Remote Teaching Readiness Plan
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
We continue to pay close attention to developments around COVID-19 and its potential impact on Boston University. In order to prepare for the possibility that classes may be unable to meet in-person, I have asked Chris Dellarocas, Associate Provost for Digital Learning & Innovation, to lead the implementation of a Remote Teaching Readiness Plan. This plan is designed to prepare and equip faculty to continue to deliver undergraduate and graduate course content if the University were required to cease in-person classes for some period of time.
If the University were required to close or otherwise cease all in-person meetings, it is our expectation that faculty will find the best approach to continue offering course content.
The goal of the readiness plan is twofold: 1) ensure awareness of the core technological tools we have in place for remote teaching, and 2) ensure that each school and college has the resources and knowledge required to support faculty in using these tools, and potentially other supplemental tools identified at the school/college or program level, in the event of a full campus closure. I know that some of you are already offering course content remotely; for those of you already doing this, please feel free to utilize the additional support described below.
Baseline remote teaching in case of an emergency campus closure should consist of faculty using Blackboard (or Sakai, in the case of Questrom) to host their course materials and receive student work, and using Zoom for remote synchronous class sessions. Zoom can also be used to hold qualifying examination sessions for PhD students and for dissertation defenses, if necessary. Information about these and other resources is available on the IS&T website. This site provides a wealth of information about working and teaching remotely.
Every school and college has designated one or more individuals to serve as their Remote Teaching Coordinators (RTCs). The list of RTCs is included at the end of this memo. In the event of a campus closure, faculty would be instructed to contact their school or college’s RTC with any questions about remote teaching tools and capability. Boston University’s Information Services & Technology(IS&T), Educational Technologies (EdTech) group, and Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) will offer secondary support to RTCs to ensure that all faculty receive adequate and timely support.
The Education Technologies group is offering daily training sessions for faculty during spring break week on Blackboard, Sakai, and Zoom. These trainings will also be recorded and made available for on-demand review. We encourage all faculty to participate in a training at their earliest convenience. If this is your first experience with these technologies, I would encourage you to work with your RTC to test your deployment of the technology. In addition, IS&T staff are working to create Blackboard sites for any courses that do not currently have a presence on Blackboard.
In order to ensure that faculty have the necessary basic technology resources for remote teaching, we will send a short Digital Resiliency Survey to all faculty this afternoon. Please watch for a survey email from provost@bu.edu and complete the survey from your remote teaching location.
In summary, we are asking faculty to:
- Fill out the IS&T Digital Resiliency Survey from your remote teaching location
- Attend an EdTech training session, if needed, on Blackboard/Zoom at your earliest convenience
- Contact your school or college’s RTC for assistance with any questions on technology or adapting your teaching. Your RTC will send out communications regarding the suggested steps to prepare your courses for remote teaching.
Now is the time to begin preparing for how you would plan to deliver your course material and assessments through the remainder of the semester if a closure occurs. We also ask you to be flexible throughout this emerging situation, particularly with students who might have to miss some class time due to travel or health challenges.
I want to thank everyone who has agreed to serve as a Remote Teaching Coordinator for their willingness to take on this additional responsibility. I am also grateful to all of you for your understanding as we develop this new institutional process and for your continued support for our students and other community members during this time of uncertainty.
School and College Remote Teaching Coordinators
College of Arts & Sciences
Dan Rabinowitz, Educational Technologist – cashelp@bu.edu
College of Communication
Brad Fernandes, Director of Technology – bradfern@bu.edu
Dustin Supa, Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Public Relations – supa@bu.edu
College of Engineering
Bryan Batista, Director of Technology and Systems – batista@bu.edu
College of Fine Arts
Rebekah Pierson, Associate Dean of Graduate Affairs – lambo@bu.edu
College of General Studies
Megan Sullivan, Associate Dean for Faculty Research & Development and Associate Professor of Rhetoric – msullvan@bu.edu
Tom McLaughlin, Client Technology Analyst – tompm@bu.edu
College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
Karen Jacobs, Associate Dean for Digital Learning & Innovation and Clinical Professor – kjacobs@bu.edu
Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
Samantha Corron, Administrative Coordinator – scorron@bu.edu
William Grimes, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of International Relations and Political Science –wgrimes@bu.edu
Talin Yaghoobian, Assistant to the Dean – tgy@bu.edu
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Richard Bourque, IT Support Consultant – rbourque@bu.edu
Dan Hyacinthe, Audio/Visual Services Manager – danh@bu.edu
Metropolitan College
Julia Burstein, Executive Director, IT & Engineering – burstein@bu.edu
Leo Burstein, Director, Educational Technology & Innovation – bur@bu.edu
Roland Jaeckel, Executive Director, Office of Distance Education – rjaeckel@bu.edu
Questrom School of Business
Greg DeFronzo, Executive Director, Information Technology Services and Lecturer in Information Systems – gdefronz@bu.edu
School of Hospitality Administration
Hannah Fitzsimmons, Operations Manager – hfitzsim@bu.edu
School of Law
Arthur Martins, Manager of Academic Media Services – lawav@bu.edu
School of Medicine
Dr. Shoumita Dasgupta, Professor of Medicine – dasgupta@bu.edu
Lucy Milne, Director, Educational Media – lmilne@bu.edu
Chris Dorney, Director, Application Services – dorney@bu.edu
School of Public Health
Lisa Sullivan, Associate Dean for Education and Professor of Biostatistics – lsull@bu.edu
School of Social Work
Sonia Mee, Assistant Director of Online Programs – smee@bu.edu
School of Theology
Bryan Stone, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Evangelism – bpstone@bu.edu
Kathryn House, PhD Candidate – khouse@bu.edu
Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
Ellen Faszewski, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Clinical Professor – efaz@bu.edu
Study Abroad and CELOP
Mike Stoughton, Lead Client Support Specialist – mikebu@bu.edu