Please share this information with your colleagues, and let me or my staff know if we can help in any way. Thank you!

• Please remember to submit your annual assessment materials to Wayne Jacobson in June. See https://assessment.uiowa.edu/learning-outcomes-assessment#Design and visit the Assessment Exchange to see past examples of departmental assessment plans: https://fmswebprod.iowa.uiowa.edu/fmi/webd/AssessmentExchange
• UEPCC has been discussing updates to the CLAS grading guidelines, considering how to make grades and course standing more transparent for students. Departments are encouraged to read these pages and to consider the related issues: https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/grades-undergraduate-policies-and-guidelines.
• The non-instructional day has been difficult for some instructors and students to manage. Please be understanding about your students’ complaints; it might be best to make sure that no student’s grade is harmed by the loss of this day for instruction. Likewise, in some cases, it may be unreasonable to expect students to make up this loss of knowledge on their own, given the overall stress of the semester.
• A new CLAS Admissions coordinator has been hired, with a formal announcement forthcoming. Many thanks to those who helped with this search. We are excited to welcome our new coordinator!
• The drop deadline for undergraduates is Friday, May 7 at 4:30 p.m., the last day of classes: https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/drop-deadline-undergraduates-spring-2021. Please encourage students to meet with their academic advisors and, if needed, to contact Financial Aid, for example.
• Academic Misconduct procedures and form: https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/undergraduate-teaching-policies-resources/academic-misconduct (the form is in the third paragraph).
• CLAS longer absence policy, Incompletes, and the CLAS Incomplete form: https://clas.uiowa.edu/deos/mailing/march-24-2021/handling-extended-student-absences-and-incompletes-during-spring-2021. Please use the Incomplete form to verify due dates and work to be completed by the student; the student and instructor should both keep a copy of the form.
•  UI/CLAS absence policy for students with a shorter absence: https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/undergraduate-teaching-policies-resources/pandemic-policies#Absences-shorter. CLAS absence form: https://clas.uiowa.edu/sites/default/files/ABSENCE%20EXPLANATION%20FORM.pdf.
•  UI/CLAS policy for COVID-19 absences and the self-reporting form: Students with COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 who miss class should submit the COVID-19 reporting form; the submitted form is sent daily to your ICON site, excusing an absence: https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/classroom-health-and-safety-quick-guide-instructors. Students should be allowed to make up work and exams unless this conflicts with another policy, such as having a longer absence and being out of contact with the instructor.
• Students absent for vaccinations or who have had a strong reaction to the vaccine: Please be understanding; we want all students to be vaccinated as soon as possible and appointments might interfere with some classes. Students should follow the policies in your syllabus regarding absences if possible (i.e. whether or not you require the CLAS absence form etc.) but generally this should be an excused absence and should not need a COVID-19 self-reporting form which triggers contract tracing.
• Final Exams and CLAS policies: https://clas.uiowa.edu/deos/mailing/march-17-2021/final-exam-policies-and-procedures. Final exams for regularly scheduled semester-length courses may only be given on the date and time scheduled by the Registrar and may not be given during the last week of classes unless a CLAS exception has been given. (Note: Off-cycle courses ending on the week of May 3-7 must give the final exam during the last week of classes or earlier and not during finals week.) Please email me immediately with questions.
• Please order your textbooks and other materials as soon as feasible and no later than four weeks before the start of the fall semester. The UI bookstore is under new management by an outside corporation (Follet), and we expect to see changes in textbook ordering. Please watch for updates.

Please let me know as questions come up; I know that many of these concerns can be very difficult to navigate.