COVID-19 Information

To the University Community,

I want to begin with my gratitude for your patience, thoughtfulness, creativity, and commitment while we address these challenges. The COVID-19 virus created a series of unprecedented challenges for the SIUE community, not least of which was the need to transition our curriculum. That important work has already begun, and the faculty and staff have demonstrated unparalleled energy and resolve in these efforts. Again, for those efforts, and for all of the hard work we will accomplish in the weeks ahead, I want to thank you.

It is our collective responsibility to support one another and to help ease the anxiety and risk during this period. Our next priority is to support the successful completion of the semester for all of our students. 

You can expect information about the University’s changing human resources practices related to benefits usage and availability and alternative work arrangements on Monday. Our plans in many offices within Academic Affairs and across divisions are shaped, in large part, by how we are pursuing our academic mission. 

On March 11, I sent an email message that focused primarily on the week of March 16-22. Since then, the necessity of implementing additional social distancing measures has only increased, and the University is responding accordingly. If there are additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the Office of the Provost.

Experiential Learning, Licensure, and Accreditation

Any program that requires internship, clinical placement, practicum, teaching practice, etc. should have plans to ensure students are able to complete the requisite hours through alternative placements, simulations or other means. Please work closely with licensure boards to ensure that students fulfill the requirements.

I have requested FAQs from Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Educator Preparation and Social Work. Plans should be put on file with the Dean’s Office and the Office of the Provost outlining how these external relations and placements will be managed. If your licensure body has provided additional flexibility, please share that correspondence or documentation with Elza Ibroscheva in the Office of the Provost.  

Courses

• Courses originally scheduled online 

  • Course delivery instructions: Courses originally scheduled as online will continue to function as originally planned until the end of the semester.

• Hybrid courses: 

  • Course delivery instructions: Hybrid courses with online components scheduled for March 16-22, may continue with the course’s online components during this week, but faculty members should be flexible with due dates and, ideally, should not enforce exam schedules. We strongly encourage everyone to err on the side of kindness and support our students.
  • Course transition preparation: Faculty teaching hybrid courses should also use the week of March 16-22 to begin transitioning their hybrid course into a fully online course, whose delivery in that modality will begin on March 23 and continue until the end of the semester. 

• On-ground courses

  • Course delivery instructions: For the week of March 16-22, on-ground courses will pause face-to-face meetings and due dates, including any exams. Faculty members should communicate with their classes about any course expectations, and provide reassurances and clarifications moving forward.
  • Course transition preparation: The week of March 16-22 is also a critical preparation period to transition on-ground courses to online or alternative course delivery modalities, beginning March 23.
  • Courses that can be moved fully online: For on-ground courses identified as viable for transition to fully online, please begin this transition, so that online delivery may begin on March 23. These courses will continue in the new online format through the end of the semester.
  • Courses with unique challenges in the online environment: Inevitably, there will be a limited number of on-ground courses or educational experiences that will pose unique challenges for the online environment. As departments identify these specific and critical experiences, please submit a detailed list with enrollments to your Dean and begin to identify potential solutions. 

Faculty members are encouraged to review essential learning outcomes for courses with labs, studio or performance requirements and design alternative activities that could be carried out remotely to achieve these outcomes, if possible.

While longer-term solutions are finalized, faculty should be prepared to offer online or alternative instruction for these courses from March 23 to April 10. We will assess whether there are opportunities for any compressed and creative ways to offer safe opportunities for essential hands-on activities. You will receive timely prior notice, so you and our students can be prepared.

Alternative instruction and Accessibility

Even as we are converting courses to the online modality, we recognize that some students will not be optimally positioned for a successful online learning experience. Lack of computers, lack of access to reliable internet and other issues may need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. We need to be prepared to offer some technological support and consider alternatives. 

Finally, I wanted to end with a couple of important comments about ongoing flexibility and student access. Computer labs will remain open on campus, and we do know that some of our students will turn to local libraries for internet access as we transition from on-ground course delivery. We have expanded the number of iPads available for checkout from ITS, but we will need more in order to support the need. 

Regardless, these are imperfect solutions and will not work for all of our students. We strongly encourage you to identify students in your section who might need additional help in receiving course materials, and to work with those students to provide alternative methods of course delivery. If needed, consider offering scanned course packets for distribution to students via mail, -drives or printed paper course packets for delivery to students’ home addresses.

Even as we rush to transition our courses into new modalities, we need to remain mindful of our obligations under ADA.  Additional guidance from Academic Affairs identifying resources that will help ensure that we do not leave any students behind as we transition will be distributed shortly.  

Stay well and stay safe. 

Denise Cobb, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs