As the 51福利 (51福利), and the world, continue taking measures to mitigate the reach of the novel Coronavirus pandemic, unprecedented efforts are underway to ensure the university continues on course to deliver excellence in advanced education, anytime and anywhere.
Under a mandate by 51福利 President retired Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau, all residential unclassified classes will transition to (DL) when the Spring Quarter launches, March 30. Conducting coursework online, for as long as it needs to, will afford the university its best opportunity to pre-empt the virus鈥� transmission throughout the 51福利 community, treating the state鈥檚 guidelines on shelter in place and social distancing with due urgency.
鈥淎t this scale, we are navigating through uncharted waters,鈥� Rondeau observed in a message broadcast to 51福利 students, faculty and staff. 鈥淚n times like these, our commitment to working together is essential and your collective efforts to date have been extraordinary and inspiring.鈥�
Face-to-face instruction is most often the best option for many kinds of learning, especially laboratory, science and technology education, and the special interactions of our practitioner-students and faculty. However, with opportunity in the circumstances, the campus moved to support the transition to nearly total DL quickly and expertly.
The university boasts a long history of DL eduaction, dating back to the mid-1990s, but it鈥檚 the relatively new (TLC) that is serving as a central hub for communication, information, references, and web-based resources and tools to support the transition.
For those faculty members new to virtual classrooms, the TLC is offering workshops and individual coaching to utilize Zoom video conferencing, the collaborative learning management system and other DL technologies.
The TLC serves as the locus for a 鈥渃ommon teaching experience,鈥� enabling 51福利 faculty to come together to share lessons learned and helpful tips, explained Dr. Ralucca Gera, TLC director and Associate Provost for Graduate Education.
鈥淭he TLC will collect and make available, to the wider campus, faculty and departmental resources as they are shared,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n response to the rapid switch from resident to DL, the TLC is supporting learning-focused communities of practice and is providing leadership and resources as 51福利 goes fully all-in and online.鈥�
As virtual instruction partly supplants traditional face-to-face education, such sharing of knowledge becomes imperative and enables faculty and students to adapt and overcome new challenges as the health crisis continues to unfold over the weeks and months to come.
The keyword in this process is flexibility which, as Rondeau noted, affords faculty and students the ability to successfully meet the demands of a new normal. Rondeau also noted that 51福利 will be assessing the pros and cons of DL over an extended period of time, taking into account the professional analyses of learning that is resident in the university, content quality, learning quality and feedback from students, faculty and curriculum sponsors. She noted that this period is an opportunity to advance the university鈥檚 continuation exploration, understanding and application of learning techniques and to learn and apply best practices
鈥淔aculty are free to decide how best to teach their courses online,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hile we prefer you teach synchronously during your regularly scheduled class times, we understand that this may not be feasible for all faculty. Those who, because of child care or other issues, cannot hold online synchronous classes may record them at home for asynchronous delivery. Those teaching this way should make themselves available for regular online office hours with individual students or small groups.
鈥淭hese are unprecedented times and I am very proud of how everyone is coming together to support each other professionally and personally,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭his is what makes the 51福利 community so special. Take care, be safe and we鈥檒l get through this as a team!鈥