West Chester Univeristy enacted an alternative grading policy for Fall 2020, Winter 2020/2021, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 semesters. This page describes the policy in effect during this period.
Students enrolled in these semesters who opted into the Alternative Grading, can request
a COVID/Original grade report, which provides the faculty awarded grade(s) earned
for these terms.
The Original Grade Report is available by placing an order through Parchment. Once logged in, select COVID/Original Grade Report. An electronic copy of the report is provided free of charge. Students who opt for
a paper copied mailed will incur a small fee.
2020-2021 Academic Year Alternative Grading Policy
The University understands that the COVID-19 pandemic continues unabated and, in many ways, has increased in its disruption since the start of the Fall 2020 semester. We realize that the stresses of this reality are causing students to be more anxious than ever before. When we implemented the COVID-19 grading policy for Spring 2020, we found that students ultimately ended up performing better when compared to previous Spring semesters. Many of us believe that this was because the policy provided students with the opportunity to focus on learning instead of worrying so much about their grades.
2020-2021 Academic year: COVID-19 Alternative Grading Policy
(Includes Fall 2020, Winter 2020/2021, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 semesters)
Implementation Timeline and Impact on Services - Updated for Summer 2021
The alternative grade selection tool is available based upon semester (Summer I, Summer II, Summer Post) dates. If your class does not follow the standard Summer semester dates, you may not have access to the alternative grade selection tool once your grade has posted. If you do not have access to this tool and you would like to change your alternative grade selection, please email grades@wcupa.edu from your WCU email address. Please include the semester and course information in your communication.
Summer I 2021 (Course Dates: 06/01/2021 - 07/03/2021)
| Date | Day | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 06/21/2021 | Monday | Student Alternative Grade Selection Tool available in myWCU for Summer I 2021 Courses. |
| 07/06/2021 (8:00am) | Tuesday | Transcript Ordering Disabled for ALL Students Enrolled during the Summer I 2021 Semester. |
| 07/06/2021 (NOON) | Tuesday | Faculty Grades Due for Summer 2021 Courses Completed by 07/03/2021. |
| 07/06/2021 (4:00pm) | Tuesday | Students can view Awarded Grades in myWCU for Summer 2021 Courses Completed by 07/03/2021. |
| 07/07/2021 (4:00pm) | Wednesday | Change of Grade Workflow Disabled for ALL Summer I 2021 Courses.* |
| 07/08/2021 (NOON) | Thursday | Alternative Grading Selections Due from Students Registered in Summer I 2021 Courses. |
| 07/08/2021 (4:00pm) | Thursday | Summer I 2021 Alternative Grading is Completed and Transcript Ordering is Re-Enabled. |
| 07/08/2021 (4:00pm) | Thursday | Change of Grade Workflow Re-Enabled for ALL Summer I 2021 Courses. |
* In order to facilitate the alternative grading process, the change of grade workflow will not available for Summer I 2021 courses beginning on Wednesday (07/07) at 4:00pm. It will become available again on Thursday (07/08) at 4:00pm.
Summer II 2021 (Course Dates: 07/06/2021 - 08/08/2021)
| Date | Day | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 06/21/2021 | Monday | Student Alternative Grade Selection Tool Available in myWCU for Summer II 2021 Courses. |
| 08/10/2021 (8:00am) | Tuesday | Transcript Ordering Disabled for ALL Students Enrolled during the Summer II 2021 Semester. |
| 08/10/2021 (NOON) | Tuesday | Faculty Grades Due for Summer 2021 Courses Completed by 08/08/2021. |
| 08/10/2021 (4:00pm) | Tuesday | Students can view Awarded Grades in myWCU for Summer 2021 Courses Completed by 08/08/2021. |
| 08/11/2021 (4:00pm) | Wednesday | Change of Grade Workflow Disabled for ALL Summer II 2021 Courses.** |
| 08/12/2021 (NOON) | Thursday | Alternative Grading Selections Due from Students Registered in Summer II 2021 Courses. |
| 08/12/2021 (4:00pm) | Thursday | Summer II 2021 Alternative Grading is Completed and Transcript Ordering is Re-Enabled. |
| 08/12/2021 (4:00pm) | Thursday | Change of Grade Workflow Re-Enabled for ALL Summer II 2021 Courses. |
** In order to facilitate the alternative grading process, the change of grade workflow will not available for Summer II 2021 courses beginning on Wednesday (08/11) at 4:00pm. It will become available again on Thursday (08/12) at 4:00pm.
Summer Post 2021 (Course Dates: 08/09/2021 - 08/29/2021)
| Date | Day | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 06/21/2021 | Monday | Student Alternative Grade Selection Tool Available in myWCU for Summer Post Courses. |
| 08/31/2021 (8:00am) | Tuesday | Transcript Ordering Disabled for ALL Students Enrolled during the Summer Post Semester. |
| 08/31/2021 (NOON) | Tuesday | Faculty Grades Due for Summer Courses Completed by 08/29/2021. |
| 08/31/2021 (4:00pm) | Tuesday | Students can view Awarded Grades in myWCU for Summer Courses Completed by 08/29/2021. |
| 09/01/2021 (4:00pm) | Wednesday | Change of Grade Workflow Disabled for ALL Summer Post 2021 Courses.*** |
| 09/02/2021 (12:00pm) | Thursday | Alternative Grading Selections Due from Students Registered in Summer Post 2021 Courses. |
| 09/02/2021 (4:00pm) | Thursday | Summer Post 2021 Alternative Grading is Completed and Transcript Ordering is Re-Enabled. |
| 09/02/2021 (4:00pm) | Thursday | Change of Grade Workflow Re-Enabled for ALL Summer Post 2021 Courses. |
*** In order to facilitate the alternative grading process, the change of grade workflow will not available for Summer Post 2021 courses beginning on Wednesday (09/01) at 4:00pm. It will become available again on Thursday (09/02) at 4:00pm.
