From Interim Provost Michael Johnson & Faculty Senate Chair William Self
Dear Colleagues:
UCF continues to prepare for potential impacts on our courses from the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Now is the time to make the necessary plans for your courses in case of widespread illness or even the need to move all classes fully online. We are writing to let all faculty know that we expect you to take the actions outlined below.
- Adjust course policies related to attendance so that ill students, or students who have been advised to self-quarantine, do not feel compelled to attend. This may require changes in the syllabus that would then need to be shared with students on Webcourses@UCF (Canvas). Also, please be considerate about student needs to make up work or complete it remotely.
- Plan now for how to move your face-to-face courses to online delivery using the resources below. Explore the resources, experiment with options (including trying from home), and seek help as needed from the Webcourses@ucf support team. You may also choose to move online before it is required; notify your chair or director by email if you do so. (But if you plan to use Zoom, please wait until it is available.) The following resources are in place to help:
â The new “Keep Teaching” website offers options to help you move courses online as simply as possible. Resources include a self-paced training video on online course essentials.
â The Center for Distributed Learning will conduct four workshops next week to help faculty move courses online:
— Tuesday, March 17, 3-4 p.m.
— Wednesday, March 18, 2-3 p.m.
— Thursday, March 19, 10-11 a.m.
— Friday, March 20, 2-3 p.m.
These sessions will be in the Faculty Multimedia Center (Main Campus, CB1-202). No registration is required. Each workshop will be live-streamed on the “Keep Teaching” website and recorded for review.
â The Webcourses@ucf support team can help schedule a custom training workshop for you, your program, department or college.
We will continue to keep you informed of new developments. For the latest updates (not only about teaching), see UCF’s Coronavirus website.
Thank you for your support for our students during this extraordinary time.
