Emergency Preparedness – Instructional Continuity

Communication will be key to maintaining course continuity during a disruption in campus instruction. Collecting information from students and letting them know of how you will be maintaining contact with them will facilitate a smooth transition to remote teaching and learning should the need arise.

• Using Student Information Forms, collect current information from students in your on-ground course as to how best to communicate with them in case of a disruption. The Student Information form will list several points of information you should have about each student. Feel free to add additional points as needed in your particular circumstance.
• Blackboard is the college-supported Learning Management System, which can be used for more than course delivery. Blackboard has a number of communication tools built within the system available for your use. Collaborate, Blackboard Course Messages, discussion boards, and Announcements are useful communication tools within Blackboard. Please note:  Training in Blackboard is required to receive a Blackboard shell for your course.  Please see Training for Blackboard and Related Technologies for more information.
• Consider what will be your preferred method for staying in touch with students. Then, have at least one backup/alternative to this preferred method. Here are some suggestions (not all choices may be viable for you and your students):
  • Synchronous contact – the Collaborate tool in Blackboard
    Synchronous – Google Hangouts
  • Synchronous – phone calls (students leave message on campus voicemail, faculty return calls)
  • Asynchronous contact – Course Messages in Blackboard
  • Asynchronous – Announcements in Blackboard
  • Asynchronous – campus email
• Communicate to students your preferred method of communication, as well as your backup method.
• Communicate to your students that class will continue and that you expect them to keep up with coursework as much as possible.
• For certain courses, a “call tree” that includes students may be viable. Small courses where cohorts know each other and are willing to share phone information may make use of a call tree to keep in contact with each other and the faculty member. This option should only be considered if all students agree as there may be privacy concerns or some students may not have a phone.
• Decide how you will maintain office hours during the disruption using one of the methods listed above and communicate this to students so that they are aware.
• If you have been using Starfish to communicate with students and to raise flags, you can continue to do so during this time period.

• Using the Course Continuity Interval Planning sheet, review and “chunk” your course schedule into two-week intervals to visualize what activities and assessments you have planned. The Course Continuity Planning sheet has suggestions as to how to simplify/alter learning activities for a different modality. It is suggested that you review and “chunk” your course schedule into two-week intervals to visualize what activities and assessments you have planned. In addition, the Course Continuity Interval Planning sheet has suggestions as to how to simplify/alter learning activities for a different modality.
• Create an “emergency” or “temporary” addendum to your syllabus (or simply revise your syllabus). Using your Continuity Planning sheet, revise your course schedule and syllabus as best you can. Hand out this addendum and take time to explain what your learning plan is should a disruption in campus instruction occur. Discuss with students your method of communication should you need to change any items in the addendum.
• If you have activities that cannot be completed online or “at home,” such as labs, performances, or physical education activities, discuss alternatives with your colleagues, chair, Dean or with your Instructional Designer. There may be some alternatives that would work for your particular circumstance in a temporary timeframe.
• Activities that are mandated due to licensure or accreditation (such as clinicals) should be discussed with your chair and Dean, as different accrediting bodies have different state and federal educational requirements which must be met.
• If possible, practice using any modality new to you (such as entering and navigating in Blackboard) before the need arises. Allow yourself to make mistakes and try again.

• If your materials are on Google Drive, you can access them from any location; you don’t need to be on campus.
• If you have materials stored on the campus network (your C: or Z: drive), you have several options for accessing materials:
  • You can access the campus network from home by using Citrix. To get started, go to SUNY Broome Apps  from your home computer.
  • Make backups on a flash/thumb drive that you can take with you should you not be able to access those network files from home or other remote location. This could include presentations, lecture notes, and grade information.
  • Remember that all student information is confidential and protected by federal law, so be sure to keep any student-identifying materials safe.
• You can use Blackboard as a central location for course continuity during a disruption. You can upload course materials for student access and/or create discussions and assignments using the LMS just as you might for your on-campus meetings.
  • You can scan materials and upload them to Blackboard that you might otherwise hand out in class.
  • You can create PowerPoint presentations or type up lecture notes to share.
  • Blackboard training and faculty guides are available online. Training is also available in-person. Additional one-to-one help is available from your Instructional Designer.
• Remember that you may have students who have physical or cognitive challenges/disabilities. By law, all digital materials must be accessible. Discuss how to create accessible materials with your Instructional Designer or seek help from the Learning Accessibility Office.
• For some courses, it might be viable to create a “Go Packet” of materials that you hand out to students. Unfortunately, not knowing the beginning and end dates of the disruption may make it difficult to know what or how much material should be included in a Go Packet, but this may be a possible option.

