Professional Timeline & Spring Courses
Dear faculty,
I write to provide updates on time-sensitive questions about your professional timeline and your spring courses. The selected topics below have emerged from your questions or are recent decisions. Alongside you, my office, deans offices, department chairs, and service units are working as quickly as possible to provide answers.
Here is where we are currently:
Professional Development & Progress
APT Clock Extensions
I am working with the Faculty Senate and the deans to rapidly amend APT to allow faculty employed between March 1 and June 15th the ability to pause their tenure or contract. Explicit language will be forthcoming.
Virtual Support Resources for Faculty-National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
NCFDD has prepared resources to assist members in transitioning to teaching online and self care. If you have already joined through our institutional membership, you can begin accessing these resources here. If you haven’t joined yet, go here first.
Activity Insight Extension
Given all the challenges faculty are facing with bringing spring quarter online, we’re providing an extension until at least April 30 for entry of publications into Activity Insight for inclusion in the annual Celebration of Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Work booklet.
Spring Teaching Resources
Drop-In Daily Peer Support-Canvas, Zoom, & Kaltura with Peers! Monday-Friday 10 am-11 and 2-3 pm--Beginning Monday, March 23rd
New to Canvas, Zoom or Kaltura? Step into a peer-led virtual meet and greet for strategies and support, Monday through Friday at 10 and 2. Join URL--click this link at the time/day you want to attend: https://udenver.zoom.us/j/963366306
Extension Drop Add No Penalty
To support our students, we have extended the time to drop spring quarter classes without a W and receive a 100% refund from the standard one week to two weeks. The new 100% drop date is April 12. If students drop after this period, their tuition refund will be prorated and they will receive a W (withdraw) notation on their transcript.
1:1 Faculty Support & Asynchronous Support
The Office of Teaching and Learning is offering 1:1 consultations with our staff in 30 minute increments. Make an appointment to talk through your concerns and use our staff as thought partners as you make adjustments to your teaching. Book your appointment here.
If you have problems with teaching technology that require administrative support (transporting content, adding TAs, or troubleshooting) you can submit a ticket here.
Spring Canvas Courses Turned On
We have changed access to the Spring 2020 term Canvas shells to begin immediately. Faculty can communicate with their students via Canvas inbox and announcements now, as long as the course is published. You may wish to consider reaching out and instructing them to purchase textbooks ASAP. DU Bookstore offers free ground shipping.
Navigating Worry in an Online Classroom Mar 26, 2020 10:00 am Join Dr. Laura Sponsler (Resident Scholar for Teaching and Professional Faculty) and Dr. Paul Michalec (OTL Faculty Fellow) for an open conversation addressing ways to reduce stress for faculty and students in online classrooms. Topics we will explore include: the core concepts of SEL (social-emotional learning); the importance of clear and consistent course protocols; building relational-trust; ways to create and sustain community that is life-giving; finding the wiggle room in institutional imperatives; and structuring your first week of class to reduce stress.
Registration link is http://otl-events.du.edu/public/registration/3109
Join with Zoom link is https://udenver.zoom.us/j/457157904
Sincerely,
Dr. Corinne Lengsfeld
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor