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Update on Fall Semester Academic Contingency Planning

Andrew Bruso

Dear Faculty Colleagues:

Last week we announced the decision to suspend the requirement for online/hybrid certification for fall 2020 offerings and, instead, to offer an asynchronous, expedited training via Blackboard (Bb) for those faculty who have not previously undergone online/hybrid development but who may want to prepare for more flexible course delivery in the fall. This decision was made as part of contingency planning for the fall semester in the event that seated classes are disrupted due to COVID-19.

This message provides additional details about this training, which is geared towards faculty who are seeking guidance on how to conduct online or hybrid courses effectively and with a mindfulness that was not fully possible given the rapid turn-over we experienced this spring.

Faculty Training and Support: Creating a Blended Learning Course

The goal of this training is to help faculty members create a blended learning course (with synchronous and asynchronous elements) in an expedited amount of time. Training content has been broken into discrete sections that explain the necessity for certain design choices and then provide step-by-step instructions so faculty can execute these recommendations in their own respective Bb course shell.

  • All faculty will automatically be enrolled in this training course by Friday, May 1 and will have on-going access from that date.
  • The asynchronous nature of the training allows faculty to work at their own pace and focus on applicable elements.
  • We estimate most faculty will complete the training modules in 5 to 10 hours, depending on prior experience levels with the technology. Applying the training to respective courses will, of course, take additional time.
  • The training is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged for all faculty:
    • Faculty who have never been certified are especially encouraged to participate in the training. It will save considerable time, reduce unnecessary stress, and increase the quality of the educational experience both for you and your students.
    • Faculty who are already certified are encouraged to review the training as a refresher or if they have previously only taught fully online courses. Previously certified faculty who complete the training and submit an OSQCR review can be approved for recertification.
    • Important: Faculty who complete this course and follow a common template for course layout will contribute to student continuity in all of their remote learning courses.

Benefits of a Blended Learning Design Approach

The Blended Approach combines synchronous and asynchronous elements and offers the flexibility to pivot between seated and remote delivery for a synchronous session, if required. Synchronous components, such as lectures and class discussion, can be delivered in two ways:

Option A: Seated Delivery

  • Synchronous meetings are in-person but can meet less frequently as with hybrid courses (e.g., class might meet only once a week for one hour or 1.5 hours),
  • All other assignments are designed to be asynchronous learning activities to meet necessary time on task requirements.
  • Instructors are encouraged to record lectures for asynchronous use by students and to use synchronous time for whole class discussion, Q & A, explanations/clarifications, small groups, other meaningful interactions, etc.
  • This design allows for face-to-face meetings, if advisable under COVID-19 guidance at the time, but can be offered fully remotely if it is necessary, either by mandate or if the instructor desires to remain remote due to personal circumstances.

Option B: Remote Delivery

  • Same as Option A, but synchronous sessions are delivered via web-conference.
  • Asynchronous activities and recorded lectures are featured so that synchronous web conference class sessions can be used for higher order learning via class discussion, group work, and the like.

Please note: No schedule change is necessary at this time for these options. Synchronous sessions (whether seated or remote) should be held on the same days/times originally planned for your fully seated course. This will enable students to make choices that do not produce conflicting synchronous sessions.

Again, it is our greatest wish that our campus returns to normal seated course delivery in the Fall but the uncertainties of COVID-19 require us to consider contingencies. We are committed to supporting you in this endeavor with webinars, online drop-in hours, and individual support by phone, in addition to the asynchronous training that was designed to meet the needs of this specific situation.

Thank you for your cooperation in planning for the greatest possible support and success of our students.

Sincerely,

Barbara G. Lyman, Interim Provost
Shala Mills, Assistant Vice President for Graduate & Extended Learning
John Reina, Chief Information Officer
Kate Bohan, Senior Instructional Technologist / EIT Accessibility Officer