Ka Pe‘ahi Lono: Monthly Message for August

Date/Time sent: 08/03/2020 11:00 am

Aloha mai kākou!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
UH West Oʻahu Fall 2020 Convocation
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Zoom and On-Campus (by invitation only)

Our theme as we prepare for our Fall 2020 Semester
ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia!
“No task is too big when done together by all!”

The University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu is preparing for the start of the fall 2020 semester on August 24. The campus is implementing its interim COVID-19 guidelines to ensure a safe and healthy campus. A CORE Committee, Task Groups, and UH West Oʻahu COVID Response Team are busy developing plans and procedures for the upcoming semester in alignment with UH System COVID-19 guidance.

Chancellor Maenette Benham and campus officials gathered via Zoom for a Q&A session (transcript here) to share how UH West Oʻahu has been impacted by COVID-19 and what steps are being taken for our Safe Return to Campus. UH West Oʻahu’s focus continues to be the health and wellness of students, employees, and visitors. Read the entire story on E Kamakani Hou.

It is important that every member of our UH West Oʻahu ʻOhana and our visitors to campus commit to the good health and safety of our campus community. In that spirit, we are asking everyone who comes to campus — students, employees, and visitors — to respect the Pueo Safety Promise.

I WILL —

Stay home if my temperature is higher than 100.4 or if I have been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case.
Submit the UHWO Health APP/Web-Survey prior to coming to campus.
Wear a face covering, maintain safe physical distance, and practice good handwashing hygiene when on campus or doing university business.
Remain informed about health and safety guidelines and take steps to protect our campus staff, faculty, students, and guests.
Be kind and compassionate, caring for the well-being of our campus community.

Have a COVID-19 Question? The general public is welcome to call the Queen’s Health Systems COVID Hotline at 691-2619.

In this month’s Ka Peʻahi Lono, we will be overviewing our preparations for our Fall Semester 2020. For more detailed information we direct you to visit westoahu.hawaii.edu/covid-19. Our Hana Lawelawe was contributed by AVCAA Rosenfeld and a “Special Section” is included that covers the following three topics:

What you should know about our Fall 2020 Semester, your kūleana, and links to more information.
Information from our Scheduler regarding the Fall Schedule of Classes.
A list of professional development opportunities provided by OPDAS.

FINAL reminders:

All employees and students while on-campus must wear their UHWO ID on a lanyard as the campus is only open to employees, students, and visitors (with campus pass). If you do not have your UHWO ID go to this link ASAP: https://westoahu.hawaii.edu/admissions/id-card-steps/
All employees, students, and visitors must submit a daily health check-in via NOVIDCampus App or Online Health Survey. Information is forthcoming.
All employees, students, and visitors on campus must wear a face covering (mask or face shield) and maintain appropriate physical distancing.

E mālama pono!
Maenette Benham, Chancellor

Hana Lawelawe: On Leadership

This month’s “Hana Lawelawe” was contributed by AVCAA Alan Rosenfeld from the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.

Anxieties run high as we prepare to welcome students back for the Fall Semester in uncertain times. There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic presents the greatest challenge to higher education that we have witnessed in our lifetimes, both from the point of view of public health and safety and in terms of fiscal constraints. The UH West O‘ahu educational experience will look very different when our students return to class this fall, as it will for the entire country. Nevertheless, with that understandable anxiety comes excitement and opportunity.

Academic Affairs faculty and staff members have gone to tremendous lengths to serve our students and the larger community as chaos swirls around them. Dozens of faculty members and lecturers have worked to convert their classes to distance education formats so that 73% of our fall class inventory will now be delivered in fully online modalities. Thanks to the efforts of our dedicated Early College instructors, UH West O‘ahu’s EC Program honored its commitment to hundreds of local high school students this past spring, with twenty-seven (27) classes at five (5) schools completing their semester-long curricula after shifting to online formats midstream—a 100% success rate. Dr. Richard Jones spearheaded an effort to use the 3D printers housed in the campus’ Veterans Empowered Through STEM Lab to create personal protective equipment for local hospital workers. Dr. Ricardo Custodio is currently running an intensive COVID-19 contact tracing program as part of a larger UH System partnership with the Hawai‘i Department of Health, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus and protect the health of our surrounding community. On July 13 UH West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library reopened for student, faculty, and staff access, with a modified schedule and appropriate social distancing measures.

