Beginning of Semester Reminders - Spring 2021

Beginning of Semester Reminders - Spring 2021

Dear Colleagues,

Happy, happy new year! I hope you were able to relax and rejuvenate over the holiday break. Although I’ve never been so happy to ring in a new year, I am extremely proud and grateful for what we all accomplished together this past year. You navigated the twists and turns we faced in 2020 with incredible dedication, patience, understanding, and kindness. Thank you! As we begin our Spring 2021 semester, I ask you to call upon these qualities again as we continue to teach, serve, discover, and create in the midst of this pandemic. 

I apologize for the length of this message. However, I want to make sure you have all the details about changes we will implement this semester due to COVID-19, as well as alert you to resources that are available to you and your students to help you navigate this semester. In addition, I present the typical ‘beginning of the semester’ reminders here so you can easily access information in one place. 

COVID-19 Information Sites and Resources

I encourage you to review information on the Academic Affairs Response to COVID-19 and the KSU Coronavirus Updates website, and to frequently check back throughout the semester so that you are informed of changes that may occur. I also remind you of the Keep on Teaching website, a complete resource for all of your instructional needs whether you are teaching in person, online, remotely, or in a hybrid fashion. The Center for Teaching and Learning has compiled information for you in one place at https://www.kent.edu/keeponteaching. It also includes links to getting technology, updates on Kent State's coronavirus response, and messages that have been sent out through Academic Affairs.

Spring 2021 Academic Calendar and Course Schedule

There are several important changes to course delivery and the academic calendar for spring 2021. As previously communicated at the start of spring semester, only those courses that require special equipment or interactions that cannot be delivered remotely (Tier 1 courses) will begin the semester in-person. Other classes designated to be delivered in-person for the spring semester will begin with remote instruction for the first two weeks and transition to in-person delivery beginning the third week (Tier 2 courses, week of Feb. 1). If you are unsure if your course is a Tier 1 or Tier 2 course, please communicate with your academic unit administrator (e.g., campus dean, department chair, school director). Tier 2 courses will have the following sentence listed underneath the section on the Schedule of Classes–Detailed Class Search in FlashLine:

THIS COURSE SECTION IS REMOTE THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF SPRING
SEMESTER (JAN. 19-31) AND IN-PERSON STARTING THE
THIRD WEEK (WEEK OF FEB. 1)

If you teach a Tier 2 course, please reach out to your students and make sure they are aware which day they are expected to return in-person on campus.

Spring break has been moved to the week of April 12. All spring classes then resume in remote delivery after spring break (starting April 19) and until the last day of classes on Tuesday, May 4.

Final examinations will be offered remotely May 6-12. Please review the Kent State University Administrative Policy and Procedures Regarding Final Examinations (3-01.4). Note that every course requires a final examination, which can take various formats, including a final paper or student presentation. Final examinations scheduled during final exam week must occur at the time they are scheduled. Thus, if you are administering a synchronous final exam during final exam week, this exam must occur only at the time the exam is scheduled by the University Registrar’s Spring Final Exam Schedule.

Please also note that Remembrance Day will be observed Tuesday, May 4, and no synchronous instruction (in-person or remotely delivered) should be held between noon and 2 p.m. 

Finally, Wednesday, May 5, is designated as a Reading Day, with no classes held remotely, online, or in-person. 

We have planned well and our hope is that we will not have to alter our plans. However, we know that the course of the disease is not predictable and conditions can require that we make changes to campus operations at any time. Therefore, all faculty must be prepared to go fully remote at any time. There may be times throughout the semester when you must move to remote instruction. For example, your classroom or hallway may need to be closed for a short period of time for cleaning, or you may need to quarantine at home. At any time, the university may need to go to fully remote instruction and services, so we need to be prepared. 

Also, if you are teaching in person, you should be ready to simultaneously deliver instruction remotely, as there may be times when some of your students will not be able to attend face-to-face classes due to the student being ill, being in quarantine/isolation, concerns about a family member’s risk status, or their comfort level with being in an in-person environment. I ask you to be flexible and provide accommodations to students as you receive these requests.

Additional details about spring semester, including COVID testing options and the phased return to offices, have been communicated in a previous message from the university.

