For Faculty: Instructional Continuity

• Determine how you will communicate with your students during a weather emergency or other closure - consider that there may be widespread power or internet outages and your students might not receive communications. Consider getting alternate contact information (additional email addresses, cell phone numbers) or using an app like Remind.
• Determine how you will hold your class sessions if you are not able to hold them in-person.
  • Will you hold sessions asynchronously, with online discussions and/or similar tools that students respond to at different times
  • Will you hold virtual class sessions synchronously when all class members are expected to attend together, using tools like Zoom or Google Meet/Hangouts? Or will you use a multiple methods?
• Poll students at the beginning of the semester to determine how many have internet access or computer access off campus, and how many have their own computers and smart phones.
  • Here is an example of a pre-semester survey which includes information on student access needs and questions about their interests and needs relating to the course, created by Meredyth Wegener, who teaches at Vanderbilt. You could send something similar to your students to get a sense of what equipment and levels of experience they have.
  • In emergency situations, the library will work with faculty to provide devices to students in need so they are able to complete their coursework remotely for an extended period of time. Faculty are invited to fill out The Mobile Edge Student & Faculty Device Request Form on behalf of students in their courses. See more on the library's Continuity of Services guide. 
• If you use Canvas, remind your students to download and use the Canvas Student app for their phones/tablets/iPads.
• Include a statement in your syllabus about how you will communicate.
• Test out the hardware available to you to make sure it works: ensure your computer has a functioning webcam, microphone, and speakers (by testing a video conference tool like Google Meet/Hangouts, for example).
• Practice with the technology you plan to use, so you can get a feel for it before class.
  • If you would like to test things out or create content in an empty course that does not have any students in it, do not hesitate to request a sandbox shell where you can start designing your next course or just experiment with Canvas. When you email Garrett Collins, please include course information, if applicable, in your request (e.g., ENGL 400 Literature and Ethics).
• Determine the tools that you will use and practice with both the tools and your students prior to an emergency. For example, if you'll be using Google Meet/Hangouts to hold virtual office hours, try holding them with students a few times at the beginning of the semester.
• Above all, practice empathy - with yourself and with your students.

Checklist adapted from instructional continuity websites at Georgetown University, UNC Charlotte, and East Carolina University instructional continuity websites.