While the forms of instruction and support continue to evolve in response to pandemic conditions, our Academic Affairs faculty and staff remain fully dedicated to serving UH West O‘ahu’s students and the greater Leeward O‘ahu community. Although it would be foolish to guarantee outcomes or make false promises in the midst of the larger turmoil that engulfs us, we know that the entire UH West O‘ahu ‘ohana remains committed to fulfilling the core mission of our institution, no matter what obstacles lie ahead.

A Celebration of Good Works: Kūlia i ka nuʻu (Reach for the Summit!)

SPECIAL SECTION: Preparing For Our Fall Semester

In this section you will find the following topics:

What you should know about how we have prepared the campus for the Fall 2020 Semester, your kūleana, and links to more information.
Information from our Scheduler regarding the Fall Schedule of Classes.
A list of professional development opportunities provided by OPDAS.

What you should know about how weʻve prepared the campus & your kūleana!

Process for positive and suspected cases

UH West Oʻahu students and employees are asked to contact the Campus COVID-19 Hotline at (808) 689-2525 or email covidwo@hawaii.edu if they have tested positive, are symptomatic, or have had contact with a positive case.

The UH West Oʻahu COVID-19 Response Team has an action plan set up to address each situation reported, to assist affected students and employees, and to provide information to all appropriate parties.

Daily check-ins

Daily health screening and self-monitoring will be mandatory via a check-in app and web-page questionnaire to support CDC recommended daily self-screening of everyone that will be on our campus. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors will be expected to complete the self-screening questionnaire prior to arriving on campus. Visitors should do so upon arrival. (More details will be released as we prepare for the fall semester.)

Facial coverings and hygiene

Employees, students, and visitors must wear face coverings when on campus. Plexi-glass barriers have been installed as added protection in areas where employees interact with the public. Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available. There will be hand sanitizer stations throughout campus, including classrooms.

Physical distancing

While there will be a limited density of people on campus, be mindful to stay at least six feet from others, do not gather in groups, and avoid crowds and mass gatherings. Classrooms and laboratories are reconfigured for physical distancing; desks are spaced six feet apart. Reconfigured classrooms and labs have reduced capacity to about 25 percent. Blue tape on floors and signage placed throughout campus serve as guides and reminders to practice physical distancing.

Course delivery

UH West Oʻahu is looking at a fall 2020 schedule with the following modalities:

77.5 percent fully online (asynchronous, synchronous, or a combination of asynchronous and synchronous)
21 percent hybrid (combination of in-person and online instruction)
1.5 percent traditional face-to-face (physically present in a classroom or other education space)

Every classroom will have self-sufficient Zoom capabilities so faculty can use any modality they need. Each room has enough technology where faculty can broadcast their classes synchronously. IT is currently setting up two studios where faculty can record their classes so they can offer them asynchronously. Also, resources are available on the Laulima site to assist faculty to develop their pedagogy to effectively teach students who are in person and/or online.

Campus services

The James & Abigail Campbell Library will be open with limited hours. For information about other services and hours, click here. Student services — such as orientation, Student Life activities, tutoring, getting a transcript, and seeing an advisor — will be more of a virtual option with some face-to-face services open, but in a limited capacity.

Daily cleaning and disinfecting

Building Services staff has been trained to provide daily cleaning and disinfection of campus facilities and spaces, including classrooms, restrooms, and elevators in accordance with CDC guidelines. This includes performing routine cleaning and disinfecting of spaces that are occupied and enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched indoor surfaces, such as door handles, elevator buttons, faucets, and paper towel dispensers. Coordination will be made to ensure there will be appropriate time between classes to allow for effective cleaning to take place in classrooms.

Although the Building Services staff will maintain their normal cleaning processes after the classrooms and restrooms have been tended to, each employee should do their own due diligence and self-clean their work areas to ensure coverage commensurate with their work habits.

Schedule of Classes (Contributor: Princess Soares)

Faculty are reminded that if they do not see the schedule of classes updated as requested, please check the Fall 2020 Class Conversion Updates and Status page for an up-to-date status available through the Fall 2020 Courses webpage. If there are any questions please work through your division chair.

