As Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, I wanted to share some additional information following President Reveley’s announcement that Longwood will be shifting to online delivery of classes for the remainder of the semester. Below is important information to keep in mind:
Faculty and staff are here to help you. We have compiled many questions and answers about distance learning on our COVID-19 FAQs page.
- Communication is really important right now, so please reach out to your professors if you have questions or are encountering difficulties.
- The Writing Center, the Quantitative Reasoning Center, the Office of Disability Resources, the Digital Education Collaborative (DEC), and the Help Desk are all available to offer assistance. Contact information for each of these offices is on the FAQs page.
In addition to your coursework, you should be consulting with your advisor about summer and fall courses if you haven’t already. Registration is scheduled to take place next week (Tuesday, March 31 through Friday, April 3), and you should develop some back-up plans in case class availability changes.
I realize this transition creates many questions, and I assure you we are working to address them.
- We have already begun to consider whether undergraduate grading policy changes should be made in light of this transition. However, there are many implications to consider, and we want to ensure that we have thought through the different options, so that students are not negatively affected.
- Directors of clinical placements/practicum experiences are working to help students with alternate experiences to the extent possible, and they are working with state officials regarding the complications this situation causes for licensure programs.
- We have not made any decisions yet about courses or experiences in the summer, including travel courses, internships, face-to-face summer school courses, and PRISM.
Ironing out the details of this transition will take a little time, and I appreciate your patience. We will continue to communicate with you about any decisions we make. This is an uncertain and stressful time, and I know this transition to distance learning places an additional burden on you. However, as Lancers, I am confident that we can work together to meet this challenge and finish the semester strong.
Best wishes,
Dr. Smith