Responding to H1N1 Flu: Strategies for Instructional Continuity

---
14 Sept 2009: This is a working draft and may be subject to frequent updates during the next few weeks. If you have suggestions for this page, please contact Andrew Bonamici (541) 346-2682 or bonamici@uoregon.edu. For further information about the UO's planning for novel H1N1 influenza, please refer to the Office of Emergency Management.
---

We all hope H1N1 flu outbreaks won't require radical changes to your teaching this fall, but they certainly will require some. Begin now thinking through things you can do to remain flexible in your planning and use technology to respond to the challenges.

Here are some suggestions from Blackboard Support, Center for Media and Educational Technologies, and the Teaching Effectiveness Program.

The best case: minimal disruption

More students than usual may be missing class. Students who develop the flu can expect to be out for a week or more. You'll need to actively encourage sick students not to come to class to avoid the spread of the flu, and take steps to minimize the cost of those absences. You'll need to plan in advance for your own possible absence from class (as well as your GTFs or other support staff).

The next level: more radical adaptation

There may be periods when class attendance falls too low to allow meaningful in-class activity, or you may yourself become ill and unable to hold class for a week. You may need to implement your contingency plans.

Becoming creative in your use of campus resources, rethinking your course in terms of what could be done in lieu of meeting face to face, and using instructional technology will help you meet the challenges.

Your Syllabus

Change your syllabus now to maximize your flexibility and to address the most likely issues.
Consider altering your policies on missed examinations and late assignments so that student academic concerns don't prompt them to return to class while they are still infectious. Give students a reasonable amount of time to make up missed work and remember that they are dealing with this backlog in all of their classes.
Eliminate mandatory class attendance.
Remind sick students not to come to class to avoid the spread of the flu.
Encourage students to be proactive in preparing for H1N1 flu:

Meet classmates early in term and exchange contact information
Know the best way to reach instructor (contact info, availability, communication method/style/professionalism)
Know how to successfully submit assignments electronically
Stay current with assignments and schedule long-term projects
Suggest to your instructor ways you can meet assignment objectives with a different format or time line

Do not require a doctor's notice for absences since medical facilities may be flooded with other requests.
Identify two or three class sessions that contain optional material, and that could be eliminated if needed. Move them to the end of the term.
Be prepared to answer student inquiries about making up work.
There may be many student requests for special accommodations, so have plans in place that will treat all students equitably and be feasible in the face of large numbers of requests.

Using technology to make absences less costly

Blackboard offers numerous features that make it easier to teach traditional classes while still accommodating sick students. Some of the most important tools are:

Communication

Encourage students to check the Blackboard system announcements for news and updates on UO policies.
Use Blackboard announcements to list all announcements that you make in class.

Assessment

Set up "assignments" and accept, grade, and return homework essays electronically.
Use the Grade Center to communicate grades to students and to track absences.
Set up online quizzes for low stakes assessment and/or as homework.

Lecturing

Post your PowerPoint slides and lecture notes online to allow students who had to miss class to review them.
Consider audio-recording your lectures, digitizing the audio, and posting it on Blackboard along with your PowerPoint slides and lecture notes. Many laptops already have a built-in microphone and software for audio recording.

Discussion (Ways for students to meet as a class or a small group within a larger class to dialogue online)

Use Blackboard's discussion feature.
Use the new Blackboard "Blog" feature.

Office hours

Use Blackboard synchronous chat tools (e.g. Amiga chat or the Bb "Collaboration" tool) and/or email for virtual office hours.

A good general strategy: use Blackboard tools you are already familiar with, but with a new goal. Instead of supplementing and enriching face to face instruction or replacing face to face instruction with online, focus on providing alternatives that minimize the inevitable disruption caused by missing class.

Make use of other technologies as well. Telephone and email are great ways to communicate with your students, particularly for course functions like office hours.

Going Hybrid

Slightly more radically, you may want to adjust your in-class exercises to reduce the cost to students of missing class or to deal with the possibility that you won't be able to hold your class.

Consider aspects of your course which could be taught online if necessary. Students could read material which would otherwise have been conveyed in a lecture and answer a series of questions. If there need to be several assignments like this, tell them that a portion of these will be graded, but they won't know which ones. In this way they will complete all of the assignments knowing each could be for grade credit and you can adjust your grading load accordingly.

Depending on the size of the class, conducting online discussions may be an option to consider. Structuring the experience with a clear focus and intended outcome will be important. For example: Students could be asked to read a case study and come to consensus on questions regarding the case or proposals for a solution to a problem. Rather than having all of your students participating on a single forum, you can set up several forums for smaller, more manageable groups. Have students self-assess their participation (the value of their contributions) in the discussion.

Consider podcasting for information delivery. Couple this with questions or problems you want students to answer and solve.

In class group work is a wonderful way to learn, but there are online alternatives. For instance, the blackboard "groups" feature can allow students to create their own groups in a course and communicate with other group members outside of class.

Consider video recording lectures. CMET can help you with your planning, provide instructions, and possibly lend equipment such as a webcam. Many PCs have built-in video hardware and all of the software you'll need.

Students are on campus not just to attend lectures but also to do your assignments in the library or computer labs. Consider alternate assignments, for example material they can read online, to further reduce the need for contacts that can spread the flu.

Pre-planning for your possible absence from class

You may be able to conduct a lecture from home (e.g. using speakerphone or Skype), though if you are sick with the flu you won't want to do so. You'll need someone to set up a computer in class, patch the call through the Crestron system to project in class, receive a Skype call from you, and manage the in-class end of the conversation.

If you have GTF support, consider giving your GTF a full-class teaching responsibility. Plan to your GTF's strengths and start that planning now. If you have more than one GTF, consider letting them team teach the class.

Consider films which may be appropriate to your course goals and learning objectives and find someone in advance who can run the film.

Communicate with your colleagues within your department and possibly other departments/units on campus. Consider how they may be able to take your class in an emergency. For example, you might ask someone in the library to talk about effective approaches for conducting library research. Or you could ask someone from the Teaching and Learning Center to do a session on test taking strategies.

What to avoid

Don't assume that new technology is easy to deploy. Use tools you know or feel confident that you can handle. Most online components require thoughtful planning and detailed instructions for students. Don't assume, for example, that you can simply videotape your lectures for the first time this term and post them on Blackboard without a significant time investment.

Don't assume that all students have network access from home. Probably only 95% of students own their own computers, and many of them don't have high speed network access. Some may not know how to use their equipment. Sick students who live in dorms may be encouraged to return home, further complicating their network access. Don't forget that some important resources for students are available only from on-campus or only when using the UO's Virtual Private Network (VPN), and so may not be available to sick students.

Don't forget that UO support resources are limited. For instance, the library's CMET support staff won't have capacity to videotape large numbers of lectures simultaneously, especially if staff also have the flu. Staff may also be slow to respond to technology trouble reports or unavailable to provide training.

Maintained by: Andrew Bonamici, bonamici@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 09/16/2009