Faculty & Academic Staff Briefing #12


Dear Faculty and Academic Staff:

We want to keep our messages to you brief and timely.  We had anticipated that the information and guidance requested would decrease this week and in the coming weeks, but that is not the case so far.  We will move back to a daily email for now. Thank you for reading these important messages.

This brief includes:

  • Guidance on S/U/F Grades
  • Guidance on Incompletes 
  • CLT Tip on Contact Hours in Remote Instruction
  • Upcoming CLT Webinars
  • Safeguard your Google Meet and Zoom Sessions
  • Image of the Day: Bella Ploof

GUIDANCE ON S/U/F GRADES

As a reminder, Faculty will continue to submit letter grades (A-F) at the end of the semester to the Registrar’s Office.  Students now have flexibility and leniency this semester using the Spring 2020 S/U/F grading policy.  Grades of S and U will have no impact on a student’s GPA. An F will impact the GPA.  For additional FAQ’s on S/U/F grading for Spring 2020 please click here.  

GUIDANCE ON INCOMPLETES

We encourage students to complete their coursework this semester.  If a student requests an Incomplete grade, please counsel them on their current standing in the course and their grading options and refer them to our Incomplete policy. Faculty should seek guidance from their Dean if they have any questions.

CLT TIP ON CONTACT HOURS IN REMOTE INSTRUCTION

During your check-ins with students, discuss the workload in your course. You may find that students perceive the workload as unusually heavy, and you can partner with them to determine how they can accomplish quality work in a reasonable amount of time. Consider that one substantive asynchronous discussion post (100-150 words) typically takes students at least half an hour of instructional time equivalent, often more, to plan and compose (source); if you are using discussion boards, it may be appropriate to adjust your synchronous schedule. We offer some updated advice on this balance here. Learning new skills and content with fewer opportunities for classroom demos may also take longer than attending a lecture. Feel free to reach out to clt@champlain.edu to discuss how student workload in a remote context compares to an in-person course, and for strategies to assess students’ comprehension and development in creative ways.

UPCOMING CLT WEBINARS
Webinars resume tomorrow with sessions designed to help you adapt and grow as remote instruction continues. Webinars this week include: 

  • Balancing Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning, Thursday 4/2, 1:00-2:00 PM
  • Screencasting 101: Making Lecture Videos with Slides, Thursday 4/2, 5:30-6:45 PM
  • Designing and Running Online Discussions, Friday 4/3, 2:00 -3:15 PM

Additional webinars will be available next week, focusing on grading and continued student engagement. Invites are in your Google Calendar. See the schedule here

SAFEGUARD YOUR GOOGLE MEET AND ZOOM SESSIONS

You can safeguard your Google Meet and Zoom sessions to prevent uninvited guests from joining.  IS developed an article teaching you how.

ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS

Ongoing communication and resources for Faculty and Staff are posted on The View; the most recent posts are listed here for easy access.  Finally, all Faculty Daily Briefing emails are stored here and also hosted on The View.

QUICK LINKS
CLT: Academic Continuity 
CLT: Upcoming Webinars
CLT: One-on-One Support 
Faculty Canvas Mentor List 
Remote Learning Readiness and Support Survey
Champlain College COVID-19 Question Submission Form
The View: Updates on the Coronavirus

STUDENT RESOURCES
Access to Coaching and Tutoring Support
Remote Learning Guide