The administration of Saint Louis University has released its latest academic guidelines for the 2nd Semester of AY 2019-2020. The advisory provides for the academic road map for the remaining period of the 2nd Semester of AY 2019-2020.

For the benefit of everyone, we have re-encoded here Sections A to J of the Advisory for easier reading since SLU released an image file on their Facebook page. We have also placed some salient points of every Section of the Advisory and these are the following:

Section A – The 2nd Semester shall end on May 20, 2020.

Section B – Alternative modes of learning shall continue during the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Section C– Concerned departments shall review the requirements of OJT/Practicum/Thesis/Research/Laboratoy Classes / Capstone Projects.

Section D – Departmental Examinations for 2nd Semester AY 2019-2020 shall be SUSPENDED. However, faculty members shall prepare a reasonable and doable requirement for each course. The students with internet access may submit their requirement on-line, for those who do not have internet access they will be subjected to Section E-3 of the Advisory. This provides that students who do not satisfactorily meet the requirements shall be given a No Credit (NC) Grade and are given Two months after the start of the short-term AY 2019-2020 to accomplish such requirements. If the student does not enroll for the short-term, the student is given until the end of the 1st semester of AY 2020-2021.

Section E – Provides for the Grading System. Those students who got an NC grade for a prerequisite course for 2nd Sem 2019-2020, may still enroll in the next course, however, this only applies for the short-term AY 2019-2020 or the 1st Semester of 2020-2021 for those who were not able to enroll during the short-term.

Section F – Schedule of Baccalaureate Mass, Commencement Exercises and Moving-up Ceremonies shall be announced once office operations resume. 

Section G – For Basic Education, the online delivery of academic support by teachers shall continue.

Section H – Work operations of the University shall continue on a Work From Home mode.

Section I – The Campus planning, maintenance and Security Department (CPMSD) and the Medical Team shall put in place the mechanisms to observe the protocols to ensure the safety of everyone. 

Section J –Other school matters including tuition and other fees arising from this advisory shall appropriately and reasonably addressed as soon as the office operations resume and plans are finalized. 

For your full understanding here is the full content of the Advisory from Section A to J.

–start of advisory

A. Second Semester of Academic Year 2019-2020

The 2nd Semester of AY 2019-2020 shall end on May 20, 2020 per SLU Academic Calendar for AY 2019-2020, except for the School of Law which shall be covered by the Guidelines in Annex A. 

April 14, 2020 – May 20, 2020 – On-line learning modalities

May 21, 2020 – May 30, 2020 – On-line Submission of Grades (except for the School of Law)

B. Continuation of Alternative Modes of Learning Activities during the extended Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)

Even right before the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) started, SLU already put in place on-line delivery of modules for our students. Due to the erratic internet connections in some places, SLU has not implemented online synchronous discussions. However, even the most basic form of delivery through social platforms, email or text messages was encouraged. That continues to be in place. In addition, the following guidelines shall be observed:

1. Based on the principle that faculty members must be lenient, considerate, and flexible during this period, the faculty members will continue the conduct of on-line learning mode but only on selected topics that will address the basic or core competencies required by the course.
2. The faculty members are urged to refrain from giving students more workload during these times. They can be more discerning and prudent on what lessons and activities to give to students to conclude the semester. Requiring short and unreasonable deadlines is strongly discouraged.
3. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of this pandemic, the faculty members need to recognize the challenges that our students are facing outside their academic requirements; thus, everyone is encouraged to take into account such factors in reasonably adjusting their course requirements to ensure that the minimum or basic course learning outcomes are achieved.
4. The faculty members should provide the students with study guides for the remainder of the course and upload reasonable low-bandwidth learning materials or activities required for the completion of the course to meet the minimum or core basic course learning outcomes. This includes having activities that students can do at their own pace and time.
5. In addition to the uploading of learning materials, the faculty members are urged to provide formative (not graded) assessments and activities, and to give timely feedback on students work.
6. The faculty members must take into consideration the limitations of some students to go on-line during this time for various reasons such as limited internet connectivity, family concerns, conditions in their community, etc. As such, students shall be given until May 20, 2020 to fulfill their graded course enrichment requirements.
7. Students who have access to internet connectivity and are capable of submitting on-line the enrichment and final requirements may do so. Students are encouraged to complete the course requirements earlier if they can, as this will help them as well as the faculty members distribute the workload over a longer period.

