Faculty Update

| by Laura Burian and Fernando DePaolis

Dear Faculty Colleagues, 

This is a message following up on President Patton’s announcement to the Institute campus that we will be moving all instruction to remote methods, effective Monday March 23, and that instruction will be remote for the remainder of the spring semester.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we all work through the challenge of limiting the risk of exposure to and spread of COVID-19. We recognize that having to completely rethink how you teach midway through the semester will be very challenging. We are doing this because we want to avoid putting our students and our communities at risk, and need to ensure the integrity of our academic programs. The Institute and College are prepared to assist you with this challenge, and we are mobilizing internal resources as well as collaborating with peer institutions to craft best practices for remote teaching.

We will give you updates and answer your questions in a virtual town hall tomorrow, March 12, 12:30 - 1:30 via Zoom at this link: https://middlebury.zoom.us/j/700540885.

Please send your questions to Barbara Burke at blburke@miis.edu so we can address them in the town hall and answer them in our MIIS FAQ sheet as more information becomes available. (We will be adding to the FAQs regularly.)

Below, please find a list of Middlebury resources related to remote teaching and learning.

  • DLINQ has created the following resources that you will find useful as you prepare for remote teaching:

                            Course Continuity for Lab Courses



                            Creating Accessible Digital Materials



                Tips and Resources for Remote Teaching

     
  • DLINQ/ DLC will continue to offer drop-in sessions to assist faculty in preparing to teach remotely. Two more this week are as below:

     
  • You may also request one-on-one assistance from DLINQ via the consultation request form.

     
  • Media Services has a small pool of loaner equipment to provide faculty with access to webcams, laptops, and USB microphones to allow them to more effectively participate in remote courses. Priority will be given to faculty who need this equipment for remote teaching. Therefore, ITS would like to get a good idea of what our faculty needs right now to successfully teach classes remotely. To that end, please fill out the MIIS Computers - remote class readiness survey here.

     
  • If you have virtual classroom software needs, please let ITS know that here.

     
  • If you have students with questions about the transition to remote instruction, send them to this DLINQ site for students.

     
  • For successful remote teaching, at a bare minimum you must have a robust and stable internet connection and a good headset. To support the latter, we have ordered 50 logitec headsets that should arrive on campus either Thursday or Friday. You can pick one up from Barbara Burke’s office in the Segal Building (we’ll let you know when they arrive).

We understand that many of our students are having trouble processing the decision to change to remote instruction, and some are quite understandably upset. We plan to hold a virtual student town hall Friday 1- 2 pm to help address their questions and concerns. For most of your classes, this transition to remote instruction will inevitably mean changes to your syllabi and course requirements. Please be in touch with your students early and continuously to keep them well informed about these changes. Consider new norms of communication that replace face-to-face office hours communication with students (email, texts, online chat, etc.) and let students know your plans and preferences.



If your students ask you questions beyond the scope of your specific class, please connect them to Barbara Burke (blburke@miis.edu) rather than trying to field these questions yourself. If you have any mental health concerns for your students, please connect them to Ashley Arrocha in Student Services (aarrocha@miis.edu). We thank you for not only taking on challenging changes to the mode of course delivery, but also for supporting our students through this difficult time.



The rapidly-evolving Covid-19 situation requires us to adapt our practices. We are committed to doing so in a way that safeguards, to the maximum extent possible, our educational mission. We acknowledge the significance of this disruption and thank you again for your flexibility and patience. We are confident that with your help, our students’ academic and professional objectives will not be compromised. We are committed to supporting you and our students. Please feel free to contact us (your deans) and/or send your suggestions and questions to Barbara Burke.



Best regards,



Laura Burian & Fernando DePaolis

 

 

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