COVID-19 Updates and Guidance > Updates > April 6, 2020—Interim provost to faculty: Summer update, teaching resources and band-width limitations

Interim provost to faculty: Summer update, teaching resources and band-width limitations

April 6, 2020


Dear faculty,

We survived Week 1 in our new world of universal remote learning! I hope your quarter is off to a good start. It has been less than a month since President Esteban announced our massive move online and most everyone has activated their D2L sites. For those of you teaching remotely for the first time, congratulations on all you have accomplished to get to this point. I continue to feel deep gratitude for your efforts. I’m writing today with a few announcements.

  • Summer courses (Summer I, Summer II and 10-week Summer) will be offered remotely, with only a few exceptions. We do not know when we will regain the ability and freedom to congregate safely.  Should the governor’s ‘stay at home’ order be lifted, we expect that life will only slowly return to some kind of new “normal.” Hence, in order to provide a modicum of certainty as you plan the coming months, we have decided to continue offering classes remotely throughout all summer sessions. Please plan your summer offerings accordingly.
  • The Center for Teaching & Learning continues to support faculty. Keep checking the remote learning page on the Teaching Commons for upcoming webinars on topics that will help you at various points in the quarter. You can also sign up for a consultation session with an instructional designer. And of course, you can continue to reach out to your assigned instructional designer. 
  • Band-width limitations. We are hearing reports of students who either do not have reliable internet access at home, or whose internet access (e.g. from rural areas) may not fully support high band-width activities, like streaming content and participating in Zoom meetings. As the quarter unfolds and you are better able to assess the needs of your students, please consider asynchronous alternatives. 
As we keep hearing on the news, the coming weeks are likely to be increasingly challenging for all of us.  You and your students are all experiencing a variety of stressors. So I urge you to take care of yourselves, both for your own well-being and so that you can be a stabilizing presence for your students. Continue to be kind to them, listen to their stories of circumstances that may call on you to be flexible in multiple ways, and make use of all the academic support services available. 

As always, many thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,

Salma Ghanem
Interim Provost
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