Late Course Adds

The deadline for students to self-add into courses is the end (11:59 pm) of the seventh calendar day of the semester (prorated deadline for summer or flexibly scheduled courses). For spring 2021 15-week courses this deadline is Monday, Jan. 25.

After the self-add period, the deadline for students to request admission into classes by submitting a late registration request with instructor approval is the end (11:59 pm) of the fourteenth calendar day of the semester (prorated deadline for summer or flexibly scheduled sections). For spring 2021 15-week courses this deadline is Monday, Feb. 1. Please respond immediately to students’ requests so they can finalize their schedules. 

Academic Presence Verification Roster

Faculty are required to indicate whether students have been “academically present” at least once in order for their financial aid to be disbursed. “Academically present” means that the student has either attended the class or has participated in some form of academic activity at least once.

When you record that a student has “Not Started” your course, the NF administrative mark populates on the final grade roster and the student’s access to your course through Blackboard is terminated. If you want a student to be able to enter your class after you note “Not Started,” you can go back into the APV and note “Not Reported” so that access to Blackboard can be restored. Once the student is academically present once, you can change their APV status to “Started.” 

Also, please note that the APV roster will include students who have subsequently dropped or withdrawn, even as of the first day of the class. All students on the roster must be updated to either "Started" or "Not Started" regardless of their registration status because we have to be accurate about whether students were academically present at least once, even if later they withdraw or drop the course.

The APV roster for each of your courses (undergraduate and graduate levels) will be open by the first day your class meets and your completed rosters are due by the end of the fourth week of a standard semester (prorated for flexibly scheduled courses). The Registrar’s office will send you email reminders to complete the AVP rosters, but you can also find the due dates for each of your courses from within FlashLine. Go to the Grading Resources section of the Faculty Dashboard and choose the Academic Presence Verification Roster link and select your course. The due dates are listed with your course information.

Remember, students will be eligible to receive aid only for those classes in which their academic presence has been verified so this is a very, very important process. Full instructions on how this works and answers to FAQs are located on the Registrar’s website.

Midterm Reports

Midterm reports are required for all students in all 00-, 10-, and 20-thousand level course. The midterm report roster opens week 4 and closes week 7 of the standard term (prorated for flexibly scheduled courses). We know that the earlier you provide feedback to students, the quicker they can adjust their study behavior and attendance so that they are successful in your classes. As always, the Registrar’s office will send notification of the midterm report rosters being open and our hope is that you will provide students information on their progress as early as possible.

Grade Push

The Grade Push application is available for midterm and final grades, so if you use Blackboard Learn you can use this application to transfer your midterm and final grades from Blackboard to the Midterm/Final Grades roster with the touch of a button. See the Grade Push website for additional information. And for more information on processing grades, see the FAQ page on the University Registrar's website.

For Your Syllabus

As you prepare your syllabi and get ready for your classes to begin, please ensure that your course materials are accessible to and usable by all students. The Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) provides support and recommendations for creating accessible course materials on the SAS website and in person.

Please check the Final Exam Schedule and include accurate information about the date and time of final exams in your syllabus. Midterm and final exam dates can also be found on your final grade roster. Having the dates and times included in the syllabus helps students plan their final exams schedule. For your convenience and quick reference, please see the Academic Calendar and the Registrar’s list of Important Dates.

Given the unique challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on instruction, the Ad Hoc Academic Continuity Committee (ACC) recommends that all instructors include language in their syllabi that clarifies student and instructor expectations concerning the impact of COVID-19 on the instructional process. In particular, the ACC recommends that you address expectations for communication and staying informed; health and safety; intellectual property and privacy; and absence, illness, and remote instruction. Below I provide examples of language suggested by the ACC, but other examples are also provided here.