We have also entered the minimum enrollment period:

(Deadline passed) Monday, July 27, 2020, COB: SOC-002 Form: Request Exception for Minimum Enrollment due to scheduler signed by Division Chair
Wednesday, August 12, 2020: Minimum Enrollment Decision Meeting
Thursday, August 13, 2020, morning: Division Chairs notified of decisions who will be notifying their instructors.
Monday August 17, 2020, after noon: Classes will be cancelled and students will be notified via Banner system generated messaging.

Effective August 1, 2020, all requests for online conversions or requesting new class sections must be routed through their Division Chairs for approval by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs who will be consulting with the Chancellor.

Here is the process to request an online conversion:

Courses that are currently approved for online delivery and reflected on the GEC & DEC Master Designations List:

Instructor contacts the division chair requesting a change in modality from hybrid to online.
Division chair seeks approval to convert the class via email to Vice Chancellor Moniz (jmoniz@hawaii.edu) – cc: uhwosoc@hawaii.edu.
VCAA will consult with the Chancellor. If approved the VCAA will provide approval of the request, the division chair will submit a Fall 2020 Class Request Form requesting conversion to online: http://go.hawaii.edu/AX4 (UH account required).

Courses that DO NOT have a current approval for online delivery:

Instructor contacts the division chair requesting a change in modality from hybrid to online.
Division Chair seeks approval of the DE Committee Chair via email (cc: uhwosoc@hawaii.edu).
DE Committee Chair replies via email (cc: uhwosoc@hawaii.edu) the decision. If approved, the DE Committee Chair informs the division chair and/or faculty member if either of the following requirements applies:
(a) DE course approval in Kuali between August 1 and August 21 (if the course is not currently on the GEC and DEC Master Designations List. Please note, Kuali is unavailable until August 1st)
(b) if the faculty member needs to complete the DE Compliance training by October 1, 2020 (if the faculty member is not currently on the DE Compliance Training Completion list on the Master Designation Sheet, or if the instructor is a lecturer)
Division chair seeks approval to convert the class via email to Vice Chancellor Moniz (jmoniz@hawaii.edu) – cc: uhwosoc@hawaii.edu.
VCAA will consult with the Chancellor. If VCAA and DE Committee Chair provides approval of the request, the division chair will submit a Fall 2020 Class Request Form requesting conversion to online: http://go.hawaii.edu/AX4 (UH account required).

Professional Development Offerings (Contributor Dr. Gloria Niles)

This is a selection of the upcoming professional development opportunities and support for teaching online available to UH West Oʻahu faculty from across the UH System.

August 3, Noon – 1 p.m.
Quality in Online Course Overview and Open Discussion Q&A
Hosted by UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences

Description: This session is part of the teaching Online Summer 2020 Webinar Series: Live weekly webinar sessions (via Zoom) with a combination of information presentations along with time for discussion and Q&A. Archived sessions are available for viewing.

August 4, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Building Empathy and Creating Online Community with Students

Description: Engage with instructional designers and faculty across the UH system as they share strategies and tips on building empathy and strengthening the online community with students.

This webinar is a UH Online Innovation Center (UHOIC) collaboration with the UHM Center for Teaching Excellence.

August 7, 11 a.m. – noon
Online Teaching and Learning (T&L) Hui

Description: The Online T&L Hui is designed to be a fluid group that joins together to talk story about trending topics related to online teaching and learning. Additional T&L Hui meeting dates include September 4, 2020, September 18, 2020, and October 9, 2020

August 10, Noon – 1 p.m.
Using the Laulima Gradebook
Hosted by UH Manoa College of Social Sciences
Description: This session is part of the teaching Online Summer 2020 Webinar Series: Live weekly webinar sessions (via Zoom) with a combination of information presentations along with time for discussion and Q&A. Archived sessions are available for viewing.

August 17 and 18, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Office of Distance Learning Zoom Office Hours
email uhwodl@hawaii.edu to request the Zoom link

Description: Drop-in Zoom office hours to get answers to questions about Laulima tools, Zoom features, or submitting DE course designation proposals in Kuali Curriculum Management

Series offered throughout September and October
edtech together
Hosted by UH West Oʻahu Office of Distance Learning

Description The hands-on sessions will introduce Laulima features and Web 2.0 tools for online teaching. Each topic session is offered twice. Following the flipped classroom approach, participants will be emailed a tutorial link to view before the workshop. During the ensuing Zoom sessions, participants will work together—sharing screens, ideas, and encouragement.

Announcements

Please refer to our weekly bulletins or E Kamakani Hou for more information, updates, news, and announcements.