C. OJT/Practicum/Thesis/Research/Laboratory Classes/Capstone Projects

Because of the extended ECQ, students enrolled in OJT, practicum, laboratory classes and thesis/research/capstone projects are limited from complying with the usual requirements for these courses. In view of this, the following shall be observed:

1. All the department heads are enjoined to review the requirements for OJT/practicum, and laboratory classes and provide alternative activities that are doable and reasonable to ensure that the students enrolled in these courses can satisfactorily complete the minimum requirements by the end of the semester.
2. Thesis advisers/promoters are urged to review and evaluate the expected output of the thesis projects of their students and to limit these to what can be reasonably accomplished during the remainder of the semester given the conditions under ECQ.
3. All academic departments are also advised to review the process of assessing thesis/research/capstone projects for this semester taking into consideration that some students and panelists may have problems with internet access.
4. For the School of Law, the separate guidelines, herein attached as Annex A, shall govern. For all other matters not covered by the guidelines in Annex A, the provisions of this Supplemental Advisory shall and will apply.
5. For the School of Advanced Studies, a separate advisory shall be issued.
6. For the School of Medicine, a separate advisory related to Clerkship shall be issued. The School Dean shall coordinate with the Technical Committee for Medical Education (TCME) of CHED, and the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC).
7. For the School of Natural Sciences, specifically for BSRT and BMLS whose students render six (6) months of internship in affiliate hospitals, a separate advisory shall be issued after consultation with the proper authorities to ensure compliance with specific PSGs.
8. For the School of Nursing which has the Related Learning Experience (RLE) component in the curriculum, a separate advisory for RLE shall be issued after consultation with the CHED Technical Committee for Nursing Education.

D. Departmental Examinations

Recognizing the different learning modalities and considering the conditions of our students and faculty during the ECQ, departmental examinations for this 2nd semester of AY 2019-2020, shall be suspended except for the School of Law which shall be covered by the guidelines in Annex A. 

In lieu of the final examinations, faculty members shall prepare a reasonable and doable requirement for each course that will cover and evaluate the attainment of the minimum or core course learning outcomes covered during the on-line learning activities and enrichment sessions. 

Relative to SLU Advisory dated 19 March 2020 and in view of the EO No. 78 s. 2020, the students who have internet access may submit their requirements on-line. For those who have intermittent or no internet access, they may submit all their requirements during the completion period as provided in item E-3 of this advisory.

E. Grading System

1. Given the extraordinary circumstances that everyone is facing during this difficult times, the Final Grades of the students, except for the School of Law which shall be covered by the guidelines in Annex A, shall be based on the following:

For the undergraduate and School of Medicine: 

Final Grade = [(Weight) x Prelim Grade (PG)] + [(Weight) x Temporary Final Grad (TFG)]

For the School of Advanced Studies:

Final Grade = [(Weight) x Midterm Grade (MG)]+ [(Weight)x Temporary Final Grade (TFG)]

The TFG shall include the enrichment session and final requirements given during the ECQ period and period of class suspension under (EO) No. 78, s.2020. The weights of Prelim Grade and Temporary Final Grade shall be reviewed and endorsed by the Department Head concerned and duly approved by the School Dean. A reasonable revised weight allocation for the two (2) grading terms shall be utilized for this semester. The conduct and mode of the final requirement in lieu of the final examinations shall be reasonably determined by the faculty in-charge and approved by the Department Head. 

2. Upon satisfactorily completing the course enrichment and final requirements given during the ECQ, FINAL GRADED shall be given for the 2nd Semester of AY 2019-2020.

3. The students who were not able to satisfactorily complete all the requirements shall be given a No Credit (NC) grade, which they can complete within TWO (2) months after the start of short-term of AY 2019-2020. For those who will not enroll during the short -term of AY 2019-2020, they shall be given until the end of the 1st semester of AY 2020-2021 to complete the requirements. This is to ensure that the students are not put to a permanent disadvantage due to lack of resources, or for reasons related to this pandemic. 

4. For purposes of enrolment in the short-term of AY 2019-2020 or 1st semester of AY 2020-2021, the prerequisite courses taken this 2nd Semester of AY 2019-2020 in which students are given an NC grade shall be considered as soft prerequisites. As such, the students may be allowed to enroll the next course. This shall only apply this short-term or 1st semester of AY 2020-2021 if the student opts not to enroll during the short-term. 

