RECAST | Week 5 Resources and Reminders
From:
Academic Deans <deans@evergreen.edu>
Date: Apr 28, 2020, 10:55 AM -0700
Week 5 Resources and Reminders
Mid-quarter greetings, everyone! Remarkably, here we are at week five of this highly unique quarter. Congratulations and huge thanks for all your efforts to help students succeed under these (and any!) conditions!
Week 5 check in and support: As we near mid-quarter in this new remote environment, reaching out individually to each student is critically important. In these check-ins you can inquire about any obstacles to the learning environment, as well as field questions about program content, achieving learning objectives and earning credit. Again, we hope that flexibility, compassion and creativity can be extended to students who may not all be able to respond to program/course assignments in the same way, particularly due to their access to synchronous learning tools. The “Remote Learning Tips for Students” module on the Keep Teaching Canvas Site may be useful for you as you are advising students. If you are not yet enrolled in the Canvas site, or would like to consult about these sessions, please contact learningandteaching@evergreen.edu.
5th week warnings. You may have more than your usual share of students who are in danger of losing credit this quarter. We’re guessing that even students who were doing ok in Week 1 may be feeling the crisis catching up with them (as it is surely catching up with all of us, who have been working full-throttle since before spring break). Before you decide to reduce credit, we invite you to explore some other possible options.
Is your student not showing up for class?
If it’s an internet connectivity issue, please make sure they know about the “one tap” mobile option that can allow them to connect by phone. There are a variety of resources for students on the Preparing for Remote Learning site.
If Zoom or Canvas are confusing for them, please direct them to the Help Wiki, where they can also submit a help ticket.
If it’s a hardware issue, you might direct them to the emergency loans that can support students in purchasing equipment
Is your student showing up but not turning in work?
It’s possible that the work that you are requiring isn’t something the student is technologically able to complete. We recommend that you ask them directly about barriers they may be experiencing and work with them to consider alternatives that might meet your learning objectives.
We also recommend that you direct students to Academic Advising, which has a variety of options for getting in touch. Advisers may be able to help troubleshoot issues students are too shy to talk to you about.
Is your student’s in-class performance not as engaged or well-prepared as you’d like it to be?
Giving them models and examples (ideally, multiple options) of what you expect their work to be may be helpful for students who are easily distracted, or who are having a hard time thinking clearly about what good work looks like in this moment.
You may also want to offer alternatives to synchronous video, to make sure that students can demonstrate engagement with the course content and ideas. This could include discussion boards in Canvas or responding to reflective prompts.
Have you lost contact with your student altogether?
We recommend that you submit a report to the CARE Team. Whether you’re worried about a student’s physical safety, or just want to flag the fact that a student in in danger of losing credit, this helps staff triage and connect the student to resources that may help.
Asynchronous options: As a reminder, the email that went out from Elizabeth Williamson on April 2 stated an expectation held by academic leadership: “Given the barriers students are facing, the awarding of credit will not be dependent on a student’s capacity to participate synchronously. In other words, we expect faculty to design learning experiences for students who can participate in live online class meetings, and an alternate pathway for those who have limited access to tools like zoom. We see this as an ethical response to the situation our students are in, given that the shifts we have had to make in our pedagogy happened after registration took place.”
Academic Statements: Students will still be required to submit their annual and final academic statements this spring. As you know, a well-written Academic Statement is a tribute to the student’s learning; a hastily written one can overshadow all the wonderful things you write about them in your evaluations. With that in mind, we encourage you to dedicate some extra attention to the Academic Statement in your 5th week conferences, particularly for your graduating seniors. Annual iterations of the statement are due Thursday, May 14; graduating seniors need to submit their final statement by Friday, June 30. More information at https://www.evergreen.edu/academicstatement.
Student Wellness Services is operating, and available to provide support to students via phone and HIPAA compliant video conferencing. We recommend that you submit a report to the Care Team if there is elevated concern for a student’s well-being or safety, especially if there is danger of credit loss. Care Team members will try to connect with the student and offer resources/support.
Upcoming Dates:
2021-22 Curriculum: The due date for submission of 2021-22 catalog copy was April 24, 2020. Thanks to all of you who have submitted! If you haven’t already, please submit via the usual channels (under the Curriculum Development tab found in my.evergreen.edu).
Budget Requests for
2020-21: Program budget requests for Olympia
undergraduate programs and courses for academic year 20/21 are due at the end
of Week 7, on Friday May 15. Please
visit my.evergreen.edu and select Academic Resources.
Academic Fair: The Academic Fair, typically held at the Olympia campus, will now be held remotely on May 27, 2020. Registration week for summer and fall quarters will now begin on June 1, 2020.
Commencement: Evergreen will be hosting a virtual commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12 to honor the class of 2020. Later this week we will be soliciting nominations for a faculty speaker.
Summer School: Summer 2020 will be remote, with select exceptions for highly experiential courses offered in-person for the second session, if conditions allow. Please note that this decision is prompting us to review current offerings published in the summer catalog. Any needed changes or updates should be listed by May 8, 2020.
Save-the-Date: Documentation Workshop with Arnold Aprill
Wednesday, Week 7, May 13, 1:00-3:00 PM
Mark your calendars to join Arnold Aprill for a virtual workshop that will help us think about how we might document the work we are doing as we shift to remote teaching and learning. Arnold Aprill comes from a background in professional theater as an award-winning director, producer and playwright.
Thanks for all you are doing to provide a quality learning experience this quarter. We hope you are finding time to enjoy the beautiful spring unfolding around us!
We are here to support you. Let us know how.
The Academic Deans | 360.867.6810
Kathleen Eamon | Larry Geri | Karen Gaul | Trevor Speller | Greg Mullins |Elizabeth Williamson | Marcia Tate-Arunga
