H1N1 Academic Continuity of Instruction Planning

1. H1N1 Academic Continuity of Instruction Planning Guidance for UWM Schools & Colleges August, 2009

2. Background: Planning Scenario • Based on August 24, 2009 report of the President’s Advisory Council on Science & Technology • H1N1 resurgence possible for early fall • Start early September, peak in mid-October • Number infected: 30-50% U.S. population • Needing medical attention: 15-30% U.S. population • Needing hospital care 0.9-1.8 million individuals • Could potentially occupy between 50-100% of ICU beds • Deaths: 30,000-90,000 • Concentrated among children and young adults

3. Background: Good to Know • Vaccine not expected until mid-October, not broadly effective until 4-6 weeks from then • Ages 0-24 in first priority group for vaccine • Certain groups are at greater risk: pregnant women, pre-existing neurological/seizure disorders, asthma, diabetes, immunodeficiencies, COPD, severe obesity • Stress on health care system would mean that mild cases are advised to not see a doctor but to self-isolate by staying at home • Medical documentation of illness will not be available

4. UWM H1N1Response • Led by Julie Bonner, Campus Health Officer • Group looking at all aspects of H1N1, from student health to residence life to cleaning schedules to availability of sanitizers on campus • Over the summer a subgroup focused on academic continuity issues, convened by Laura Pedrick in Academic Affairs, met • Focus topics include continuity of instruction, study abroad, registration, financial aid

5. UWM H1N1Response • Message included in Start of Semester Memo to Instructors: With Novel Influenza A (H1N1) cases continuing to occur in communities throughout Wisconsin, it is anticipated that UWM will continue to be affected by the outbreak this fall and winter. We are continuing to monitor the situation and plan for various contingencies, including the possibility of significant student, faculty and staff absenteeism during the fall term and appropriate campus responses should that occur. Keep in mind that, per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, if a student is ill with flu-like symptoms, s/he should not come to the university. Depending on levels of H1N1-related absenteeism, there may be a need during the course of the semester to modify course assessment strategies (e.g., quizzes, paper due dates, examinations) and class attendance policies. Faculty are encouraged to discuss flexible response strategies to student absences with their department chairs, and to develop backup plans if they themselves should become ill. For more information including the latest updates and guidance on H1N1, go to flu.uwm.edu. For guidance to instructors and department chairs on ensuring academic continuity, go to: http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/continuity/index.cfm The following statement is recommended for course syllabi: In the event of disruption of normal classroom activities due to an H1N1 swine flu outbreak, the format for this course may be modified to enable completion of the course. In that event, you will be provided an addendum to this syllabus that will supersede this version.

6. Action Steps for Fall Semester • Academic departments asked to develop Continuity of Instruction plans • H1N1 student health campaign to be launched (already completed: presentation/communications to TAs, residence hall residents, parents) • Campus vaccination clinics—discussions in process with Milwaukee Health Department

7. Continuity of Instruction Plans • Drafts due by September 15, complete plans by October 1 • Plans to include • Identification of a point person (and a backup person) to serve as the Continuity of Instruction Coordinator • Strategies to address increased student and/or instructor absenteeism • Review whether class attendance policies need to be revised so that students with the flu stay home instead of coming to class • Review class attendance policies in light of the anticipated absence of medical documentation • Identify backups for instructors

8. Continuity of Instruction Plans • An assessment of the unit’s readiness to continue instruction in a social distance mode, addressing • Which courses are currently offered in online or blended formats or that use D2L to a significant extent • Which courses are a high priority to incorporate social distance-ready components (to be decided at the departmental level—factors might include size of class, required for the major, significant service course, etc.) • Actions to be taken to increase the number of social distance-ready courses in the department

9. Continuity of Instruction Plans • Where relevant, strategies to address the impact of H1N1 on students in field or student teaching placements • Strategies to monitor absenteeism as the semester progresses

10. Continuity of Instruction Plans • This is a work in progress. • For the September 15 draft, focus on identification of point people and strategies to address student and instructor absenteeism. • Not all schools, colleges, departments and instructors will be completely ready to respond by the middle of October. • The goal is simply to be more prepared than we are now.

11. Strategies for Addressing Absenteeism • Consider • Adding flexibility to class attendance policies to reduce the presence of H1N1-infected students in the classroom • Loosening policies requiring medical documentation for absences • Within a course or across courses, developing common solutions to makeup work/exams so that a faculty member doesn’t need to make separate arrangements for each sick student (ie a proctored makeup exam held in a large classroom or library instructional space) • Identifying ‘instructional partners’ who can cover each other’s courses if needed

12. More on Social Distance-Ready Course Strategies • “Social distance teaching mode” refers to moving to a mode of teaching that is not face-to-face for a period of time. • This does not mean converting all classes to online instruction. • The goal of social distance instruction during a pandemic emergency should be to deliver essential courses and essential course content in a way that leads to continuity of instruction and progress towards degree completion.

