Instructions to Students about Teaching Modalities (Message from Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lyn Lepre, Ph.D. to Faculty)

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

The first day of classes is less than a week away, and I wanted to make you aware of the communication that is going out to students to assure that they feel comfortable and confident about their schedules; in particular, how to read and translate what the different teaching modalities mean. This information is being communicated through phone calls to all new incoming students and via email to all students. In addition, the Registrar will be reaching out to all students on Monday with similar information, and encouraging them to check their schedules for any last minute changes. For your reference, the information being shared is as follows:

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Dear Radford student:

We are so excited to welcome you back!

As the fall semester opening nears, we want you to take a moment to encourage you to look at your schedule since it may now look different than when you registered in the spring.  The university has spent several weeks working to make adjustments to best accommodate students and faculty based on physical distancing guidelines.  We also want to encourage you to check again right before the first day of classes to be sure you have the most up-to-date schedule as the Registrar’s office is continuing to make changes to class locations to best accommodate students and faculty.

Not sure how to access your schedule? 

You can do this by logging into the portal (https://myru.radford.edu). Then, go to the Academics and then Banner SSB Student Menu (posted under Academic Tools).  Now select Registration.  You will see:

Registration menu

Select Concise Student Schedule and then choose Fall 2020.  You will then see all of your classes for Fall 2020 such as:

concise-class-schedule

Please pay close attention to the course times and locations.  Due to the current guidelines, some of these may have been adjusted.  Also, pay special attention to ensure that there are no time conflicts on your schedule.  You should plan to check your schedule on August 10, for any final updates or changes to location or delivery mode.

How to read your schedule: Method of course delivery

You may have some courses that have been converted to include some form of distance education.  There are four types of distance education that you might see.  

  • If your schedule says “Distance-Electronic; Synch., RU Main Campus” or “Distance-Electronic; Synch., RUC Campus” this means:
    • Your class will be delivered entirely in an online format using Zoom and D2L. You will see on your schedule that there is a timeslot listed (for example, MWF 11 a.m. -11:50 a.m.). This indicates that your online coursework will be delivered at that time.  The course will be offered synchronously where you and the other students in the class log into class (information will be provided to you by the instructor via email prior to the first day of class and in their course syllabus) on the day & time shown.  
  • If your schedule says “Distance-Electronic; Asynch.” this means:
    • Your class will be delivered entirely in an online format using D2L. You will note that your schedule says TBA instead of a day/time of meeting.  This indicates that your online coursework will be delivered asynchronously.  This means that you do not have class meetings at a specified time and the instructor will provide all course content using D2L that you can access at a time that works best for you.  While this does not have the face-to-face component, it still requires dedicated time and attention and checking up the course in D2L at least once every day.  
  • If your schedule says “Distance-Hybrid; Synch., RU Main Campus” or “Distance-Hybrid; Synch., RUC Campus” this means:
    • Your class will be meeting both in person and using Zoom and D2L. You will see on your schedule that there is a timeslot listed (for example, TR 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.). This indicates that your coursework will be delivered at that time using a hybrid approach.  You will be divided into groups by your instructor, with a rotation as to which group meets in the classroom on each class day. For example, if your course meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, your class might be divided into two groups, with students whose last name begins with A-M attending on Tuesdays and students whose last name begins with N-Z attending on Thursdays. On the day your group does not meet in person, you would log into Zoom during the timeslot of the course and virtually attend class in real time.  You will receive an email from your instructor noting what you will do on the first day of class, so please look for that message.
  • If your schedule says “Distance-Hybrid; Asynch.” this means:
    • Your class will be meeting both in person and using D2L. You will see on your schedule that there is a timeslot listed (for example, TR 9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.). This indicates that your coursework will be delivered at that time using a hybrid approach.  You will be divided into groups by your instructor, with a rotation as to which group meets in the classroom on each class day. For example, if your course meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, your class might be divided into two groups, with students whose last name begins with A-M attending on Tuesdays and students whose last name begins with N-Z attending on Thursdays. On the day your group does not meet in person, you will be working on coursework in your own time that can be found on your D2L site. You do not need to log in to class during the designated timeslot.  You will receive an email from your instructor noting what you will do on the first day of class, so please look for that message.

Communication from faculty

  • You will receive a welcome message from each of your faculty instructors by August 10th. This welcome message will include important information about the course and what to expect on your first day of class, including information about where to go on the first day of class. Please note, if you are in a hybrid course you may not be attending class in person on the first day.
  • Additionally, you should check your D2L sites starting on August 10 for other important information from your faculty instructors.

We want you to know that the Radford community is dedicated to making this semester as safe as possible for everyone.  You will be receiving additional communication from us as the semester approaches, including information on how to make schedule adjustments during the add/drop period.

Thank you for your hard work, and I look forward to seeing you all soon.

My best,
Lyn