Winter Institute

In January 2021, all Winter Institute courses will be offered virtually.

The Winter Institute is an opportunity both for part-time degree candidates and non-degree seeking students alike. Courses cover several public health disciplines including biostatistics, epidemiology, international health, environmental health sciences, molecular microbiology and immunology, health policy and management, and reproductive health.

The 2021 Winter Institute will be held January 4 - 22, 2021. Registration for courses will be possible from October 1, 2020 to December 30, 2020. 
 

If you have questions about registration for Winter Institute courses, please contact jhsph.cess@jhu.edu 

January 2021 Winter Institute 

Special Considerations for the January 2021 Winter Institute 

In January 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the interests of keeping all students, staff, and faculty safe, the Bloomberg School is taking the precaution of offering all of its Winter Institute courses in a virtual format. In this manner, students from all over the world can join our world-renowned faculty for our top-ranked courses, without leaving the comforts of their own homes. Rest assured that the online formats of our courses are carefully crafted to offer students the same extraordinarily rich and connected learning experience as our in-person courses provide.

ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS

Option for Pass/Fail Grades in Winter Institutes Courses

In a temporary departure from the Pass/Fail policy, every student enrolled in a course taken for academic credit during Winter Institute term of Academic Year 2020-2021 will be allowed to take the course as Pass/Fail if they wish to do so. Courses taken Pass/Fail this term will count towards graduation and program requirements (for degrees and certificate programs) as if they were taken under the Letter grade system, assuming that a Pass grade is earned. This policy is consistent with policies of the Council on Education for Public Health. The fee for grade system changes will also be waived for the term. 

Many of the existing rules and considerations for electing the Pass/Fail grade system remain in place:

• Students must follow the timeline shown on the Registration- Winter Institutes page, under "Changing Registration" to switch their grade system to Pass/Fail for a Winter Institute course.
• If students elect to take a course for a Pass/Fail grade, their transcript will indicate either P (Pass; corresponding to a letter grade of A, B, or C), D, or F. Both D and F indicate a failing grade and are included in GPA calculations. A Passing grade is not included in GPA calculations.
• Students who are on academic warning may not take core requirement courses for Pass/Fail grading since they are required to improve their GPA and taking a course for Pass/Fail cannot accomplish this.
• Students who engage in an academic ethics violation forfeit their right to switch to Pass/Fail.
• Students should confirm with their source of funding support to ensure Pass/Fail grades are sufficient. For example, traditionally some employers have required an A or B grade in order to provide reimbursement for tuition. Similarly students should be mindful of grade format requirements for programs or positions to which they may seek to apply in the future.

Please review the Pass/Fail policy and reach out to JHSPH.registra@jhu.edu with any questions regarding the Pass/Fail policy.

COURSE FORMATS

During January 2021, while all courses will be offered online, there are three different types of course formats:

• All-online, asynchronous courses (designated by a .83 suffix in the course number)
• Synchronous courses
• Courses that combine both synchronous and asynchronous instruction

All-online, Asynchronous Courses

Our fully online coursesare designated by a .83 suffix in the course number

• Introduction to Online Learning- If you plan to take a fully online course during the Winter Institute, and have not yet completed the Introduction to Online Learning (IOL) requirement, you must register for and complete IOL before the start of your scheduled course. The next offering of IOL begins on December 14, 2020. You can complete the course as early as December 18, 2020.

Synchronous Courses

Live class sessions normally offered in the classroom will use Zoom. Show up to live sessions just as you would to classes on campus!

Technical Tips for Synchronous Online Class Sessions: 

• Use a headset microphone when possible. This will make it easier for faculty to hear you clearly. If faculty cannot hear you, you cannot fully participate in the class, and that may affect your participation grade in the class.
• If you use a built-in microphone, you must be in a quiet place. Built-in microphones pick up all the noise around you.
• Please have your camera on throughout live sessions. Faculty want and expect to see you in addition to hearing from you.

Courses that Combine Both Synchronous and Asynchronous Instruction

Some courses will combine the use of Zoom for class discussions with the use of Panopto for pre-recorded lectures that may be watched on students' own schedules. Please review the Technical Tips for Synchronous Online Class Sessions section above.