Thank you for all of your work over the past few months, your instructional creativity, flexibility, and service toward meeting the needs of all students during these extraordinary times continues to differentiate the SMU experience.
We know that many of you have questions about teaching in Summer 2 and in the Fall. We apologize for the length of this message, but we want to provide you as much detail as possible. While we do not have answers to all of your questions, our hope is this message provides additional clarity about the upcoming terms. Please read the entire message and reach out with any additional questions that you may have regarding instructional preparation.
As you know, the planning for a phased re-opening of SMU’s classrooms for face-to-face, in-person instruction is well underway. Every Summer 2 and Fall 2020 course will need to support SMU’s long-standing expectation for high-quality instruction with students who may be in person or remote (you might have heard this called “HyFlex” instruction; Please see EDUCAUSE’s 7 Things You Should Know About the HyFlex Course Model for a good definition of this mode). In practical terms, HyFlex classes require the continuance of remote instruction while at the same time delivering in-person instruction—connecting the two using technology systems like Zoom and Canvas. In order to ensure that fully online courses continue to meet the same learning goals as in-person instruction, online courses will require high standards of course materials and pedagogy.
Whether in person or online, we want to make sure that all SMU faculty have the resources— instructional and technology— to successfully teach in the new instructional world that we will enter in the weeks and months ahead.
To that end, the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and the SMU Libraries are doing the following things: Continue reading Preparing for Fall 2020: Ensuring All Faculty Have the Resources for Instructional & Technology Needs to Support Multiple Teaching Modes
If you are not feeling well or not sure if you should be on campus, you can use the Mustang Daily Symptom Checker. The survey will help you to determine if you are currently experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19. After answering a few questions, the Checker will provide guidance for your next actions, and based on the results, you will be given further instructions. Continue reading University Provides Symptom Checker & Contact Tracing to Campus