BLINN CHANGES GRADING POLICIES FOR SPRING 2020; ALL MAY MINIMESTER AND SUMMER COURSES TO BE OFFERED ONLINE

  

Blinn College is changing its grading policies for the Spring 2020 semester, due to the impact of COVID-19 on students.

While Blinn will continue to offer letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F, it will also offer incomplete (I) and pass/no-pass (P/NP) grades, while the deadline for students to Q drop a class has been changed to May 8^th.

Students who complete a Course Completion Contract and submit the completed form to their instruction may receive an incomplete grade.  Incompletes will be given to students who identify themselves as undergoing hardship due to the transition from a face-to-face to an online environment, or other hardships related to COVID-19.

Students must request an incomplete by 5 p.m. Friday, April 10^th.  Requests after that date will be reviewed based on regular guidelines for issuing an incomplete grade.  Students who receive an incomplete must still complete the course content, and their final grade will be determined after all coursework is completed.

Students can also choose a pass/no-pass (P/NP) grade for courses offered during the 16-week, 12-week, and second 8-week terms of Spring 2020.  During the Spring 2020 semester, pass and no-pass grades will not be included in students’ GPA calculation.

The full breakdown of grading system changes can be seen below.  These changes will not apply to future terms.

• A, B, C, D, F: Blinn will continue to offer letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F as previously utilized and published in the College Catalog. An earned grade of F will be included in GPA calculations.
• I – Incomplete: Students who complete a Course Completion Contract available at https://bucblinn.sharepoint.com/forms/Academic%20Forms/COURSE-COMPLETION-CONTRACT.pdf and submit the completed form to their instructor may receive an incomplete (I). Incompletes will be given to students who identify themselves as undergoing hardship due to the transition from a face-to-face to an online environment, or other hardships related to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Students must request an incomplete by 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 10^th. Requests received after that date will be reviewed based on regular guidelines for issuing an incomplete (I) grade.

Students who receive an incomplete still must complete the course content, and their final grade will be determined after all course coursework is complete. Per Blinn policy, these courses must be completed no later than 90 days after the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester (Saturday, November 21^st). Failure to complete the work specified in the course completion contract will result in an F grade that will be factored into the final grade point average (GPA) calculation. Additional charges or fees will not be assigned to students who receive an I.

• Pass/No Pass: Students may choose a pass/no-pass (P/NP) grade for courses offered during the 16-week, 12-week, and second 8-week terms of Spring 2020. Under the P/NP grading system, a passing grade (P) is defined as a C or higher. A no-pass grade is defined as a D or F. During the Spring 2020 semester, P and NP grades will not be included in students’ GPA calculation.

P/NP grades (sometimes referred to as a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, or S/U) may not be accepted for transfer credit based upon the policies of the transfer institution. Blinn strongly recommends that students consult with an advisor from any institution to which they intend to transfer prior to choosing this option.

Any student considering the change to P/NP grading should consult with the appropriate personnel at their transfer institution (e.g., an academic advisor, professional school advisor, athletics advisor, and/or financial aid advisor) to understand the implications of the change on one’s future plans, including progress toward a degree and/or financial aid.

Please note that prior to converting any classes to a P/NP grade, special circumstances apply to current Blinn students, as noted below:

• Students receiving Veterans Affairs educational benefits (Chapters 30, 31, 33, or 35) for the Spring 2020 semester must contact the Veterans Services Office at services@blinn.edu. Please include your student ID and the class(es) you are considering converting to a grade of P/NP.
• Due to accreditation guidelines, students who are enrolled or plan to enroll in Health Sciences programs should not take courses on a pass/no-pass grading system unless the course already has been established in this manner by the program. For more information, these students should contact sciences@blinn.edu.
• Students on academic probation must contact Academic Advising. Brenham, Schulenburg, and Sealy students should email advising@blinn.edu. Bryan and RELLIS Campus students should email bryan.advising@blinn.edu.
• International students must contact international@blinn.edu.

To convert courses to a P/NP, students must complete the form at www.blinn.edu/academics/pass-no-pass/request-form.html by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24^th.

• Q-Drop: The deadline for students to Q drop a class has been changed to Friday, May 8, 2020. During the Spring 2020 semester, a grade of “Q” will not count toward the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s limit of six drops allowed during a student’s college career. For the Spring 2020 semester, these Q drops will be reflected as a “W” on students’ transcripts.

Registration for the May Minimester, Summer, and Fall terms began at 9 a.m. this (Monday) morning.  Due to COVID-19, all May Minimester and Summer courses will be offered online.  As Blinn continues to monitor federal, state, and local mandates related to COVID-19, the College will reevaluate the possibility of offering face-to-face courses during the Summer II term and will update faculty, staff, and students regarding any changes.  For information on registration, visit www.blinn.edu/admissions/registration.html.

Further Blinn updates pertaining to COVID-19 are available at www.blinn.edu/alert/emergency-preparedness.html.