1. The students who dropped the course/ subject before March 13,202 and have accumulated the number of absences per University policy shall be given a grade of Dropped (D).

F. Commencement Exercises and Moving-up Ceremonies

The details of the Baccalaureate Mass, Commencement Exercises and Moving-up Ceremonies shall be announced as soon as office operations resume and plans are finalized.

G. Basic Education

Pending the announcement from the Department of Education (DepEd) on the closing rites or possible extensions of the Academic Year 2019-2020, the SLU Basic Education units (LES, JHS, and SHS) shall observe the following:

1. The teachers shall continue with the existing online delivery of academic support to their learners to cover the essential learning competencies for the 4th quarter/second semester until May 30, 2020.
2. The teachers shall continue producing on a weekly basis the learning modules, enrichment lessons, and other doable and reasonable learning activities which are sent to the learners through the Learning Management Systems that are currently in place. This includes the use of online platforms which are being utilized for this purpose.
3. The teachers shall establish a mechanism to monitor students’ participation in the identified learning platforms to ensure that the module/enrichment activities are accessed by every student. In cases where a number of students have not accessed the lessons during this period, accommodation strategies shall be prepared and administered to them when school operations resume.
4. The Learning Area Coordinators shall monitor the development and facilitation of the online activities by the teachers.

Subsequent and more detailed guidelines shall be drafted and articulated to the Basic Education stakeholders as soon as the schedules are already set by the DepEd.

H. Work Operations

University operations that can be done through a work-from-home mode will continue. The SLU administrators and the COVID-19 Response Team have been fully onboard through online meetings to respond to the needs of the community. We are working closely with the Project Barangayanihan Team that is at the forefront of SLU’s social involvement, through the Office of the Vice President for Mission and Identity.

I. Safety Protocols Upon Resumption of Work

The Campus planning, maintenance and Security Department (CPMSD) and the Medical Team shall put in place the mechanisms to observe the protocols to ensure the safety of everyone. 

Moreover, in order to ensure the effectiveness of our containment measures, we still have to maintain our vigilance and continue to enforce physical distancing when face-to-face University operations resume. 

J. Other School Concerns

Other school matters including tuition and other fees arising from this advisory shall appropriately and reasonably addressed as soon as the office operations resume and plans are finalized. 

Academic Guidelines for the 2nd Semester of AY 2019-2020 for the School of Law (Annex A)

A. 2nd Semester of Academic Year 2019- 2020

The following schedules shall be observed:

For first years and third years:

For second years:

For fourth years:

For subjects with legal practicum, the respective Department Head and faculty member/s shall determine the activities/requirements to be complied with in lieu of the office practicum and court observation. For fourth years, the CLAO Director shall determine the activities/requirements to be complied with in lieu of community outreach and legal aid activities.

B. Departmental and Final Examinations

Considering that the School of Law is not under the OBE; that the term requirement is examinations; that the students are being given reading assignments to cover the lessons during the period of the ECQ and class suspension under EO No. 78, s. 2020; and, that the departmental examinations are aimed at preparing the students for the bar examinations, final examinations shall still be conducted and shall remain to be departmental examinations. The schedule of the examinations shall be as above-mentioned.

C. Grading System

Since the School of Law has two terms only, the grading system and guidelines shall remain the same. The final grade (FG) shall be the average of the midterm grade (MG) and the tentative final grade (TFG), and for subjects in the fourth year with mock bar examinations, the average of the midterm grade (MG), the tentative final grade (TFG), and the mock bar exam grade (MBG). The periodic grades shall consist of the class standing (50%) and the examination score (50%). For humanitarian considerations and in the exercise of leniency and compassion during this period of crisis, the class standing for each student for the final term (TFG) shall automatically be 50%. Apart from that, the computation of grades and the passing of the course shall be based on the student’s academic performances and achievement. The guidelines in the transmutation of grades of first-year subjects shall remain effective.

All other provisions of Supplemental Advisory No. 2 shall be applicable.

–end of advisory

Note: As a student, parent, faculty member, alumni or as person part of the SLU community what do you think? We would like to hear your comments on the comment section below.

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