As you know, Washington State University is continuing to pursue in-person learning this semester, albeit with a slightly delayed start in WSU Pullman because of weather issues. Following the WSU Town Hall on Thursday (Jan 6, 2022), the WSU Provost shared some key points for us to convey to you which we are sharing. We’ve added some examples to help define what these key points might mean to us in our College. For those of you with teaching assignments in WSU Global Campus, please keep in mind that while you’re not gathering students in person, many of the points could be relevant for you too, given the nature of what we and our students are facing.
(1)
WSU Provost’s Office has updated their course delivery FAQs for Spring 2022. This will be updated to ensure alignment with current federal, state, and university policies. If you are interested in submitting a question, please send the same to provost@wsu.edu.
We want to draw your attention to one particular FAQ:
Q: Can I prohibit students from eating and/or drinking in the classroom so they don’t take their masks off?
A: No, unless the course has a no eating/drinking policy for the class and the policy is outlined in the course syllabus.
Please include appropriate language in your syllabus handout for eating/drinking in YOUR class.
(2)
Masks are required in all indoor spaces on the WSU Pullman campus. Due to the high transmission rate of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, updated guidelines for masking require that instructors wear face coverings/masks when teaching, even if physical distance can be maintained. Face shields are not a substitute or replacement for masks while teaching for Spring 2022.
(3)
If you become sick or need to request short term leave to care for a family member, please work with your Department Chair or School Director to explore options for your class. These could include a short period of remote instruction or having a colleague cover instruction.
For VCEA: Because of our mask and vaccine mandates we are as protected as we can be against Omicron but we know that breakthrough infection is possible. We hope that this won’t happen but it might. As the WSU Provost has said, there are lots of ways to handle this, depending on the specific situation. A short period (i.e., a week or so) of remote instruction might be feasible if you test positive for COVID and need to isolate but have only mild symptoms.
(4)
If your students become sick, please be lenient with your attendance policy and accommodate students to the best of your ability. Because new CDC and DOH guidance has shortened the quarantine and isolation period to five (5) days, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) will no longer be providing quarantine/isolation orders for students. Please practice understanding and offer flexibility for students who are ill.
Covid-19 testing information for WSU Pullman students is available on the Cougar Health Services website.
For VCEA: From everything we have heard, VCEA faculty have been managing this effectively for at least the last semester and probably longer. But Omicron may increase the scale of sickness. Over the last semester we have seen/heard a variety of things that can be good ways to manage the needed flexibility without creating a burden on faculty:
- Structure your attendance and/or class participation policies such that a student can earn the maximum score as long as they attend the vast majority of the classes even if they don’t attend all.
- If you have regular quizzes and homework assignments, allow students to drop their lowest score (or a couple depending on the numbers).
- If you have assignments or quizzes in the first week (which we know will be especially challenging as students try to get back to Pullman) plan to offer makeup opportunities.
(5)
You should not be teaching fully remote if the class is scheduled to be face-to-face. If you need to teach remote for a short period, no changes in course coding are necessary. If students need technology support for remote learning, the Provost’s Office Chromebook Loan Program is available for the Spring 2022 semester, and we recommend communicating to students that staying in Pullman for remote courses is the best option in order to maximize IT support.
For VCEA: for the most part, we should only be teaching remotely in the case of faculty illness. We know of one situation from the Fall 2021 in another college where 2/3 of the class was required to isolate because of COVID. This would be another time to consider a short remote delivery period. If you find yourself in this type of situation, please communicate with your Department Chair or School Director to make sure we are consistent with the university’s guidelines.
Please reach out to any of us or your unit leaders if you have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mary Rezac
Dean
Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Shelley Pressley
Associate Dean
Voiland College Student Services
K. Sivakumar
Associate Dean
Voiland College Academic Affairs