Instruction

Caldwell has adjusted the academic calendar for the fall 2020 semester.  The plan is to begin on time on August 31 and to eliminate all previously scheduled holidays in the fall semester.  Classes will be scheduled on those days to provide an additional week of instruction.  All classes and exams will be remote after the Thanksgiving holiday to minimize the potential transmission of COVID-19 by students, faculty and staff who may travel to visit family for Thanksgiving.  

Stage 3

• For in-person courses, how will you ensure the institution is complying with the social distancing and other general safeguarding measures for classrooms? 

Every classroom on campus has been measured and set up for social distancing.  Classroom capacity has been reduced to approximately 38% of its original capacity design. Some seating has been removed.  Chairs will be placed over two different colored floor decals that read “Keep the Chair on the Square.”  Faculty and students will be required to leave all chairs facing forward and in place.  There are two different colors of floor decals and classes will alternate seating to reduce touch frequency between cleanings. Faculty and students may use wipes and sprays provided to clean surfaces before and after use.  Faculty will be asked to read guidelines to the students and to enforce them.  Guidelines will be posted in every room. The Cougars Come Together – Stage 3 Classroom and Computer Lab Rules are as follows:

• Masks must be worn unless an accommodation has been approved through the Office of Accessibility Services (students) or Human Resources (HR). Failure to comply can result in removal from the classroom. Faculty have the right to ask a student to leave the classroom if they are not in compliance.
• No eating or drinking is permitted in the classroom.
• Do not place personal belongings on chairs that are over decals.
• Do not move any furniture. Chairs must remain over designated floor decals. Do not remove any signs, decals, or barriers. Sit in seats over colored floor decals designated as posted in each classroom.  Students must sit in the same seats throughout the semester.
• Upon entering and exiting the classroom, do not congregate in the doorway and/or hallway.
• Follow social distancing protocols. Maintain 6 feet of distance between you and other people whenever possible.
• Classrooms will be cleaned daily and classroom seating will alternate with every other class.  In addition, shared surfaces such as a mouse,  touchscreen monitors and keyboards should be wiped before and after use.  Wipes are available in the classrooms and labs.
• Wash hands or use sanitizer before and after handing papers or any other items to anyone else in the classroom. When possible, consider electronic alternatives. If students must submit written assignments or exams to their professor, they should place the assignment in a designated location, such as an envelope or container, rather than handing it directly to the professor.
• Faculty will dismiss students a row at a time to enable socially distant exiting.

As an additional level of protection, in certain rooms such as science and computer labs, and TV and radio studios, plexiglass shields are being installed.  All faculty who will be teaching on campus will be provided with reusable face shields and reusable face masks. Students will also be provided with reusable face masks.

Class schedules will be alternated by splitting classes to reduce the number of classrooms being used and traffic in the hallways.  

• How will you accommodate faculty and students who are immunocompromised, or at high-risk for COVID-19, or have received a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, and are thus unable to attend classes in-person? 

Caldwell is offering four modes of teaching for the fall: Emergency Remote Teaching, On Campus with Social Distancing, Flipped Classroom (With Remote Learning) and HyFlex (Hybrid) Classroom (With Remote Learning) to allow maximum flexibility for faculty and students who cannot or do not wish to teach or attend face to face (F2F) classes. All classes will be offered in a remote format either by design or to accommodate individual students and faculty in Stages 2 or 3.  In the event that the state moves back to Stage 1, all classes will be entirely remote.Faculty may offer a combination of F2F classes and video conferencing platforms such as Google Hangouts Meet (GHM). Video conferencing allows for real time instruction with the added feature of being able to record classes for review and asynchronous instruction if needed. An additional twenty five percent of the classrooms are being outfitted with new media equipment to allow for synchronous instruction not only in courses that need to be split due to social distancing requirements, but also to allow real time instruction to students who may be in quarantine, tested positive, or cannot attend for other reasons.  In this setting, a faculty member in quarantine could teach from a remote location to students who are physically present in the classroom.  Classes previously taught in an online format will continue to be offered online. The flexibility inherent in the hybrid model will allow for a smooth transition if the state stays in or reverts to Stage 2 or 1.

To ensure the high quality and appropriate delivery of remote instruction, a faculty task force was assigned to create guidelines for teaching during a pandemic. The guidelines detail the four modes of delivery mentioned above and include helpful tips and suggestions based on best practices as well as links to websites with teaching resources for faculty.  Training in Google Hangouts Meet is provided to faculty highlighting new enhancements to the application.  Training in the use of the University’s learning management system (LMS) is available on a continuous basis.  Faculty are participating in other professional development opportunities such as webinars designed to promote creative and innovative methods for delivering remote instruction.  

Caldwell University will maximize the on-campus experience for students through creative socially distanced programming, and through F2F interaction with our excellent faculty who play the most important role in students’ college experience. Due to social distancing requirements, our classroom capacity is reduced to less than forty percent of its original capacity. Caldwell’s goal is to fully utilize space available while accommodating the needs and desires of faculty and students to the extent that it is possible. 

Individuals who may fall into a high-risk category identified by the CDC for complications from the pandemic influenza virus and who wish to request a reasonable accommodation under Americans with Disabilities Law (ADA) should contact Human Resources to engage in the interactive process per the University’s Institutional Policy on Disability. Those who may need consideration due to schools or daycare centers being closed or other child care services being unavailable, or to care for other dependents should contact HR to discuss options that may be available through the telecommuting policy, sick leave policy or other state or federal leave programs. 

• How will you encourage social distancing through signage and layout of classrooms?

Classrooms are being set up with fewer chairs and students must keep the chair over the decal that is on the floor below it.  The decals are in two colors, so only every other class will sit in the same chairs. Faculty will be responsible for enforcing this requirement. Labs and some classrooms have been outfitted with plexiglass shields to ensure safety when social distancing may not be possible.  Offices and all common spaces will be marked with floor decals and signage. Signs have been designed and will be prominently displayed in classrooms and across campus to remind everyone of the need to be socially distanced. The requirement of members of the campus community to be socially distanced will be strongly communicated in training materials as well.  Classroom protocols have been created for faculty to read to students.  These protocols will be posted in every classroom.

• How will you ensure high-touch areas and shared surfaces in classrooms are cleaned and sanitized after every use?

Faculty and students will share the responsibility for wiping surfaces before and after use.  Supplies will be available in every classroom with instructions for use.   

Stage 2

• For in-person courses, how will you ensure the institution is complying with the social distancing and other general safeguarding measures for classrooms? 

The same protocols will be in place as are planned for Stage 3.

• How will you accommodate faculty and students who are immunocompromised, or at high-risk for COVID-19, or have received a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, and are thus unable to attend classes in-person? 

The same plans for courses taught on campus as described in Stage 3 will be used.

• How will you encourage social distancing through signage and layout of classrooms?

Classrooms will be laid out in preparation for Stage 3.  If the state remains in Stage 2, classrooms will remain prepared in anticipation of moving to Stage 3.

• How will you ensure high-touch areas and shared surfaces in classrooms are cleaned and sanitized after every use? 

The process will be the same as described in Phase 3 plans.