New Distance Learning Environment Begins Today
March 19, 2020
Colleagues,
Our new academic environment launches today.
Again, let me start by expressing my deep thanks and admiration for all you’ve done in recent weeks.
As we move forward, I thought I’d try to boil down what seems to be the essential pieces of advice into the smallest number of points. Here goes:
- Go easy on yourselves and your students, especially in the beginning. The changes are enormous.
- Be as flexible as possible with students who, undoubtedly, have less advantageous technical and physical environments than we do.
- Keep things as simple as possible. Yesterday Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost José Luis Cruz suggested favoring asynchronous rather than synchronous teaching as the best approach to simplicity.
- Have a backup plan.
- Let the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Baruch Computing and Technology Center (BCTC) know what may not be working.
- Notify your dean’s office and perhaps the Office of the Dean of Students if there are students who have not been in touch at all.
- Manage emails carefully. Try to include the fewest number of people on each message and try to avoid “reply all” unless it’s truly necessary.
These are more points than I hoped to have, but it’s a much more complicated situation than I wish it were.
Most importantly, be well and take care of yourselves.
Sincerely,
Jim
James McCarthy, PhD
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs