Message from Dean Elliott

To the Faculty and Staff of Emory College:

To keep you informed, we will be publishing the Faculty Focus twice a week for at least the next two-three weeks to help ensure you are getting the information you need the most as we navigate this challenge. The next issue will be sent to you on Friday.

I realize that this email contains a lot of information, but I ask that you read it with care. We have done our best to compile announcements related to the University’s transition to remote instruction. Because of the length of this message, I will add only briefly how deeply grateful I am to all of you for taking on the challenges of this moment with generosity and compassion.

Sincerely,

Michael

Michael Elliott, Dean, Emory College of Arts and Science

Remote Teaching and Resources

Emory College is working to equip all faculty with the tools and support that they need to transition to remote teaching as a means of providing academic continuity during this unprecedented time. You will find an array of guidance and information on the Emory College Academic Continuity & Remote Teaching site.

The College is not mandating a particular content delivery model that all courses must follow. Some faculty will choose to deliver content synchronously (via live Zoom sessions), while others will rely primarily on asynchronous modes of delivery (pre-recorded lectures, Canvas discussions, etc.). Most courses will contain a mix of both approaches. Your decision about content delivery in each course will depend on many factors, including course enrollments, course content, and the technological capacity of faculty and students.

All faculty of ECAS courses should follow a few common parameters in order to streamline the learning experience for students:

• Please communicate with your students no later than Thursday, March 19 to let them know what to expect from you when classes reconvene remotely next week. This first communication should go out via email and Canvas.
• Use Canvas as the primary organizational and communications tool for your students.
• If faculty do hold synchronous sessions for their course, those sessions must be offered during the regularly scheduled class time in order to avoid conflicts with other courses. All synchronous sessions should be recorded and posted to Canvas in case students have difficulties in accessing the synchronous meeting.

Please review the Emory College Academic Continuity & Remote Teaching site for suggested approaches to transitioning particular activities and types of courses, information about accessibility, tutorials for Emory’s relevant technologies, and important support links.

If your department would like to schedule a remote teaching workshop or consultation with a member of the College’s team via Zoom, contact Sara Wade. Visit this page to register for one of the many “Remote Teaching with Canvas” workshops offered by Teaching & Learning Technologies this week. General questions on remote teaching may be addressed to oue.facultysupport@emory.edu, or you may find the appropriate resource here.

Essential Administrative and Policy Information for Remote Teaching

All of the current Emory College administration’s guidance and directives regarding remote teaching, expectations and changes in policy due to the current situation can be found on the Remote Teaching website. Information will be updated as it becomes available, including, but not limited to, expected updates on undergraduate research, semester dates, final exams, and Commencement.

Unmet Teaching Needs Survey

The College Administration would like to know of any exceptional unmet needs for remote teaching among graduate student instructors and temporary faculty – as well as regular faculty. Department chairs and program directors: Please complete the Qualtrics form to let us know about these unmet needs. Faculty should work with their chairs and directors. You can submit the form multiple times, should you discover new needs. Please let us know these needs as soon as you can, and the form will remain open until Monday, March 30.

IT Preparedness Checklist for Off-Campus Work

To assist you in working effectively and efficiently from home or from an off-campus location, Emory College Information Technology team has created an IT Checklist. If you need assistance with your technology, Contact College IT at echelp@emory.iedu or by calling 404-727-7777.

Online Trainings This Week

Emory IT has added two new online Zoom training sessions for this week. These two new sessions will be Zoom remote training sessions only (no in-person attendance). The remote training dates and times are:

• Wednesday, March 18 from 1:15 - 2 p.m. (primarily focused on Zoom features)
• Thursday, March 19, from 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. (primarily focused on Remote Teaching using Zoom)

If you are interested in participating in the sessions, RSVP to Jo Crawford, HR Associate, by noon tomorrow, jo'landra.crawford@emory.edu, prior to the class. Those that have responded via RSVP, you will receive a Zoom invite via email from Emory College IT prior to the online training session start time with login instructions included. You will be able to ask questions during the live online sessions.

For those of you who cannot attend either online sessions this week, additional information on how to use the Zoom application can be found on the EMUNV LITS site and on the College’s Remote Teaching site.

