COVID Guidance for Faculty

As we prepare to begin our spring semester, please be sure you are familiar with the protocols and guidance provided on the COVID Faculty Guidance page. Note the following key points:

• All courses meeting in person must establish a seating chart/plan, so that students sit in the same location each time they are together. This will be an essential practice should contact tracing be required.
• Attendance must be taken during each class period to ensure that a record is available of all contacts for the class session.

• Face coverings should be worn over the nose and mouth at all times when on campus unless:

  1. you are alone in your office (they should be worn in hallways and traveling to/from class)
  2. you are actively teaching a lecture course with more than 6-feet between you and your students (in this case a face shield should be worn)
• All students need to wear a face covering over their mouth and nose in order to attend indoor classes. Students may not wear a face shield in lieu of a mask unless they have received an accommodation from Academic Achievement or are in a course that has been approved for their use (i.e., speech and language courses).
• If you are feeling unwell, please do not come to campus but ensure appropriate communication has been sent.
• Students may have questions about class attendance, returning to class after quarantine, or receiving an accommodation. Talking points for these topics have been created to help clarify procedures in these instances. 

You can also find more information through the COVID-19 Guidance portlet on the Faculty & Advisors tab on theROCK:

Creating Space for Student Sharing

As we continue to process the events in Washington D.C. this past week, along with feelings and perspectives from issues prominent in 2020 (e.g., pandemic fatigue, racial injustice, political unrest, etc.) it may be helpful to provide space in your class to allow students to express how they're doing as they begin the term. Inviting them to share verbally or in writing may be an important way for you to more fully understand them and their current context for learning. Resources from the Fall 2020 Faculty Workshop may be helpful as you prepare to engage with your students:

• Supporting Challenging Conversations (57:29)
  • Video and chat
  • Slides PDF
• Leading Courageous Conversations (59:26)
  • Video and chat
  • PowerPoint

Teaching Hybrid Classes Using Lecture Capture Technology

Many faculty will be teaching hybrid courses and using lecture capture technology this spring.

If you are teaching a hybrid class, please familiarize yourself with the support information and recommendations provided here. This page includes:

• Instructions and sample templates for getting started
• Recommendations for successful teaching in a hybrid environment
• FAQs
• Resources and articles on best practices in hybrid environments

If you will be teaching and using the lecture capture technology, you are invited to watch a short, 12-minute video overview on how to use lecture capture technology available in all classrooms. Please click the image below:

Update from Dr. Matt Hill, Director of Athletics

Context from Fall Semester 2020 and COVID-19

• The NCAA and UMAC Conference canceled all formal scheduled contests for the fall. We were allowed to schedule as we liked, but there were no games scheduled by the NCAA or UMAC. We were unable to play any football games. We were able to play about 25% of normal scheduling:
  • 17 men’s and women’s soccer games,
  • 10 men’s and women’s cross country meets,
  • 7 men’s and women’s golf matches,
  • 19 volleyball games, including hosting the national volleyball championship.
• NCAA and UMAC Conference moved the fall sports to the spring this year.

Impact on the Spring Schedule

• This spring we will have 18 sports competing, instead of the normal 8!
• Scheduled games will be less than normal, but still many more games overall than typical with the additional sports occurring.
• The busiest months will be the last two weeks of March, all of April, and the first two weeks of May.
• The scheduling is 90% done by the UMAC Conference for the nine universities of the UMAC. As Athletic Director, I only have approximately 10% freedom in the schedule since it is a puzzle that fits for all 9 universities.
• One good note: When we did the SOAR project almost 7 years ago and added turf and lights, we reduced missed class time 68% since we could move home games to late afternoon and night instead of during the class day. An added bonus is that, because of our great facilities, some teams choose to play us here instead of having away games.
• Spring is the most unpredictable time for weather, so we end up having to reschedule games due to snow or rain.
• We cannot control game times for away games. Since most universities in our conference do not have lights, we have day games with them.

Prioritizing Academics

• We stress reducing missed class time as much as possible and creative scheduling (e.g. as many games at night and on Saturday as possible).
• We follow the missed class time policy in the Faculty Handbook, and students and coaches are aware of the policy.
• Per NCAA and UNW, student athletes are not allowed to miss class for practice unless it is at the end of the year on the road for a championship.
• Lecture capture has been wonderful for those who can’t be present at a class or who can watch the class later. We’ve had professors in the past that have recorded their class, so student athletes could watch later if they had to be absent. Now we have that capability in every classroom and proven it works. So has hybrid learning. Great!
• Bottom line, hopefully we can keep missed class time to a minimum and utilize the technology that has been put in place to give our students a great academic and athletic experience. We have always appreciated the flexibility of our faculty and coaches!
• As always, if there are issues, please contact me directly (mbhill@unwsp.edu), and we will work through them.