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What should faculty be doing for in-person instruction for Winter 2022

by · January 3, 2022

For January….

For the Month of January We encourage faculty to substitute remote activities for in-person class activities, when that can be done without disrupting essential learning goals.

Academics will pause non-essential travel in January, including all field trips and conference travel.

Evergreen is looking to increase access to better-quality masks for those working and learning in person, and will provide COVID testing opportunities.  

To-Dos for Faculty: 

  • Contact your faculty team and decide any changes you will make to your instructional footing for the month of January. Communicate those changes to your students as soon as possible. 
  • Update your schedule through Schedule Evergreen or by emailing spacescheduling@evergreen.edu by Monday, January 10. 
  • If a trip needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, please email the Curriculum Team and the Academic Budget office by Monday, January 10.  
  • A reminder that if one of your students feels unwell, they should stay home and fill out the health verification on my.evergreen.edu. The same applies to you. 
  • Get your COVID booster if you haven’t done so already, and encourage your students to do the same. 

Before or at the start of the quarter faculty need to…

  • Update your syllabus and program agreements with language provided by the Deans.
  • Make sure you and your teaching partner(s) have contingency plans to address the following: Occasional, repeated student, staff, or faculty absences
  • How you will teach if your class is no longer able to meet in-person
  • Reconsider any attendance and participation policies that are tied directly to credit. After all, we want students to stay home if they feel ill! Don’t inadvertently force them to spread a disease just to succeed in college. For context, see our interim credit policy in the faculty handbook (7.601).

Once the quarter has started…

  • Faculty, staff, and students are expected to wear masks indoors by proclamation and college policy. The college can provide masks for those who do not have them already: they will be available at all major building entrances. Contact your area manager or program secretary via email if you need more.
  • Develop a system to closely monitor class attendance in each class session. If there is an illness in your class, this will aid in contact tracing.
  • Faculty can contact Media Loan (medialoandl@evergreen.edu) if they need microphones to help with classroom amplification. They are first come, first served, as quantities are limited. The equipment depends on the classroom and activities.
  • There will be increased access to COVID testing for the Evergreen community in winter quarter. Stay tuned to your email for further details.
  • Here are some activities for your first day of class – and, really, the first week of class:
    • Check attendance and send information to Registration and Records
    • Look at my.evergreen.edu and note which students are vaccinated, exempted, and unverified. You may ask unverified students to leave class, contact COVID@evergreen.edu, and complete the vaccination/exemption requirement.
    • Read your syllabus and program agreement out loud to ensure all students understand the expectations. Be clear about the masking and safety training requirements.

What if something goes wrong…

Masking-

  • If a student in your class is not wearing a mask, or not wearing it properly, you should:
    Ask them politely to follow the college masking policy. If they are unable to wear a mask they should be directed to Access Services.
  • If the person refuses, they should be asked to leave the class session. If they refuse to leave, you might need to cancel class or move it online. Contact your Dean if you need assistance. Police Services should only be called if there is a threat of violence.
  • Incidents of refusal should be documented with the COVID compliance team using the appropriate webform. The student should not be permitted to return to your class until they have successfully engaged with the COVID compliance team.
  • In addition, please keep record of student conduct issues and share all concerns with teaching partners. Elevate concerns to your Dean and Student Conduct as appropriate.
  • Wear a two or more layered breathable fabric mask, a surgical mask, or respirator mask, such as KN95 or N95

If someone gets sick-

If there is an illness in your class, or a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, or a known or suspected exposure, take the following steps:

  • The person who is ill should go home and/or stay there.
  • The person who is ill should fill out the health verification form on my.evergreen.edu as soon as possible.
  • In order to expedite the process, faculty should send a brief email to COVID@evergreen.edu that indicates “Last Name, First Name was out sick in my class on Date.” Do not include A numbers, medical information, or other FERPA-protected data.

The COVID response team will contact the person who is ill to coordinate testing, contact tracing, and other responses. You may continue to teach your in-person classes until you hear otherwise.

What if I fall ill–

Stay home, fill out the Health Verification Form on my.evergreen.edu, and then email your Dean, program secretary, and faculty team members. We will help you enact your contingency plans. You are also entitled to medical leave, should you need it: contact Vice-Provost Trevor Speller (spellert@evergreen.edu) for more information. Most of all: stay home and get better!

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