No Continuation Policy

Proposal #10527 “Revise All Majors, College of Engineering” passed by the College Curriculum Committee, Faculty Senate and Provost, eliminates all restrictions on PR-ENGIN students from entering any one of the seven engineering BS degree programs. This applies to students matriculating in Fall 2023 or later. This revokes the previous “Continuation Policy” that required “C” grades or better in specific core curriculum. 

What this means: 

For any students matriculating in Fall 2022 or later, there are NO requirements of minimum grade to continue in the any of the seven engineering BS degree programs or move from PR-ENGIN status into a major. Students can move forward in the curriculum with any passing grade. Proposal #10527 applies only to students matriculating in Fall 2023 or later, however the College of Engineering recommends waiving these requirements to the preceding Fall 2022 due to the inequity of the policy only applying to PR-ENGIN students (policy was not applicable to students entering directly into a BS degree program). 

Recommended Guidance when Advising Students: 

All students should be advised to re-take any core classes to ensure that they have the required knowledge for future courses. Specific guidelines to consider are as follows. 

• “F” required to be re-taken
• “D” or “D+” does not show sufficient understanding of the material. It is highly recommended that the student re-take the course in order to be successful in their field of study. Re-taking of the course is also highly recommended to maintain an adequate GPA and show competence when applying for future jobs.
• “C-“ does not indicate mastery of the material and may not be sufficient to succeed in future courses. It may also affect academic standing if the student is near the 2.0 GPA threshold. It is recommended to re-take the course but not necessary. 

 Recommended Actions: 

The College of Engineering Academic Dean, Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and Departmental Chief Undergraduate Advisors will increase efforts related to early intervention with students who are at risk. Students are regularly contacted and have requirements to lift holds based on specific academic status (required meeting for Probation and Suspension students, recommended meeting for Academic Warning). In addition, OSA will provide additional outreach to students based on minimum grade in specific classes. In all of these cases the intent is to provide students with information about resources that may help them succeed, to have a check-in on their well-being and factors influencing their academic performance, and direct them to any services that may be helpful. 

Individual instructors and advisors are encouraged to actively participate in early interventions, contacting students who are struggling or not engaged in classes and to make use of the Navigate “Issue an Alert” feature to notify students of available resources and trigger a check-in when appropriate. This can be accessed through the Faculty login of htps://www.umass.edu/it/general/university-massachusets-amherst-student-success- collaborative) and clicking on the “Issue an Alert” tab at the right. 

Math Preparation Concerns: 

Data indicates that student math preparation has been significantly affected by disruption to school during the pandemic. This is shown by a significant increase in students not placing into Math 131 on their initial attempt and re-takes of both Math 131 and Math 132 in recent semesters. This is being actively discussed at the College level and is expected to result in an increase in academic discipline cases. This increase precedes the change in “Continuation Policy” and cause/effect of this change on student performance should be viewed with caution. 

Supplemental Background Information: 

Discussions with the College Curriculum Committee at the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester decided that there was no consensus on the need for a “Continuation Policy” , that there was a lack of data on the effectiveness of this policy, that waivers for “C-“ grades were fairly common and that it was problematic to have students who remained PR-ENGIN far into the curriculum. Members of the College Curriculum Committee discussed these points within their respective departments and the decision was that no additional “Continuation Policy” for students accepted directly into a major would be put forward to the Faculty Senate in the 2022-2023 academic year. 

Issues specifically discussed/considered by the College Curriculum Committee were the difficulty of consistent enforcement, other markers of performance (probation/suspension/3-Peat approvals) that restrict continuation in a major, and some very limited data that students restricted by the previous “Continuation Policy” often ended up on academic probation.

It is difficult to assess the relevance of a “C” versus “C-“ grade distinction in very large courses with multiple sections that are not taught within the College of Engineering. Discussions with two individuals in CNS noted that a “C-“ is sufficient in their majors in core CNS courses, therefore there is little distinction between a “C” or “C-“ grade since they are not perceived as having significance to student persistence. 

In Summer 2023 the decision was made to remove all “Continuation Policy” requirements since these created an inequity by only applying to students who entered the College as undecided PR-ENGIN. The Proposal #10527 received final approval on 7/19/2023.