Dear Colleagues,
I hope this message finds you refreshed from a restful break and ready to embark upon this new year. I am grateful for you and your dedication to providing the best possible academic experience for our students through all the changes and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic.
As we prepare for the start of the Spring semester, I want to provide you with some reminders to help you and your students get off to a great start:
- As always, please be clear with your students about what you expect from them and what they can expect from you, including when your office hours will be and how to access the necessary resources and technology they need to succeed in your courses.
- You can communicate with your students via Canvas now. To do this you need to publish your courses if you have not already. You can publish the course and syllabus without publishing other elements. Do not use announcements, as students may not receive them via email. We instead recommend using the Canvas inbox messaging tool.
- If your courses will be on a modified meeting schedule, please make sure you notify your students via Canvas message by Friday, January 15, which day(s) they will attend in person.
- Do not set any due dates before the start date of a course.
- Please post, and make visible, at least one to two weeks of course materials—including the syllabus—by January 15.
- Check for any last-minute add/drops so you can communicate expectations with newly-added students before class.
- Remind your main-campus students that if they fail to submit their COVID-19 test result by the deadline, their access to Canvas will be turned off.
Thank you for your commitment to our enduring values and the Cardinals Care Pledge to protect ourselves, other Cardinals, and our community by remaining diligent about wearing masks and finding creative ways to meet learning outcomes and maintain physical distance. The coming months will continue to require flexibility from all of us, and I appreciate everything I know you will do to ensure a successful Spring semester.