• Communication and Staying Informed
  • For example, Sign up for FlashAlerts. Check email and Blackboard announcements daily.
• Health and Safety
  • For example, The Flashes Safe Eight principles have been implemented to protect your health as well as the entire Kent State community. When you are on campus you must follow the Flashes Safe Eight. As your instructor, I am committed to assuring a safe environment for all students. Noncompliance by any student may result in cancellation of the class session for the day and referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
• Intellectual Property and Privacy 
  • For example, Intellectual property displayed or distributed to students during this course (including but not limited to PowerPoint presentations, notes, quizzes, examinations) by the instructor remains the intellectual property of the instructor. This means the student may not distribute, publish, or provide such intellectual property to any other person or entity for any reason, commercial or otherwise, without the express written permission of the instructor. Additionally, students may not distribute or publish recordings and/or links to live classroom presentations, lectures, and/or class discussions.
• Absence, Illness and Remote Instruction 
  • For example, Class sessions will transition to remote instruction after Spring Break. If a temporary or continuing need to transition to remote instruction at any other time in the semester is needed, I will communicate instructions concerning this transition to remote instruction to you via email.

Textbook Orders

The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires that course textbook information be made available to students before they enroll in a course. This means that faculty are required to submit textbook orders to their KSU University Bookstore prior to the date that students register for courses. If you are NOT requiring a textbook for your course, the Bookstore needs to know that as well. All faculty, therefore, must provide an order—even if it is “no textbook required.” The University Bookstore will publish the textbook requirements with the course offerings so that students can plan their finances accordingly.

The date that textbook orders are due to your KSU University Bookstore.

• for a summer semester course (any part of term) is on or before March 1;
• for a fall semester course (any part of term) is on or before April 1; and
• for a spring semester course (any part of term) is on or before Oct. 1. 

Remember that you must place your order with the bookstore. Failing to do so can jeopardize some students’ abilities to pay for their textbooks with book scholarships which can only be used at the bookstore.

You can easily search for and submit all required, recommended or suggested course materials through the Adoption & Insights Portal. A new single sign on link was placed in Flashline last semester to easily access the textbook adoption tool. It can be found by clicking the Faculty and Advisors link, followed by Resources – Faculty.

If you are interested in exploring the Flash Books model (textbook fee model) and see how it helps our students, or find resources on alternative low-cost textbook solutions for our students, please review https://www.kent.edu/studentaffairs/flashbooks and https://www.kent.edu/provost/textbook-affordability.

For assistance in ordering your textbooks or to see if your course can be added to Flash Books, please contact Curtis Lamb directly in the bookstore at 330-672-1589 or email him at clamb@kent.edu.

Student Support 

Whenever students are struggling academically and need assistance that you are not able to provide, please direct them to the Academic Success Center. The Academic Success Center, located on the Kent campus in the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, provides free tutoring aimed at math, physics, chemistry, and biology and Supplemental Instruction provides study groups that allow students to practice effective study strategies and prepare for exams. Remember, each regional campus also has an academic success team ready to help your students, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the location and resources locally available.

We know that students may also struggle in nonacademic ways and there are many resources on campus and in the local community to assist and support students who may be in emotional distress or exhibiting disruptive behavior. The Step Up and Speak Out website and mobile app provide helpful information on do's and don'ts of dealing with distressed and disruptive individuals and list resources that are available 24 hours per day. If you identify a student who may reasonably pose a potential threat to self, others, or the university, please consult with the Care Team. 

The Care Team is a cross-divisional crisis management committee that collaboratively assesses and coordinates a response in these situations. Referrals to the Care Team may be made quickly by contacting Dr. Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell (tdrumme1@kent.edu; 330-672-8003), Dean of Students, or Dr. Amy Quillin (aquillin@kent.edu; 330-672-9494), Student Ombuds.

During these difficult times, students and their families may also be struggling with access to adequate food and housing. Any students having trouble affording groceries, accessing sufficient amounts of food, or those who do not have safe and reliable places to sleep, should contact the Office of the Dean of Students (330-672-8003) or visit the Kent Cares website www.kent.edu/kent-cares. There might also be a food pantry in the student's local community to help. To find food pantries and shelters, students can search http://www.feedingamerica.org and https://www.shelterlistings.org/. Feel free to note these resources on your syllabus.

Thank you for all you do. As we enter into yet another “semester like no other,” I am confident that our students will make excellent progress because of your commitment to them and their learning. Please let me know if I can provide you assistance.

My best,

Melody Tankersley
Senior Vice President and Provost