MEMORANDUM
To: PVAMU Faculty and Campus Community
From: James M. Palmer, Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Date: March 18, 2020
Re: Move to Online Courses on March 23 and Other Updates
Given the current state of the coronavirus spread, the guidance issued recently regarding avoiding gatherings of ten people or more, the suggestions to shelter in place, the recent Houston-area mandate to limit restaurant service to takeout and delivery orders only, and the local school closures through April 9, PVAMU will take the following actions.
Online Delivery of Coursework
Starting March 23, all coursework, including labs, will transfer to the online eCourses platform for the remainder of the semester. Faculty office hours will take place online as will final exams. Students are not required to return to campus, and faculty will not obligate students to meet face-to-face. Students conducting clinical activities and student teaching will receive guidance from their deans. The current semester calendar will remain in effect, including the schedule for final exams. No final exams will be given early.
Student Support for eCourses
To support students with the move to eCourses, several information sessions will be offered for them on Thursday, March 19. A session will be recorded and placed on the PV website for those unable to attend. To access one of the scheduled training sessions, click on the Zoom session’s specific time.
Thursday, March 19 from 10:00am-11:00am
https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/783142465
Thursday, March 19 from 1:00pm-2:00pm
https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/643395501
Thursday, March 19 from 2:00pm-3:00pm
https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/996302499
Tutoring
Tutoring support services for students will take place online through www.tutor.com and through Zoom sessions. All students currently have 500 free minutes of online tutoring service, but these will be monitored and increased as needed. The 24-hour online tutoring service can be accessed through the PVPlace. Once you have logged into PVPlace, click the tutoring link on the left hand side of the screen and follow the directions. For access to the peer-tutoring offered by University Tutoring Center utilizing Zoom, follow the direction given on your e-Courses homepage.
Advising Support
Academic advising will be performed remotely by phone, email, WebEx or Zoom. Professional and Faculty Advisors will be in contact with details.
Computers and Financial Aid
As part of a university’s cost of attendance, schools are allowed to include a reasonable amount for the documented rental or purchase of a personal computer. For students in a non-technical field, a computer should generally cost between $400 and $600. Students can purchase a computer and submit the receipt to Financial Aid to increase the amount of aid available for the semester. Before purchase, students should consult with Financial Aid to ensure they have not reached the limits of their financial aid.
Commencement
With commencement only weeks away, the spring ceremony scheduled for May 9, 2020 will be postponed and merged with the August 2020 ceremony. Those who are not able to attend the August ceremony may join a subsequent commencement celebration. Degrees will not be affected by the postponement and will be packaged and mailed as scheduled.
Summer School
At present, we anticipate offering all courses online for the regular summer sessions and to return to regular face-to-face coursework in the fall.
xc: Ruth Simmons, President