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Resurgence Planning

In recent weeks, the country has experienced the spread of the COVID-19 fueled by the Delta variant. This reminds us that the battle against COVID-19 is not over. To help prepare the university for potential surges this fall, the Resurgence Analysis Team has been updating the institution's Resurgence Plan with current mitigation options. Similar to our plan from last academic year, this new plan will include several phases with many mitigation options to select. Our hope is that through the creation and utilization of this plan, we can responsibly carry forward the operations of the university with the least amount of disruption. The new plan will be completed and posted to Confluence next week.

In response to the increased spread of COVID-19, earlier this week the CDC released new guidance related to face coverings. The most significant change is a recommendation that everyone, including vaccinated individuals, wear face coverings "in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission." The Resurgence Analysis Team, Academic Continuity Team, P6, and Senior Leadership Team will continue to monitor the impact of this change, along with any updates from the Minnesota Department of Health. At this time, there have been no changes to our Fall 2021 Return to Campus plans, but these plans are subject to change as future state and federal guidelines evolve.

Lecture Capture

Understanding Fall Expectations

It is important that we recognize this fall we will continue to have students who are impacted by COVID-19 and will need to be in isolation or quarantine. Having lecture capture last academic year was a blessing for the institution by allowing us to support students in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. This fall, we will be taking another needed step to support our students by providing class recordings if a student is unable to attend class due to a pre-approved University-sponsored event. We want to encourage students to participate and engage in university-sponsored activities and they can now do so knowing their academic experience will be more fully supported. These new Lecture Capture guidelines were carefully developed with input from faculty, students, staff, department chairs/assistant deans, faculty senate, ACT, and P6 before going to SLT for final approval. The guidelines also contain several examples of when using lecture is recommended, but no considered necessary, for our students. More information about using lecture capture will be shared as we approach the beginning of the semester. 

Fall Faculty Workshop Training

To help prepare all faculty for using lecture capture this fall, sessions will be provided at the upcoming Fall Faculty Workshop. This will be a chance for you to practice using the tools in situations where recording a lecture or supporting remote students is needed. In the meantime, if you have questions about how to use this technology, please contact Mark Henderson or the Online Learning Office. 

Classroom Protocols

The Academic Continuity Team has continued to faithfully meet weekly throughout the summer to prepare for the fall. One of the topics of discussion has been focused on items related to classroom guidelines and protocols this fall.

Seating Charts Required

Since we are removing physical distancing this fall we will need to be more prepared to identify students if contact tracing is needed. At this time, a close contact is still defined as: someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. Health Services has stated the value of having seating charts available for every class should the need for contact tracing occur. To help address this need, all faculty will create a seating chart this fall and post it to Moodle for Health Services to access when needed. Additional details on this process will be shared closer to the beginning of the term. 

Updated Syllabi Statement Coming

To help clearly communicate expectations to students this fall, an updated COVID-19 syllabi statement has been developed. Created by the Academic Continuity Team, it is now being reviewed by the Faculty Senate and Department Chairs / Assistant Deans with the goal of having it finalized next week. This statement will provide important information related to the following areas:

  • Isolation and quarantine notification and communication processes
  • Expectations for work went not in class
  • The need to attend class in the modality assigned
  • Awareness to work with Academic Achievement

Classroom Signage Updated

Updated classroom signage for fall has been created by our wonderful Marketing Team. You can have a sneak peek of the new signs here. The plan is to have the current signs replaced with the new set by Friday, August 20. 

Upcoming Development Opportunities

Next week, you are invited to join the webinar entitled, "Where Should I Put My Video and Why it Matters"

Does it matter where I put my videos? Northwestern has been blessed with a number of video hosting options. This webinar will help you figure out the best solution for your needs. We will also discuss some tips for storing videos. 

Date: Thursday, August 5 at 11:00 a.m. CT. - Register here for this event.

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