“50 in 80” Fall Schedule (on Campus) and Hybrid Modalities

Date/Time sent: 06/15/2020 5:05 pm

Dear West Oʻahu Instructors:

I’m writing to provide important information concerning Fall 2020 instruction. First, I’ll give a brief description of the model that we are using to schedule the face-to-face, in-person elements of instruction this fall. Next, I’ll introduce the infographics that are attached to this message. Finally, I’ll share a set of Zoom links to three Q&A sessions scheduled for faculty, this week.

Staggered “50 in 80” for In-Person Class Sessions

After a consultation process with campus leadership and the various task groups that were formed to prepare for a safe return to campus in the fall, we decided to implement a model that includes 50-minute staggered sessions scheduled within our 80-minute block schedule. This helps us to implement the social distancing necessary for in-person sessions on campus. Briefly, here are the main features of our staggered 50 in 80 model:

Limits frequency of encounters. Staggered class session times help limit exposure to others when passing between classes.
Reduces duration of possible exposure. Reduced class session time decreases the chance of breathing in the virus in enclosed, air-conditioned classrooms.
Cleaning time. Staggering class session times provides steady, distributed opportunities to sanitize classrooms between sessions. Also affords the opportunity to set a unidirectional, systematic cleaning process, moving from room to room.
Block integrity. Scheduling 50-minute sessions within 80-minute blocks maintains the integrity of the original blocks, which should minimize scheduling conflicts.

For more detailed explanations behind the creation of this model, I suggest attending any of the Q&A sessions being offered. (See links below.)

Teaching Modalities and Priority for Face-to-Face Sessions

I attached two visual representations that should help in explaining the range of instruction that includes any face-to-face sessions and the factors that will be taken into consideration for scheduling those face-to-face sessions. First, “Modalities for Hybrid Classes Final“ is an infographic that describes the hybrid options for West Oʻahu classes, this fall. The second, titled “Prioritization Criteria Plus X,” is a chart showing the criteria and key considerations that will be used to determine priority in scheduling face-to-face sessions.

Questions?

This email message is meant to be a first step in getting the message out. I suggest attending any of the following Q&A sessions for more details and to gain clarity on this matter as we work on firming up our safe return in the fall. The following sessions will be hosted by our Director of Distance Learning, Dr. Gloria Niles:

Should you have any remaining questions, whether you attend a Q&A session, or not, please address them to your Division Chair.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey A.S. Moniz, PhD
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Check it out!: Princess Soares (Scheduler) and Vicky del Prado (Registrar) are in the process of manually converting courses. Course information in STAR GPS may not be up-to-date. Going forward, the information on our Fall 2020 Courses page will be displayed as close to real-time as possible, including the courses that faculty and Division Chairs identify for conversion to different modalities as outlined in this email.