• Identify what tools are available and accessible to your students
  • Do your students have access to computers at home?
    • Will students have to install any specific software?
      • If so, is the software free?
      • If the software is not free, can they use a 30-day free trial?
  • Do your students have access to high speed internet and wifi?
  • Do your students have a smartphone or a limited data/no data phone (aka TracPhone or Flip Phone)?
  • Do your students use their acad.sunybroome.edu email accounts? If not, encourage them to do so because this is the best means of communicating with them directly.
  • Do your students know how to log into Blackboard directly instead of through MyCollege?
• Identify which platforms and technology you plan to use
  • Training is available in many of theses technologies.  Please see Training for Blackboard and Related Technologies for more information.
  • Confirm that both you and your students can LOG IN to any services (Blackboard, Gmail, Citrix, Etc) BEFORE the disruption
  • Confirm that your SUNY Broome network password will not expire soon. If it will, update it.
  • Communicate to your students which platforms you will use and when you will start using it.
• Start Testing
  • If you are going to record or broadcast video, test out your camera, microphone, and whichever platform through which you plan to communicate
    • Hold a Class Meet Up in Collaborate (in Blackboard)
      • Try the audio, video, chat, file sharing, and screen sharing functions
    • Set up a “Google Meet” meeting on your Gmail calendar and invite your colleagues and/or students to a Google Meet
      • Try the audio, video and chat functions

• Plan on communicating with your students on a frequent, regular schedule.
• Discourage rumors that may be circulating by using only authoritative campus, SUNY, state and federal government sources.
• Maintain flexibility in communicating with students who also have personal lives which may be impacted by the global effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) or other emergency situation.
• Alert students when new material is posted to Blackboard or your preferred central location.

• If you are using a modality that you haven’t used before, consider simplifying and condensing your learning plan. For example, if you would generally have two in-class discussions per week, have only one per week online.
• Asynchronous activities are easier to manage than synchronous ones, so consider alternatives where students can submit assignments or participate in discussions in a flexible time frame. A disruption may only be temporary, so alternatives may only be for a short time period.
• Use a central location for material sharing. Having too many locations for students to access course material can make it confusing. Make sure all materials are accessible.
• When you hand out new materials in an on-campus course, you provide context for that new material by discussing it. If you are sharing online, make sure to provide as much context as possible, so students know what they are supposed to do with the new material.
• Accompany shared materials, regardless of the modality, with a message that provides students with clear instructions.
• Students will likely use mobile devices (such as their phones) to do some coursework. PDF files tend to be more easily read on mobile devices, so convert what you can to accessible PDF format. Ask your Instructional Designer if you don’t know how.

• Be prepared to provide as much flexibility as possible. Students’ lives are already complicated, let alone asking them to switch modalities. If a student becomes ill, be prepared to respond in a way that recognizes their need for more time.
• Academic integrity is always a concern. Consider making test questions more than simple recall of information or something easy to look up in their textbook. Other suggestions to consider include rescheduling for the post-disruption period, or breaking large exams into several smaller “bite-sized” quizzes.
• Consider Alternatives to Remote Proctored Exams.

• Rapid change can be disruptive and can invoke crises in individuals. You may be one of the few supports a student has. Refer to crisis intervention or other services that may be of help in a time of crisis for the individual.
• Take care of yourself as you are an important member of our SUNY Broome community.
• Reach out to colleagues, department chair, and/or Dean for support.
• Don’t be afraid to talk with your students about how a disruption may affect them emotionally and socially. They may feel out of control, worried about their or their family’s physical safety and health, and uncertain about the future. You do not have to have all the answers! Encourage them to reflect on the strengths they possess and what resources they have available in their families and communities. Remind them that their commitment to completing their schooling is one control they have.