In case you missed it, the NY Times recently reported that we may be witnessing the evolution of a more severe strain of H1N1.
And that's just the latest in a string of bad news about H1N1. So it's no surprise that as we start the fall semester many faculty we are working with have expressed concern that their courses are not "shutdown friendly".
There's a number of things you can do to make sure your class can continue, even in the face of a campus shutdown.
First, and most importantly, provide students information on where they should go for instruction in the case of a shutdown, and do it starting the first day of class. Ideally put this information in a couple of places -- in the printed syllabus, on the Blackboard site, or in any other place students might look. As long as your instructions are consistent, more is better in this circumstance. I've pasted the "boilerplate" language in the comments below.
Second, if your plan to run your class during a shutdown involves online technology such as Blackboard forums, blogs, wikis, emailed assignments -- whatever -- introduce these technologies to the students (and yourself) early in the semester. Don't make the first time you are trying to run an online forum in your class the week the campus shuts down.
Third, consider having an alternate syllabus on hand. An alternate syllabus might replace some class sessions with extra reading and a reader response journal. Or maybe it would point the students to some of the many free lectures they can view online.
Remember that a closed campus will restrict the access of students to student services and campus resources. Research requiring access to Mason Library and assignments requiring specific equipment (e.g. access to Science Center or Media Arts Center machines) will have to be redesigned or postponed.
These are just a few ideas -- as we start to see more of the innovative ways faculty are dealing with this issue, we are starting to get a better handle on this issue. CELT is willing to help you figure out alternatives, and share what other people are doing as we confront this possibility -- stop by and visit us in Rhodes Hall. Bring your syllabus and will come up with some options.
Now for the important part -- what are your ideas or concerns? Please share (even professors who are not from KSC -- please chime in and leave ideas in the comments, we're all in this together...)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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I agree that students should have the opportunity to practice the technology before an emergency necessitates it. I always use assignments, including very low stakes ones, that require students to post to Bb Forums, upload assignments to Bb, use websites such as TED Talks www.ted.com or the Annenberg videos www.learner.org etc.
ReplyDeleteI also like to have a class/lecture/activity prepared to use "just in case". This is something that is supplemental (not critical to meeting course objectives) and could be used just about anytime in the course. I have lecture notes, discussion questions, and a link to a video all ready to go. I've used such a contingency plan in the past when my mom was suddenly hospitalized and I didn't have much time to prepare something for my students before I had to leave to deal with her, and once when the roads were dreadful here in VT but the college was open (I have always hated to just cancel class).
This class allows students to keep engaged with each other and the material and provides enriched learning opportunities, which is never a bad thing.
It's good practice, I think, for everyone to have such a "in your back pocket" class, just in case, because we may all have to deal with emergencies, swine-ish or not.
sorry, but I'm not seeing the boilerplate language in the comments
ReplyDeleteThis is from Sue Castriotta's email on Aug 25:
ReplyDeleteQUOTE:
Plan ahead
· Have a communication strategy; tell your students where to find course information
· Plan how you will stay in touch with your department and administrative assistant
· Post your syllabus online and update it with course changes frequently
· Have a clearly-stated course policy regarding make-ups and absences
· Use the announcements page on Blackboard to tell students when you'll be available online, how to contact you, etc.
Keeping the class going when you can't go
· Post documents and assignments on Blackboard or another on-line site in place of lecture
· Substitute Blackboard's discussion board for class sessions
· Record a class lecture for students to view later
· Narrate a slide show from home for students to listen to
Distributing, collecting and grading assignments
· Post assignment instructions and grades on the course Blackboard site
· Use the Blackboard assignment feature to collect assignments electronically
· Use Blackboard to grade and return assignments
· Offer online quizzes, questionnaires or tests where appropriate
Managing student meetings and group work
· Offer students online tools for group work, such as the Blackboard groups tool, Google Docs, or others
· Use instant messenger or video chat to communicate one-on-one (AIM, Google Talk, iChat, Skype, etc)
Suggested Statement for Syllabus
Emergency Academic Procedures:
In the event the College is impacted by an emergency situation like an H1N1 outbreak, students are responsible for regularly checking their KSC e-mail and Blackboard for information from their instructors and/or the College. Affected faculty members are expected to notify students via email, Blackboard announcements and/or voicemail regarding alternative course delivery methods and course work submission procedures. Students who are experiencing flu-like symptoms are asked to stop attending class, to contact their faculty regarding their illness, and to make arrangements for course work completion. Students will be responsible for completing their assignments and ensuring that they have completed all of the core requirements before they will receive a final grade for a course.
I agree with everything Ellen posted. I've also found that extended "inquiry learning" using online resources (such as the Webquest format that Bernie Dodge made famous in the 90s) is a great and active way to have students dig deeply into a topic and consider the many perspectives that feed into that topic. Webquests can be faculty-designed and/or borrowed (search on the matrix of topics at http://webquest.org/index/php to see a few). Students do the initial work online (whether they're recuperating from H1N1 or are completely healthy), and can then share findings next time class meets.
ReplyDeleteCraig -- sorry, Ellen beat me to it.
ReplyDelete