Message to faculty about distance education

03/19/2020 

The following message was sent to all instructional faculty on March 18 by Mark Prus, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs:

To all Instructional Faculty:

I hope you all are surviving these very challenging times. Things seem to be changing on a daily basis with many directives from the Health Department, the SUNY Chancellor and the Governor. In light of these edicts we are making the decision to not allow students to return to the campus to resume face-to-face instruction on April 13 as originally planned. Instead we will deliver the remainder of the spring semester through distance learning. I understand that this is less than ideal, but we really have no alternative at this time. Please remember the caveats I provided in earlier memos; you should not expect to recreate your classroom experience completely. I encourage you to be flexible, focus largely on essential learning outcomes and make compromises where necessary.

Additionally:

1. Office Access:  The campus is complying with all the Governor's directives to enforce social distancing strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. While folks are being asked to work at home, the campus is still open and you are able to access your offices as needed. You are asked to limit your time on campus and follow all precautions recommended by the CDC when you are on campus (keep 6 feet of distance between you and others, wash your hands, etc.).

2. Support for Distance Learning:  In case you were not aware, all faculty can get a free account for using WebEx, a video conferencing tool.  To apply for an account, see the Keep Teaching Page (upper right hand corner labeled "WebEx (account request)"). The folks from the Institute for College Teaching are available to consult with you individually (via phone or video conferencing) to transition your courses to distance learning. Additionally you can find help at : http://cortland.libguides.com/bbl

3. Student Support:  All student support services such as the Learning Center, the Writing Center, Disability Resources Office, the Help Center, the Advisement and Transition Office, and the Student Registration and Records Office will be available online, by email and by phone to work with students who are struggling academically or in other ways.
4. Status of Field Experiences:  It is unlikely that any of our students will be allowed back in schools this semester should they re-open. We are developing a plan for student teachers to complete the fourth quarter of student teaching remotely as well as a plan for addressing the lack of field hours for our pre-student teaching students this semester. Dean Lachance is working on drafts of these plans to share with you later this week.
5. Advising:  The Registration Calendar for Fall 2020 classes has been pushed back by a week, so students will begin registration on April 6th, with graduate students and senior starting first. Please use email, phone, Skype, WebEx or other tools to work with your advisees on their plans for next semester.

As I indicated previously, it is important that we take care of ourselves, our families, our colleagues and our students through these difficult times. I have been encouraged by the sense of compassion and purpose that everyone is demonstrating to make the best of the situation.

Mark Prus, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs