Message to Faculty from Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joseph P. Scartelli, Ph.D.
Dear Faculty:
As we work through each day navigating our transition to remote teaching and learning, I am reaching out to share additional resources and important information to help support you and our students. Faculty and staff from the offices and centers described below have been working tirelessly to develop support structures to assist everyone in delivering instruction in modalities that may be different than those traditionally employed. I extend my sincere appreciation for their dedication and expertise.
If you have not done so already, I encourage you to reach out to your students, even if you do not have much to share yet on your course transition. A message from you letting them know you are thinking of them, recognizing this disruption can be confusing, offering reassurances, and sharing that additional information is forthcoming can be very calming. You can email students via D2L or Blackboard, through your rosters, or by using "ru-course-section-semester@radford.edu" (ex:ru-engl449-01-spring[at]radford.edu).
As you work through this transition, please be mindful of keeping your class days and times and be prepared to be flexible in your course delivery—what works for most students, might not work for all students. Remember that depending on where students live, they may have varying levels of access to broadband connectivity, so be prepared to make accommodations for students who are less connected. Given that next week (March 16-20, 2020) is officially a continuation of Spring Break, no instruction is expected or appropriate.
Also, please remember that Starfish is a powerful tool to support our students. Faculty Development and the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning have been working with campus partners to develop enhanced support to help with your teaching transition. Instructional designers and instructional technologists will continue to be available to you in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning and the Division of Information Technology via phone, zoom, email, and in-person. In addition, the following resources have been developed.
Remote Teaching Drop-In Workshop: This event will be held this Monday (March 16, 2020) from 9:00 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Harvey Knowledge Center located in McConnell Library on the 4th floor at the main campus. Because of today’s announcement by the Governor in closing all K-12 public schools for two weeks, we realize that new conflicts have arisen for many of our faculty with regard to plans for childcare. To help accommodate your needs, we are adding three evening Remote Drop-In Workshop sessions this Monday (March 16, 2020), this Tuesday (March 17, 2020), and this Thursday (March 19, 2020), all from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. At these events, instructional designers and instructional technologists will be available to brainstorm, answer questions, and provide support for adapting your courses.
If you are unsure of how to proceed in a course, this is the place to be! If you are confident in your use of technology, but need some additional ideas, or in making assignments accessible, this is the place to be! A variety of stations will be available covering topics, such as making videos, using discussion boards, using email as your primary instructional mode, finding out about student support, among many others. Offices represented will include: the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning; the Division of Information Technology; McConnell Library; the Harvey Knowledge Center; and the Center for Accessibility Services.
Daily Workshops: Next week, we will be offering several workshops in-person and via Zoom on the use of technology, such as D2L, Blackboard (for RUC), and Zoom. More information will be forthcoming.
Webpage: There is a new Keep Teaching webpage for "academic continuity," which includes links to many online resources that may be useful to you.
Social Media: If you are a Facebook user, some of our colleagues have started a discussion group. Search for "RU-online."
Academic Support: Academic tutoring and coaching are available through the Harvey Knowledge Center on the main campus and Academic Support Services at RUC. These services will continue in a remote format to support our students, and 24/7 support continues to be available via NetTutor.
Academic Advising: Radford University Academic Advising Centers will postpone in-office services through April 17, 2020. Academic Advising services will be offered via phone, email, and Zoom. Students are still required to discuss Fall 2020 classes with their assigned advisor and receive a PIN before registering for courses. Fall course registration will begin on April 6, 2020.
Midterm Grades: We are extending the midterm deadline by one week from March 20, 2020 to March 27, 2020. That means that midterm grades will be due at the end of the 9th week of the term.
Course Withdrawals: We are extending the individual course withdrawal deadline by two weeks from April 3, 2020 to April 17, 2020 (from the end of the 10th week to the end of the 12th week). This extension allows for three weeks between the midterm deadline and individual course withdrawals. This deadline also gives faculty and professional advisors an extra week to work with our students and make decisions.
Course Withdrawal Process: We will allow students to email their advisors or Academic Advising Center with their withdrawal intentions. The student email date will be utilized as the effective date of the withdrawal. Advisors will email the Registrar’s Office with approval.
I wish to note that there will be no plan to make up the lost week of instruction due to the extended Spring Break and ask that you factor that into your content coverage for the remainder of the semester. As you formulate your methods of delivering instruction, I encourage you to also give thought to methods of assessment, including final exams. Once again, please consider the resources highlighted above.
At Radford University, we have always taken great pride in the high-impact teaching and learning practices that are a hallmark of a Highlander experience. I applaud the continued dedication and passion you possess for your students and your disciplines. This is a remarkable time for us that presents unique challenges that few, if any, of us have faced in our careers. However, with our collective experience and expertise combined with flexibility and patience, we will work though this challenge and continue to provide our students with the quality and care they deserve. For that, I sincerely thank you.
Sincerely,
Joseph P. Scartelli, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs