Faculty & Staff FAQ
+ Which employees have the option to work from home?
The shelter in place order is still in place. Do not go to campus unless you absolutely must be there and have been given explicit instruction on the time and dates that you can be on campus.
If you have questions regarding your need to report to an on-site location to perform your job duties, please contact your immediate supervisor, or Interim Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Employee Relations, Chanelle Whittaker at cwhittaker@peralta.edu.
There are members of our community who cannot work remotely due to the nature of their jobs. To everyone else whose jobs do not require you to be on campus, please stay home.
The following roles have been identified as requiring an on-site presence to complete core job functions:
Administration at the District and the Colleges
- Accounts Payable
- Custodial Services
- Financial Aid
- Healthcare Personnel
- Maintenance & Operations
- Payroll
- Procurement & Contracts
- Receiving
- Security
- Technology and Network Services
- Warehouse services
The Governor’s Executive Order issued on March 19, 2020, requires that individuals practice social distancing when outside of their homes or places of residence. To balance the need to be on-site to perform certain job functions and the requirement to maintain social distancing, District leadership will work with managers to develop schedules that facilitate the continuance of operations while also minimizing the number of people on the college campuses and the district offices.
+ How to use Canvas during an emergency period
Using Canvas may be the easiest option for faculty during an emergency closure period. The State Chancellors Office allows for waiving DE addendums for courses that don’t have them and allows faculty who have not been formally trained in DE to convert their classes to an online format as a means of maintaining instructional continuity for students.
Please go to:
https://peralta.instructure.com/courses/419/modules DSPS Students If students have DSPS accommodations, faculty are to honor this in the online learning environment. This includes, extending test time, adding captions and clips to lectures and more. Please visit for free links and information to ensure accessibility for all students https://cccaccessibility.org/ Equity, Access and Online Learning It is important for faculty to mindful of the lack of access to being online that some students may have at home or by cell phone. Some may have access to the internet only by their cell phone but may not be able to complete papers this way. Asking your students about their internet accessibility in advance can help faculty find the best ways to support learning during an emergency period.
+ Faculty contact hours: What does title 5 say?
Full-time Equivalent Student (FTES) allowances: Title 5, section 58146 provides the criteria for funding allowances due to emergency conditions such as fires, floods, and other natural disasters or emergencies. The intent behind this section is that districts should not lose apportionment as a result of emergency conditions, as defined in the section.
Instruction and Credit Hour Requirements: In terms of instruction, the district/colleges will need to monitor class meeting cancellations to determine if the related class hours for course sections fall below the minimum to properly award a unit of credit as provided by Title 5, section 55002.5. (48 semester hours of total student work)
Contact Hour Analysis: The Office of the Vice President of Instruction will then need to conduct an analysis of class meeting cancellations to determine if the related class hours for course sections fall below the minimum to properly award a unit of credit as provided by Title 5, section 55002.5. If this occurs, the district will need to communicate to faculty methods to make-up lost instruction to at least the minimum level. Title 5, section 5502.5 states that the Credit Hour Definition is (a) One credit hour of community college work (one unit of credit) shall require a minimum of 48 semester hours of total student work which may include inside and/or outside-of-class hours. Thus, out-of-class hours can make-up for the time the campus was closed due to emergency closures.
Making Up Instructional Time: When faculty make up the instructional time, the College/District does not need to provide the Chancellor’s Office with any documentation. However, they do need to document all the required information (dates, hours, attendance, etc.) and file it in the Office of the Vice President for potential audits by ACCJC, USDE, District internal auditors etc. Where faculty were not able to make up the instructional hours to at least the minimum level, the district Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs will contact the State Office of Educational Services and Supports Division to report all details.
Utilizing Distance Education (Canvas) for Make Up Contact Hours: All courses in Peralta Colleges have related Canvas shells for online instruction. However, not all faculty have been trained in online instruction as required by AP 4105 nor have all students taken online courses and thus may not be familiar with Canvas either. Additionally, not all courses have Distance Education (DE) addendums. In the case of emergencies declared by the Chancellor and Board of Trustees, the requirement for DE Addendums (AP 4105 Section I) shall be waived for the time period of the declared emergency only. What can face-to-face instructors do now to prepare for the possibility of a campus closure?
Most important: Develop a communication plan with your students.