13. More on Social Distance-Ready Course Strategies • Moving a course from traditional face-to-face teaching mode to “social distance ready” status is not intended to produce optimal online course redesign. • The goal is to take an existing face-to-face course and put portions of it online in a ‘minimal but meaningful way.’ • Many UWM instructors are already prepared for social distance teaching by using D2L for numerous essential course functions, even if they are not teaching online or blended courses.

14. Readiness Tips for Chairs • Encourage faculty in your department to attend a “Just the Basics!” D2L workshop. •  Consider providing department support for the use of D2L, e.g., assigning a graduate student to assist faculty with the basic functions of D2L. •  Request that all faculty activate their D2L course sites and upload their syllabi to it, as well as other key documents relating to the administration of the course.

15. Readiness Tips for Chairs •  Ask faculty to add the following statement to their syllabi (or announce in class or post to the Announcements section in D2L): • In the event of disruption of normal classroom activities due to an H1N1 swine flu outbreak, the format for this course may be modified to enable completion of the course. In that event, you will be provided an addendum to this syllabus that will supersede this version.

16. Readiness Tips for Faculty • The Learning Technology Center offers short and long-term social distance readiness tips in the following areas • Course content • Grading • Announcements and Communications • Familiarity with D2L

17. Course Content • For the current semester, consider • Uploading all basic course “administration” documents – e.g., syllabus, assignments – as Word or Adobe PDF documents to your D2L course web site or to Pantherfile. • Producing lectures or lecture notes in a format that can easily be uploaded to D2L or to Pantherfile, e.g., PPT or Word or Adobe PDF. •  If scholarly articles are being used for course content, render them as Adobe PDF and upload them to D2L or to Pantherfile, or else make a link from D2L to these documents in eReserve. 

18. Course Content, Longer Term Solutions • Check in advance of the semester to see whether your textbook publisher offers an eText option, and consider using that instead of a hardcopy text. •  Produce lectures or notes in a more complete format, i.e., something close to an actual “script,” so that students can download, view, and print files from D2L or Pantherfile.

19. Grading • For the current semester, consider • Requiring students to submit individual assignments to the D2L dropbox instead of using hardcopy or email. •  Using the D2L gradebook in a simple format to record grades and keep students abreast of their progress.

20. Grading, Longer Term Solutions • Increase the number of assessment items and reduce their individual weighting so that no single item constitutes more than 20% of the course grade. •  Spread out assignments through the semester so that no part of the course is too heavily weighted, and allow a certain number of the lowest scores for each type of assignment to be automatically dropped, to reduce the need for explanation and documentation of a missed assignment. •  Consider using the D2L quiz feature to gauge students’ mastery of specific concepts. Many textbook publishers already offer quiz banks that can be uploaded, after simple formatting, to D2L. Mastery quizzes can be offered on a regular basis with minimal additional grading on the part of the instructor.

21. Announcements and Communication • For the current semester, consider • Encouraging students to go to your course D2L web site by using the Announcements page to disseminate course information on a regular basis. Email should also be used for announcements, with your course name and number clearly identified in the header. •  Setting up several D2L discussion forums – e.g., for personal introductions, for questions about the course, for technical questions, for socializing – so that students develop an alternative method of communication and support. •  Creating a Skype or IM (realtime chat) account that you can use for virtual office hours.

22. Familiarity with D2L • For the current semester, consider requiring students to complete an introductory session on D2L – e.g, posting a personal introduction, downloading their syllabus, taking a quiz – to ensure that they are familiar with your site and with the basic tools you are using • For the longer term, consider creating one or two assignments, perhaps based on current events that pertain to your particular discipline, that use simple discussion forum postings to familiarize students with your course web site, and to create an online peer learning community. These postings may be graded on a pass/fail basis.

23. Creating a Minimal D2L Site • In response to possible H1N1 social distancing needs, UW-Green Bay has prepared an online tutorial for instructors who need to perform “just in time” course conversion. • http://www.uwgb.edu/Learntech/D2L/D2LrapidDeployment/

24. For More Information • Visit The Continuity of Instruction resource page on the Academic Affairs web site • http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/continuity/index.cfm • Visit www.flu.uwm.edu for health-related information • Contact Laura Pedrick (lpedrick@uwm.edu; 229-3203) for general Continuity of Instruction questions; LTC Director Alan Aycock (aycock@uwm.edu; 229-5136) for D2L and instructional design questions; Dr. Julie Bonner, Campus Health Officer (jbonner@uwm.edu; 229-5684) for health-related questions