Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, NC



FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC CONTINUITY PLAN

The Academic Continuity Plan provides guidelines for continuing instruction in the event of a campus closure.

Summary of the Plan

1. All faculty should be prepared to use Canvas for the delivery of course materials.

2. Faculty should incorporate an emergency readiness statement in each course syllabus with clear instructions to be followed if the campus is closed.

3. Academic units should establish multiple systems to communicate with enrolled students and consider alternative means to deliver courses.

4. Academic should develop contingency plans for courses that require non-classroom activities including clinicals, student teaching, and field studies.

5. Microsoft Teams should be used to communicate with academic affairs personnel.

Suspension of face-to-face classes

Academic Affairs will deliver all instruction through the Canvas Learning Management System. A Canvas course shell is available for all face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses.

Courses in performing arts, laboratory courses, clinicals, student teaching, and other field-based classes may be cancelled in the event of ae campus closing. While continuing students may be given an Incomplete grade if unable to complete field-based learning, departments should develop alternative plans for graduating seniors.

Alternative Means of Delivering Courses and Instructional Materials

A faculty member can use email to provide instructional materials to students enrolled in his or her class; use chat features to communicate with students; set up conference calls to facilitate group conversations; engage in email exchanges; or require students to submit work electronically or by email/US mail, when necessary. Ideally, faculty will set up a conference call (using a free conferencing service) during regularly scheduled class times to ensure instructional requirements are met.

The accomplishment of learning outcomes may be shared across course sections. Faculty teaching common core courses may set up planning groups in which they divide the tasks required to develop a set of learning modules which are then deployed across sections.

The development of a separate syllabus may also be helpful. The learning outcomes could remain the same, but the activities designed to achieve those outcomes may differ because all work would be completed outside the normal classroom settings. Modular units might include assignments that would only be required if face-to-face classes were discontinued. If such modules are used, assessment guidelines or rubrics would enable students to have a full idea of a faculty member’s expectations. Faculty members may also consider assigning group projects or have students work in pairs to complete assignments to enhance understanding of course materials.

Students Who Lack Personal Computers, Internet Connectivity or Need Special Accommodations

Each college will develop alternative course options if students have limited means to access online courses and materials. This could include an arrangement for the faculty and student to communicate via telephone or email/U.S. mail. To the extent possible, Academic Affairs will identify and meet the needs of those requiring special accommodations.

Faculty Support for Online Teaching

Faculty should inform chairs if they do not own a personal computer and/or have limited internet connectivity to support online instruction. The university will provide additional support and resources as needed.

To assist faculty who have never taught online, the Office of Faculty Development offers an online orientation and a variety of resources (e.g., video tutorials, webinars, and step-by-step instructions) to teach essential skills including uploading course materials into Canvas, managing the Canvas gradebook, and interacting with students through the Discussion Board. Faculty can also visit the Office of Faculty Development for one-on-one instruction. Refer to the bottom of this document for a list of Canvas resources.

Student Withdrawal from Courses

Students will be permitted to drop without penalty if they opt not to transfer from a face-to-face class to an online class. Faculty should inform students that they must complete the course withdrawal form. Instruction are found on the Registrar’s website.

Emergency Readiness

Faculty should include the following emergency readiness statement on all syllabi:

If this course is not able to meet face-to-face, students should log onto Canvas to access course announcements and assignments.

Faculty and students should discuss the system that will be used if classes are not in session and briefly practice using it. For example, students could respond to a Discussion Board topic in the course Canvas site to demonstrate that they know how to use the system, and that they are aware of the procedures that will be followed if the Academic continuity plan is in effect.

Faculty should ensure that the contact information for enrolled students is current to mitigate interruptions in the teaching and learning process. Faculty and students should exchange multiple off-campus means of communication (e.g., addresses, other e-mail accounts, telephone numbers, etc.) to assure seamless communication. If faculty do not want to provide their personal contact information on the syllabus, they must have contact information for each student (e.g., addresses, e-mails, phone numbers) so that they can communicate with all students if the campus is closed.

Setting Up Voice Mail

Voice Mail can be accessed from home or other remote locations. Dial (910) 672- [your extension] to access the system. When the voice mail prompt comes up, push the asterisk (*) button. You will then be prompted to enter your password.

Setting Up Call Forwarding

Office phones have the capability of call forwarding. Faculty and staff should set up their office phone so that calls are forwarded to their personal phone numbers. To forward your office phone to your personal phone, push the Call Fwd button then use the “All” textbox to enter the phone number you are forwarding to. Be sure to toggle over and put a checkmark in the “On” textbox. When you hit save, your telephone message light will turn red.

Chestnutt Library

You will be able to access the electronic resources of the library remotely. To begin the process, click on the Chesnutt Library link that can be found at the bottom of the FSU homepage. On the library’s homepage, click on the "Databases" link to gain access. You will be prompted to enter your campus network username and password to gain full access.  This is the same user name/password that is used to access your email account. 

Final Exams

The final exam policy allows for flexibility in altering the final exam schedule if the need arises.

Work Study Students

Faculty should inform work study students that they will continue to be paid in the event of a campus closure.

Using Microsoft Teams for Academic Administrative Purposes

Microsoft Teams will be used to carry out administrative responsibilities during a campus closure. Deans, department chairs, committee chairs, program directors, and administrative staff should familiarize themselves with Microsoft Teams and develop the skills to use this software during a campus closure.

Canvas Resources

Canvas Resources for Faculty and Staff

• Canvas Instructor Guides: Table of Contents

• Canvas Instructor Video Guides: Table of Contents

• OFD Recordings of Canvas Training 

(Located on the OFD Page of the MyBronco Portal in the Canvas Tab & direct linked below).

• Canvas Basics I: The Interface and Navigating

• Canvas Basics II: Setting Up Your Courses

• Canvas Basics III Part 1: Course Design: Building Modules, Uploading Content & Assignment Settings

• Canvas Basics III Part 2: Course Design Continued: SpeedGrader, Feedback & Conferences

Teaching and Learning Online Resources for Faculty and Staff

• OFD Canvas Site: houses numerous resources for faculty including access information for teaching tools, course design documents, Quality Matters resources, Proctoring Solutions, etc.

• OFD Website: MyBronco Portal

• Canvas Resources for Students

• Canvas Student Guides: Table of Contents

• Canvas Student Video Guides: Table of Contents

• FSU Online Student Orientation

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