All Employees:
In response to the threat of a possible coronavirus pandemic, we must be prepared for a variety of possible disruptions in our courses ranging from long-term absences of faculty, staff and students to the complete suspension of on campus courses. All instructors, working with their departmental colleagues, should think creatively of ways to continue the semester in the face of potentially adverse circumstances. While a severe coronavirus outbreak would alter the learning experience in any case, a contingency plan dealing with the range of disruptions could mitigate this negative impact considerably.
The first step is to alert students that a plan is in place and to the potential for alternative modes of instruction in the event of a campus disruption. I recommend the following statement be emailed to all of your current students and that you also present this information to your students in your next classroom session:
In the event of disruption of normal classroom activities due to a coronavirus outbreak, information pertaining to the completion of this course will be emailed to all students. It is possible that the format for this course may be modified to enable completion of the course. In that event, you will be provided an addendum to the course syllabus.
It is important to remember that, in the case of such a disruption, a contingency plan also could involve a change in the sequence of topics, deadlines for (or number of) assignments, alternative assignments or exam options. Through written statements, the Department of Education and our accrediting body are encouraging universities to be flexible, nimble and creative in order to ensure that our students suffer as little disruption as possible in their academic progress.
I am working with faculty and staff across campus to develop resources to help instructors complete their classes through online delivery should the need occur. These resources will be distributed soon. The intent of developing these resources is to allow students to complete as many courses as possible within the timeframe of the semester.
As you are aware, this is a rapidly changing situation. We will continue to provide information and updates as soon as they are available. In the meantime, we are asking all of you to start developing strategies for continuing to deliver instruction in the event of a major disruption, including a closure of campus for several weeks.
Best,
John Koker, Provost
This email was sent by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI 54901. Notice of Nondiscrimination: uwosh.edu/non. UW Oshkosh is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC): uwosh.edu/accreditation.