CANVAS is the best way to communicate with your students. Login to Canvas, publish your Canvas course, and send a practice communication (announcement or message) to your students. Instructions attached.
You can also email students directly from the class roster in “My Faculty Center”
Remind students that the email address you have access to, may not be their preferred email. Ask for their preferred email or ask them to change their email preference in their Student Center.
Identify students who may have difficulty using online resources and consider alternate ways to communicate with them.
Make sure that any course materials on campus computers have been backed up and are available to you remotely.
Make sure you have all student work and grades.
Attend one of the workshops or drop-in hours for in-person assistance at your college.
+ Methods other than Canvas for making up Face-to-Face contact hours
Confer Zoom via CCC Confer- Use your Peralta email address to set up free Zoom conference calls at www.conferzoom.org
Google Meet– Faculty can also use Google Meet/Google Hangouts to schedule online classes or meetings. You can visit meet.google.com. Check this tutorial for further information.
Microsoft Teams- Teams is a fairly recent addition to the Office 365 suite, and it has quickly become a successful go-to application for group chat, one-to-one chat, video-conferencing with screen sharing, file sharing, and any other collaboration need. Teams is like a virtual office. You and your students can chat about work in real-time, share files and task lists, and easily fire up a voice or video conference that allows you to share screens, a digital whiteboard, and more! You can simply click the “Meet Now” button from any chat, or schedule an online meeting for later.
Emailing PowerPoint Lectures with Voice Recording- Information is coming!
+ What grading options do I have available for students who feel unable to complete the semester?
Our hope is that each student can successfully finish this semester. If not, please consider the following options and know that you can attend classes this summer and fall—enrollment begins April 6, 2020.
Our hope is that each student can successfully finish this semester. If not, students have three options: Excused Withdrawal, Incomplete, and Pass / No Pass grades.
Excused Withdrawal (EW)
“Excused Withdrawal” (EW) occurs when a student is permitted to withdraw from a course(s) due to specific events beyond the control of the student and affecting his or her ability to complete a course(s). This includes any COVID-19 related issues.
- Excused withdrawals are not counted in progress probation and dismissal calculations.
- Excused withdrawals are not counted toward the permitted number of withdrawals or counted as an enrollment attempt
- Excused withdrawals do not result as F grades on student transcripts. Instead an “EW” will be on the students’ permanent record and transcript
- Excused Withdrawals are not calculated into your GPA (Grade Point Average)
- Excused Withdrawals will not impact your Financial Aid SAP (Student Academic Progress)
For more information about how Excused Withdrawal works go here
How does a student request the EW grade? Students who want to request an EW grade will need to fill out a Request for Excused Withdrawal Form HERE in order to change the W to an EW. Once completed, the form should be emailed to admissions@peralta.edu. You DO NOT need to attach any documentation to this form this spring because of the COVID 19 emergency.
As an instructor can I give an EW grade? Yes. In 3 different ways; On Attendance Verification Day in mid-May, when they assign final grades, and for up to a year after this semester ends by submitting a Record Correction Form. Students can email their instructor to request this.
Your students can also fill out the Request for Excused Withdrawal Form (here). Once completed, the form should be emailed to admissions@peralta.edu. You DO NOT need to attach any documentation to this form this spring because of the COVID 19 emergency.
If I have questions or need help making this decision, who should I ask? Email us at admissions@peralta.edu
Incomplete Grade:
Incomplete Grades (I) may be provided to students where faculty agree. If the faculty agrees to give an I grade, there is a form HERE that must be completed and signed by the faculty and student. The form must describe what course work the student is to complete to replace the I grade with a final course grade. An I grade allows students one year to complete the work. Remember, that not all faculty can or will agree to give an I grade.
Pass/No Pass Grade:
Many classes can allow a student to change to a Pass/No Pass grade option. This may provide you with a sense of ease in this transition. Please contact your instructor(s) to see if this is an option for your course.
The UC and CSU institutions recently updated their policy on accepting Pass/No Pass classes as credits. See an update here
+ When can I assign an EW grade to My Students?
To download this information as a pdf click here
EW on Attendance Verification: Any drops reported by instructors in their Attendance Rosters (available 4/17/2020 to 4/24/2020 for Regular Term classes), will default to an EW, instead of a W.
