Moving Online and Contingency Plans
Date/Time sent: 08/11/2020 6:15 amDear West O‘ahu Instructors:
I apologize if you received multiple copies of this message.
With the first day of instruction approaching on August 24, and in light of the recent heightened incidence level of daily new coronavirus cases, we must consider the new directions from President Lassner communicated in his message to the UH ‘Ohana, yesterday morning. Specifically, my message here is intended for every instructor currently scheduled to teach one or more UHWO courses, this fall, in a hybrid or face-to-face modality.
If you are already scheduled to only teach fully online, this Fall 2020 Semester, you do not need to take any action to consider converting your course(s). It’s important, though, that everyone be informed of efforts, now in progress, that may affect your students’ other classes.
To Instructors Currently Scheduled to Teach Hybrid or Face-to-Face Courses:
For those whose courses are not already fully online, I need you to earnestly contemplate converting to a fully online modality. This is in consideration of the increasing spread of the outbreak. This new charge means that we are now willing to approve new requests, for this fall semester, to convert hybrid or face-to-face courses to fully online.
For All Changes…
Please submit all conversion requests to the OVCAA, via your Academic Chair, as soon as possible. Should you have any questions on these matters, please address them to your Academic Chair. Our Scheduler and Registrar will need time to process new changes in order to update the schedule, so please submit your changes by 12noon, on Thursday, August 13.
Contingency Plans
If you don’t convert your courses to a completely online modality, plan for the contingency that changing circumstances might dictate moving completely online. Please prepare contingency plans for how any face-to-face portions of your courses would be modified if the need arises to move your classes entirely online.
Final Note
Plan for adaptability this fall. We may be initiating additional measures aimed at supporting teaching and learning in the face of conditions or events that may be brought about by the pandemic. Stay tuned for updates. I wish you the best in your preparations for the new semester.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey A.S. Moniz, PhD
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu
91-1001 Farrington Highway
Room D202
Kapolei, HI 96707
(808) 689-2303