Listen to the story

You are teaching a face-to-face freshman class.  Your class has about 30 students and you meet them twice a week.  Students need to complete required readings before class. Readings are selected from text books or accessible through the library course reserve.  Class time is spent on lectures, group discussions, in class tests and student presentations.  Students also need to complete writing assignments and bring them to you in class. 

Just after the first week of the semester, your city has encountered a hurricane.  The entire campus needs to close for two weeks or even longer.  Your house is functioning with power and internet, but you have heard some students were evacuated, and they are staying in shelters far away from campus. They need to stay a long time before they can find housing. In the mean time, you are eager to communicate with students and provide a way for them to access an updated syllabus, course content, and tests, so that they can still participate and complete the course. 

To accomplish these goals, you can do the following:  

1. Email all the students regarding their situations, provide suggestions for staying safe, and give updates on class changes.  Student emails can be retrieved from the Blackboard university sponsored learning management system (LMS), or through PeopleSoft.  
2. Text students the same email messages if you have their cell phone numbers. 
3. Use Blackboard as a backup forum to post instructional materials and organize class activities.  
4. Select appropriate e-learning tools, such as online conferencing applications, to distribute class content and communicate with students.  

Are you prepared?

You can check your readiness level with the following 6 steps: