Academics
Some STEM profs. report triple the workload to run fully online courses this fall
Math professor Robert Ghrist said the Math department has replaced infrequent, high-stake midterms with weekly quizzes, tripling the workload for professors to generate assessments every week.
New co-director of Annenberg media center will lead studies on Black voices in politics
Jackson plans on studying how marginalized voices create political change, citing the Black Lives Matter movement as a source of motivation.
First years create book club, Penn Reads, to bond with peers while away from campus
After choosing a book to read together, the club meets virtually every Thursday for a discussion that may include politics, personal experiences, and other topics the books may inspire.
Two Penn grads launch podcast to teach medical students networking skills
The founders pointed to Penn's pre-professional culture of networking, which they said drastically differs from medical school's environment and curriculum, as inspiration to create the podcast.
Penn Program in Environmental Humanities kicks off academic year with Climate Week lectures
The program aims to identify how to implement climate and ecological literacy within the liberal arts curriculum in Philadelphia schools and beyond
STEM students report being slammed by hours of added virtual class content
The increased workload and time "in class" has forced students to drop classes, work fewer hours at their jobs, and hone their time-management skills.
Headaches, exhaustion, and more screen time: Penn students are worn down by online learning
Students report feeling tired from staring at their screens all day, and say their courses and coursework take more time and mental energy than they normally would in person.
Chemistry department will not pause admissions for Ph.D. students next academic year
While the Chemistry department must endure the same budget cut as the other SAS departments, Chemistry Ph.D. students are typically supported by research grants from government agencies.
Penn partners with medical device provider to develop new healthcare technology
The partnership aims to develop new technical solutions for health care challenges including critical care, diabetes, mental health, and cardiology
Some professors list Penn InTouch courses as asynchronous to accommodate course conflicts
Designating a course on Penn InTouch as "asynchronous" removes its meeting times from students' schedules and allows students to register for another class offered in the same time slot.
Penn falls two places to No. 8 in U.S. News & World Report university ranking
Penn was surpassed by Stanford University and the University of Chicago this year, both of which share the No. 6 spot.
First years burdened by workload but buoyed by social life during first weeks of school
Many students agreed that their social experience has been better than expected, citing opportunities to meet other first years through classes and virtual study groups.
Penn Ph.D. student wins literary prize for memoir about childhood in Philadelphia
Penn English Ph.D. student Joseph Earl Thomas won the 2020 Chautauqua Janus Prize for “Reality Marble,” a memoir based on his childhood in Philadelphia.
Virtual shopping period met with a mix of praise and privacy concerns
Students, overall, have found the access to Canvas pages useful in determining whether to enroll in classes, but not all classes' Canvas pages are available, as class material access is up to the discretion of the professor.
Penn professor organizes nationwide strike for academics against police violence
From Sept. 8 to Sept. 9, participants will refrain from teaching and administrative duties in efforts to focus on public teach-ins about police brutality and violence particularly against communities of color.
Penn will not create an ethnic studies, anti-racism requirement despite community support
Emory University, the University of Pittsburgh, and California State University — the largest public university system in the United States — have all recently required students to take a class on ethnic studies and anti-racism.
Nursing students publish open letter condemning Penn Nursing admin’s response to COVID-19
Nursing students used iHuman, an online nursing simulation, and listened to a free podcast called "Serial" in lieu of in-person clinical rotations this past spring and summer terms.
Penn instructor releases book analyzing successful outsider campaigns in Phila. elections
The book, titled Philadelphia Battlefields: Disruptive Campaigns and Upset Elections in a Changing City, hit shelves in August.
Penn launches virtual shopping period that allows access to all courses' Canvas pages
The Virtual Shopping Period, which is from Sept. 1 to Sept. 15, will give undergraduate students access to all courses' Canvas pages as an "observer" to view any published material.