Revised academic calendar and online instruction resources
Dear CALS Faculty and Advising Staff,
Lisa Nishii, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, sent a message to the undergraduate students this weekend. Below are some excerpts from her message that might interest you.
"Please know that faculty have been working extremely hard to learn new technologies and rethink how they can deliver a meaningful learning experience using different media. They are aware that you are now in different time zones and that some of you may be worried about whether you will be able to connect reliably to online course materials, have an environment that is conducive to learning and be able to maintain your standards for academic engagement and performance. Many of them are worried about the same. At the same time, faculty are excited to re-think traditional modes of teaching. This experience may offer opportunities to explore innovative online classroom ideas.
To accommodate for lost instruction time due to the two-week suspension of classes, the academic calendar for this semester has been revised as follows (these changes apply to all undergraduates except students in the Cornell in Rome and AAP in NYC programs and students who are completing their semesters through their study-abroad institutions):
- First day of online instruction, Monday April 6
- Last day to ADD a seven-week course, Tuesday, April 14
- Last day for DROP/Grade Change, Tuesday, April 21
- Last day of online instruction, Tuesday, May 12
- Study Days, May 13–15
- Exam Period, May 16–23
Classes will meet online at their original time to reduce conflicts, but all lectures will be recorded or otherwise posted to accommodate students in alternate time zones. Faculty have been advised to be flexible when scheduling discussion sessions and office hours to ensure that students have opportunities to interact with them and each other regardless of time zone."
As mentioned in Lisa's message, new information is being added often to the student FAQ page. As you probably know, a similar FAQ page exists for faculty.
I realize that we all are in a very challenging time. Thank you for all your efforts to continue your courses and advising so that our students can complete their semester. I hope that you can find time to relax and rejuvenate.
Take care,
Don Viands
Associate Dean, Academic Programs