Policy Information/FAQs
Please click on the links below for more information regarding the 2020-2021 Academic Year Alternative Grading Policy:
Alternative Grade Types
The alternative grading types implemented for Spring 2020 are also being utilized for the 2020-2021 Academic Year. The grade types, along with credit information and GPA impact, are listed below.
| Grade | Credit | GPA Impact |
|---|---|---|
| E (Earned Credit) | Credit Earned for the Course | No GPA Impact |
| N (No Credit)* | No Credit Earned for the Course | No GPA Impact |
| S (Satisfactory) | Credit Earned for the Course | No GPA Impact |
* Please be aware that a grade of "N" is punitive, as the courses with this grade do not earn credit towards degree completion.
Original Grade Report
Faculty awarded grades are available by request, even if you elected not to have them included in your GPA or posted on your transcript.
The Original Grade Report is an official document containing the faculty awarded grade(s) earned. Please be aware that this document is only available for semesters when the Alternative Grading Policy was implemented and only contains the list of courses with the faculty awarded grades.
The Original Grade Report is available by placing an order through Parchment. Once logged in, select COVID/Original Grade Report. An electronic copy of the report is provided free of charge. Students who opt for a paper copied mailed will incur a small fee.
SPRING 2020: COVID-19 Alternative Grading Policy
For the Spring 2020 semester, West Chester University implemented a flexible, new "opt-in" grading system. Students were asked to determine which grading option worked for them after official grades were posted at the end of the semester.
Why Was It Implemented?
In the midst of the Spring 2020 semester, the COVID-19 pandemic turned our lives upside down. In March 2020, West Chester University made the decision to convert all Spring 2020 courses to an alternative mode of delivery - where learning would continue, while ensuring the health and safety of all students, faculty, and staff.
West Chester University stood by the promise to put students first and foremost in order to help them succeed by maintaining an educational environment centered on learning. The focus was for students to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in their personal and professional lives.
Students were given the capability to choose the grading system that worked best for them on a course-by-course basis once grades were posted at the end of the Spring 2020 semester.
This temporary policy allowed all of us to focus on what was important - student success and learning.
Policy Information/FAQs
Please click on the links below for more information on the Spring 2020 Alternative Grading Policy.
COVID Grade Types
To successfully implement the Alternative Grading Policy for Spring 2020, new grade types were created:
| Grade | Credit | GPA Impact |
|---|---|---|
| E (Earned Credit) | Credit Earned for the Course | No GPA Impact |
| N (No Credit) | No Credit Earned for the Course | No GPA Impact |
| S (Satisfactory) | Credit Earned for the Course | No GPA Impact |
Original Grade Report
Faculty awarded grades are available by request, even if you elected not to have them included in your GPA or posted on your transcript.
The Original Grade Report is an official document containing the faculty awarded grade(s) earned. Please be aware that this document is only available for semesters when the Alternative Grading Policy was implemented and only contains the list of courses with the faculty awarded grades.
The Original Grade Report is available by placing an order through Parchment. Once logged in, select COVID/Original Grade Report. An electronic copy of the report is provided free of charge. Students who opt for a paper copied mailed will incur a small fee.
Remote Instruction Formats
The University made the decision to offer remote instruction for the Fall 2020, Winter 2020/2021, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 semesters. In response, the University made updates to course delivery formats/instruction modes, which define how course content will be provided to a student. Below outlines the non-standard instruction modes created and their definition.
| 100% Online (OL) | Online course that was originally intended to be offered fully online. May or may not require students to "meet" virtually on specific days/times (synchronous instruction), which will be indicated in the meeting pattern. |
|---|---|
| Remote Asynchronous (RA) | Fully remote course that was not originally intended to be offered in remote format. Does not require instructor and students to "meet" virtually at specific days/times (no synchronous instruction). |
| Remote Synchronous (RS) | Fully remote course that was not originally intended to be offered in remote format. Requires instructor and students to "meet" virtually at the specific days/times indicated in the meeting pattern (synchronous instruction). |
| Hybrid (HB) | Courses that offer some in-person engagement - whether on campus or at another site (internship, practicum, student teaching, etc.). |
Synchronous Contact Hours
To help facilitate transparency regarding planned delivery of instruction, two (2) new fields have been added to the schedule of classes offering further clarification on the amount of time a course will meet synchronously. These fields provide an estimation and description of synchronous hours for a course. Our hope is that these fields allow students to better select courses that will work best for their learning needs.
These two (2) fields have been applied to Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 courses with Remote Synchronous (RS) and Online (OL) - only if the course has specific dates/days/times indicated in the meeting pattern - instruction modes.