{"id":49,"date":"2020-03-13T11:28:42","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T15:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/facultyhub\/?p=49"},"modified":"2020-04-06T11:30:40","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T15:30:40","slug":"memo-from-the-faculty-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/facultyhub\/2020\/03\/13\/memo-from-the-faculty-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"Memo from the Faculty Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Faculty Colleagues,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, this is not the version of March Madness that I was looking forward to.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is clear that our quick conversion from our normal modes of face-to-face teaching to alternative forms of on-line instruction will require hard work, creativity, and flexibility. I write to remind you that you are not alone! Information Services and the Faculty Hub are among the groups that are working to communicate about tools and approaches to help you.\u202f Please visit the resources we have provided and try some things and then reach out when you need more help.\u202f We are responding as quickly as possible.\u202f As some Hub staff will be working remotely, email is better than phone, but we are also checking our voice messages.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Above all, it is important that we convey to students that we are here to support them and that we will help them be successful in meeting their academic goals this semester.\u202f The psychological toll this will take on many students should not be under-estimated in the adaptations we make to teaching this semester.\u202f A suggestion is to reach out to your students and advisees now to check-in, let them know that the academic mission is going to <\/span>work, they will be successful, and you will be there to facilitate their success.\u202f The faculty-student interaction is the number one reason students come to UR, stay at UR, and find success at UR.\u202f Let\u2019s be sure to continue those interactions!\u202f\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have produced a survey you may use to assess your students\u2019 capacity for the on-line work you will do with them and to give them a chance to communicate concerns (thank you to Kristine Nolin and Marcella Torres for ideas).\u202f It would be helpful to also communicate to students your confidence that the teaching-learning partnership will be successful.\u202f <\/span>Attached is a sample survey<\/span><\/b>– you are welcome to modify this with your own language or add\/delete questions as you see fit. Four suggestions for how to administer a survey are also listed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It also important to manage the <\/span>expectations you have for yourself!\u202f We recommend that you first try the on-line tools with which you are most familiar. As you then experiment with new tools, please give yourself time to read up and play around with the new tool before trying it in a classroom setting.\u202f You cannot learn all of the options available to you, so you will have to make some choices and move forward.\u202f To help support your own success, you might consider spending some time devoted to <\/span>mindfulness<\/span><\/b>.\u202f Special thanks to <\/span>Monti Datta<\/span><\/b> and the Mindfulness FLC for producing this video for our faculty:\u202f <\/span>https:\/\/vimeo.com\/397506535<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you looking for remote teaching support and\/or consultation?<\/span><\/b> We have many options in the coming week to help you make this transition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n