructional staff in teaching titles paid on an overload basis (subject to the multiple position policy), or by full-time faculty as part of the faculty member’s annual workload with the agreement of the faculty member and the college. (3) Employees on the non-classroom instructional staff of The City University of New York shall not be required to work an excessive number of hours, or be assigned an unreasonable schedule, it being recognized by the parties that members of the staff have the obligation to perform their responsibilities in keeping with the proper staffing of the day session, evening session, summer session, extension divisions and special programs of the University. (4) Newly-hired full-time teaching members of the faculty will begin their appointment and be paid their full-time salary beginning on the day after the end of the full-time teaching faculty annual leave period as calculated under Article 14.1 of the PSC/CUNY collective bargaining agreement. The parties recognize that this payroll practice has no effect on the faculty member’s period for achieving tenure.