EW Grade Option When Faculty Assign Final Grades: Faculty will have access to assign the following grade for all classes. This option will be in your Faculty Center drop-down menu along with A, B, C etc. options.
Grading Symbol EW
Definition Excused Withdrawal
GPA 0.00
Counts Against SAP (for Financial Aid)? No
Affects Course Repetition or Number of Withdrawals? No
EW Grade on Record Corrections: If you or the student did not complete the EW Request Form or drop students as described above before the end of Spring, 2020, faculty will be able to submit a Record Correction Form to change a student’s grade to an EW. Faculty have one year to submit this form (i.e. the end of spring 2021).
Student Information: We sent students information about EW grades a second time. However, if you are asked, any student who dropped/s a class on 3/26/2020 or later will receive an EW instead of a W. Students will receive the message below that tells them the class has been assigned an EW grade:
EW Student Information: Students who dropped their classes between 3/10/2020 and 3/26/2020 and received a W will need to fill out a Request for Excused Withdrawal Form in order to change the W to an EW. Once completed, the form should be emailed to admissions@peralta.edu. For the Spring 2020 term only, Requests for Excused Withdrawal do not require documentation. Students have one year (end of Spring, 2021) to submit this form.
- Need More info?: If you missed the previous communications about EW grades and other options and need more information, please Vice Chancellor Siri Brown at sbrown@peralta.edu
+ Can I still give a student a Pass/No Pass grade?
The California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) systems have just sent new information about Community College students who opt for a Pass/No Pass grade option. During the spring and summer 2020 semester only and due to the COVID-19 crisis, both CSU and UC are accepting Pass (P) grades.
However, the CAUTION that is being communicated to students is that the CSU and UC Office of Admissions guidance’s include details and particular information about the impact of the P grade on different majors. In addition, if students are thinking about transferring to a university that is not a UC or CSU (out-of-state, HBCU or private) the P grade may not be accepted at all. We are thus strongly recommending that students discuss this grade option with a Counselor before making a final decision.
Note that the P grade will not calculate into a student’s grade point average.
Information from UC Admissions is HERE
Information from CSU Admissions is HERE
Instructions: • If students want this option, they need to request it directly to you the instructor, • The P/NP grade will be an option in your final grade drop down menu in your Faculty Center.
+ I'm Part-Time Faculty. Will I still be paid for the two weeks of cancelled classes?
Yes.
+ I'm a student employee. Will I still be paid for the two weeks of cancelled classes?
Yes. Employees (including student workers) will maintain their respective schedule remotely and continue to be paid during this time.
+ Now that most staff are working remotely, will I still be paid my regular hours?
Yes. Employees (including student workers) will maintain their respective schedule remotely and continue to be paid during this time.
+ Are we extending the Spring semester into June 2020?
The district and PFT have not negotiated a change in the Academic calendar. We will consider it as the situation unfolds.
+ Since the campuses are closed, how can I pick up my paycheck?
The Payroll Department will mail checks to the employee’s home address. Please contact the Payroll Department at DistrictPayroll@peralta.edu if you have questions or concerns.
+ When will the campuses open again?
Campuses are closed through June 30, 2020. We are hopeful we will be able to open the campuses in July but that is subject to change.
+ How will upcoming graduations be handled?
We are very excited to celebrate the graduation of students at the Peralta Community Colleges.
This year we will acknowledge the academic achievements of the graudating class with a virtual commencement.
The program will include pre-recorded speeches, student awards and a degree and/or certificate presentation for each participating graduate.
For information on each individual college’s virtual commencement with event details and how to RSVP, go to the links below
[Merritt College][19]
[19]: We are very excited to celebrate the graduation of students at the Peralta Community Colleges. This year we will acknowledge the academic achievements of the graudating class with a virtual commencement. The program will include pre-recorded speeches, student awards and a degree and/or certificate presentation for each participating graduate. For information on each individual college’s virtual commencement with event details and how to RSVP, go to the links below Berkeley City College College of Alameda Laney College Merritt College
+ Is there assistance available for employees who are personally suffering from or caring for individuals with COVID-19 related illness?
Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Effective April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, the Peralta Community College District will be providing Emergency Paid Sick Leave to our employees. For more details, please see the COVID-19 sick Leave Reporting form provided by the Department of Human Resources and Employee Relations here