There has been a palpable sense of anticipation across the Internet ether over this last week. The final exam interval is underway, and the April 30th finish line is drawing ever nearer. Early reports have begun to trickle in from faculty who are in the final stages of marking, tallying, and entering their grades. Others, who have already submitted their grades, are enjoying a short respite before beginning to reflect upon their experiences with a view to the approaching summer term. And others still, who were not teaching this spring, are mulling over the prospects for their first full foray into the world of remote and online delivery.

The University plans to survey instructors about their experiences this term in mid-May, to collect and share information about best practices, assessment approaches, and strategies for student engagement. In the meantime, however, we are interested in hearing about and sharing your stories – stories of both triumph and tribulation. The Teaching and Learning Commons is collecting such stories and profiling select faculty in the process. Please feel free to send along brief snippets, insights, or anecdotes about your experiences making the pivot to online learning.

Updates with a bullet:

  • Faculty Review: All faculty reviews slated for the Spring interview have been canceled.
  • Campus buildings: Buildings will now be locked, as of today. During regular business hours, you can still access your office with the assistance of campus security.
  • Moodle courses: Any courses on Moodle should be backed up as promptly as possible to protect content, and guard against loss associated with service disruption.
  • Mental Health Support for Students in British Columbia:  The provincial government is providing more support for post-secondary students who are struggling to cope with the pandemic. Sessions with trained counselors can be accessed by downloading the Here2Talk app or visiting here2talk.ca. Instructors may want to share this resource with KPU students.
  • Technological Needs: KPU has allocated additional resources to the Teaching and Learning Technology Fund, which offers support to faculty who need access to technology to support instructional continuity. Please see ‘Keep Teaching’ (https://www.kpu.ca/teaching-and-learning/keep-teaching), as well as this link for device requests: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/7GSRFPF​
  • Preparing for Next Term: In the coming weeks, we will be sharing several resources to help you prepare for the summer term. The first of such resources is attached here, and we hope that will help you design your course outline with online considerations in mind – and with resources for the pandemic context highlighted for your students. Please continue to please consult the Keep Teaching website available through the Teaching and Learning Commons for additional help and resources.

In closing, it is important to emphasize that social distancing – however necessary – need not mean social isolation. Holding collegial meetings and departmental gatherings via Microsoft Teams can be a great way of keeping the collegial flame alive while keeping the home fires burning! Rumor has it that some programs are organizing end of the semester – last hurrah super-cyber-parties on Teams – complete with holographic snacks, digital libations, virtual toasts, memetic tributes, and extemporaneous cyber-speeches. Cheers and kudos to you! It is heartening to see such collegiality and community amidst all the upheaval and uncertainty, and heartwarming to know that we have one another, and therefore much to celebrate.

Thank you once more for your stalwart resilience throughout the throes of this semester, and for your steadfast and unflinching dedication to our students. We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Diane, Shelley, Greg and Wade