Resource Guide for Graduate Coordinators and Graduate Advisors 

For COVID-19 Response at SSU

Please find information and resources specific to Graduate Program Coordinators below.  If you have additional concerns specific to your program or with regards to a specific student, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies in the Graduate Studies Office. 

1. Academic Deadlines 

There have been no changes to the Graduate Program Deadlines as of March 24, 2020. If you are working with students who are unable to meet these academic deadlines for the semester due specifically to changes in response to COVID-19, please work with the Director of Graduate Studies in the Office of Graduate Studies to determine if, and how an accommodation might be made to maintain the student’s progress through the program.

2. Course Adjustments

All classroom-based courses are expected to be taught via remote instruction starting on Tuesday, March 24 and continuing through the end of the spring 2020 semester. During this period, there will be no in-person classroom instruction. 

Instructors may alter course schedules, readings, assignments, tests, or other course requirements to accommodate public health concerns. Please be in contact with your program’s instructors regarding appropriate adjustments to the courses and communication with students in response to COVID-19.  

For these and any circumstances below where novel use of remote methods is needed, be sure to work with the Faculty Center for assistance in finding the best solutions to your program’s particular needs.

3. Degree Progress and Closure requirements

A. Degree Progress

Please be communicating with the students, faculty, and advisors in your graduate program to develop a plan for maintaining progress towards degree for the students in your program during the University’s response to COVID-19.  In many cases, this will include developing specific pathways for individual students. Please reach out to the Director of Graduate Studies if you need assistance in this process.

B. Advancement to Candidacy

If the process for advancement to candidacy requires a meeting of individuals (e.g. portfolio review, oral exam, written exam, etc.), please work through these requirements using remote methods (e.g. ZOOM, Skype, or Canvas). The campus does not currently have the ability to proctor tests digitally, but you can use Canvas to create timed exams. The department may need to consider temporary alterations to exam processes for graduate students.

The current GS01 form is fillable and provides for digital signatures. If there is an obstacle to providing a digital signature on the GS01 form, please include an email from the individual stating that they are signing the document.

C. Culminating Experience

The current GS02 form is fillable and provides for digital signatures. If there is an obstacle to providing a digital signature on the GS02 form, please include an email from the individual stating that they are signing the document.

1. Theses

   1. Please continue to follow the regular digital Thesis submission protocols and Deadlines

   2. If a student needs to extend their thesis completion from Spring to Summer, be sure they complete the Graduation Changes form.

   3. Thesis presentations should be conducted using technology to allow remote presentation and evaluation (ZOOM, Skype). Please have students work with the Faculty Center if they need assistance in conducting their thesis presentation remotely.

   4. Lab work, field work, office work, or clinical activities associated with completion of the degree must be converted to remote activities or halted for the remainder of the semester.

2. Projects

   1. Program coordinators should work with graduate students and their advisers to evaluate immediate plans for progress or completion for those students using a project as their culminating experience.

   2. Lab work, field work, office work, or clinical activities associated with completion of the degree must be converted to remote activities or halted for the remainder of the semester.

3. Comprehensive Exams

   1. Program coordinators should plan for comprehensive exams given this semester be able to be conducted remotely.  Currently, no in-person Comprehensive exams may be conducted through April 19. Currently, SSU has no technology to allow monitoring of students during remote exams.  So please plan to either use an Honor Code approach or be prepared to provide open note exams should avoidance of in-person instruction and assessment continue through the exam period. Please consult with the Faculty Center to explore the options for providing a remote exam in accordance with your program’s needs.

   2. Jeffrey Reeder has already developed a remote version of the comprehensive exam for the Spanish M.A. and is happy to consult regarding development of remote comprehensive exams with other programs (jeffrey.reeder@sonoma.edu).

4. Graduate Student Support

We expect current graduate student support will remain in place through the COVID-19 response period. However, student resources will be expected to be accessed remotely during this period. A high level of communication with graduate students in your program during this period will be necessary to provide the best chance for students to maintain their progress through the program.

Teaching Associate and Graduate Assistant tuition waivers will remain in place.  It should be noted that students receiving these waivers are expected to continue to fulfill duties associated with their appointment, with appropriate adjustments for remote or virtual instruction.

5. General Faculty Resources

For general faculty resource information, please refer to the Academic Affairs COVID-19 Resource Guides for Faculty and Students. Items addressed there include: Wellness Communication with Students and Colleagues, Academic Communication with Students, and General Academic Deadlines and Processes.

6. Specific Issues & Inquiries

We expect that with the diversity of graduate programs at Sonoma State University, issues that are associated with specific programs may not addressed above. We invite Program Coordinators to contact the Director of Graduate Studies for any assistance in addressing any specific issues or individual student needs. The Office of Graduate Studies seeks to support the valued experts in each of our graduate programs in responding to the unique circumstances created by COVID-19 to the greatest benefit for their students and programs.