Transitioning to Remote Teaching Q&A Sessions

Emory College Online instructional designer Leah Chuchran will hold open Virtual Pedagogy Q&A sessions via Zoom from noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20. Join the Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID: 356 613 444) at https://emory.zoom.us/j/356613444.

Please drop in to ask questions about how to transition your course to a remote learning environment. If you have specific IT or technology support questions, please reach out to the relevant contact. These sessions will not focus on Zoom, Canvas, and Studio basics, so please watch the Remote Teaching Workshop for a basic overview of those tools.

Fall 2020 Pre-Registration

Pre-registration for fall courses will be delayed one week for all undergraduate schools. Appointment times will remain the same, only the date has been changed. These times, which are all EDT, should be viewable in OPUS now. Students were asked to confirm advising appointments with faculty via email.

Student Support

Many of you have raised concerns about the university’s decision to move all students out of campus housing by March 22, and especially how that decision is impacting our low-income and international students. Campus Life, Residence Life and other units have been working rapidly through these issues with great sensitivity and compassion to address the needs of our students during these extraordinary circumstances.

The University today announced a wide variety of initiatives to assist students. You can read full details on the University’s COVID-19 website.

Student Hardship Fund

Many of you would like to have a way to provide direct assistance to students in need. Please consider a donation to the Student Hardship Fund if you would like to provide direct assistance to students. The Emory Student Hardship Fund provides critical assistance to Emory students in need due to a crisis or catastrophic event. It relies entirely on donations and is one of the mechanisms the University is using right now to assist students directly. A similar fund for staff is also available. Give here.

Zoom: Emory Together - An Update from the Dean

All Emory staff were invited to a Zoom meeting at 11 a.m., Wednesday, March 18. Dean Elliott will provide updates directly to Emory College staff and take questions. Contact Susan Lee, slee05@emory.edu, if you did not receive it.

Remote Work and Staff

A reminder that we expect anyone who can work remotely to begin doing so as soon as possible. Supervisors should be as flexible as possible in allowing remote work. Departments without any physical presence should have clear signage and/or direction on how to obtain department assistance. Laura Papotto, lpapott@emory.edu, is available if there are questions about working remotely.

If You Have Symptoms

Any faculty or staff person having COVID-19 symptoms needs to contact their healthcare provider. If they have been on campus within two weeks of becoming ill, they should also contact the Office of Occupational Injury Management, 404-686-8587.

College Business Operations Updates

Charges Related to COVID-19

College departments and programs may incur expenses related to COVID-19. In an effort to track these unexpected expenses, Emory’s Finance Division created a new SpeedType 8300100218 (Project ID 00094049) for the College.

If a related expense has posted already, you should process a journal to transfer the expense to this dedicated SpeedType. Otherwise, you may post these expenses directly to the SpeedType.

If you’re unsure if an expense should be charged to ST8300100218 or if you have additional questions, please contact your dedicated College Finance Representative. Thank you for your patience while College Business Operations attempts to provide support and guidance to your department through this extraordinary time.

Mail Delivery

If departments would like to set up a custom mail delivery schedule for their office, please contact Shane Garrett in Emory Mail Services at sgarre3@emory.edu. They will hold your departmental mail until a time can be set up to deliver it to the office in question.

Events

A final decision on Commencement will be coming soon. In the meantime, please cancel all nonessential events your department may have planned per University guidelines.

Building Access Limited Starting March 20

At this time, most non-essential events have been cancelled, particularly those involving students and visitors from off campus. Therefore, starting at 5 p.m., Friday, March 20, all Emory College buildings will be locked to provide additional security.

We encourage all faculty to make sure they have the most up-to-date Emory ID to ensure they can access their offices. Faculty with outdated, damaged or lost ID cards can obtain a replacement card at no cost. EmoryCard Services now allows you to make an appointment to visit at a time that is convenient for you; click the “Get Your EmoryCard” link on the right side of the EmoryCard website.

If you are unable to make an appointment or come to campus, we are researching other options that may be available to you. If any department would like to have their building closed earlier than Friday, or if you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Dwight Raby, draby@emory.edu.

University Updates

For the latest University-wide updates and information, visit the COVID-19 Website.