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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b>Academic Affairs Fall COVID Update<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b>August 21, 2020<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Updates are based on the latest, best information.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Monday, we start the semester. Thanks to all for your hard work and patience. The University will need all we can give in the coming weeks. Developments since last week are below. A final update will come at the close of next week.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>EOC teams have mostly completed labeling classroom seats for use. “Please sit here” stickers will denote seats for students to use. All others should be left empty. The primary designated classrooms should be done by Monday.
A number of labs and smaller places are still being outfitted. In addition, new signs have been placed on classrooms to indicate capacity. Do not exceed your COVID capacity.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>If current section size exceeds the COVID capacity of its assigned classroom communicate a plan for instruction to students if you’ve not already done so. Remember many of our students register late. Monitor enrollments, adjust
as needed. It is important for all of us to be flexible the first week.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>OAT continues to offer training to help with course preparation for Fall. Next week will feature help with D2L gradebook setup, accessibility for PDFs and captioning for video, Zoom use, and use of YourSeeU Virtual Classroom.
Register through the <a href="http://appsprod.tamuc.edu/td/coursecalendar.aspx">
<span style="color:windowtext">DevelopU page</span></a> . <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Jared Pickens’s presentation on using Zoom to manage a course with folks learning in person and online is still available for viewing. You can view that at this link:
<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__tamuc.zoom.us_rec_share_9-2DsuDoDK8WVOSJ301XPESpYPPqbqX6a81Ccc86EKnk-2DTfq8nrK78MyX59OsImABu&d=DwMFAg&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=ipRgm7MFqxEwm4jXxXA7TfceI2KGyDX4I4OYfUR5x68&m=NtXpXTpHtinuIo2Unt3gT7evC6ASK_D0kcZB7eyJWbY&s=OL3gmRgp5S2M9uOm97r4fLHWhl5Ve3Dcvdx9UByRN4Q&e=">
<span style="font-family:-webkit-standard;color:windowtext">https://tamuc.zoom.us/rec/share/9-suDoDK8WVOSJ301XPESpYPPqbqX6a81Ccc86EKnk-Tfq8nrK78MyX59OsImABu</span></a> .
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>COB, COSE and COEHS will be allocated Proctorio use slots for the fall. Proctoring use in each college must be approved by the dean, and a limited amount of slots are available for prioritized needs. The University established
guidelines for Proctorio use, and faculty must train to use the tool. Expect further instruction/news from your dean.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Instructional technology upgrades continue across campus per CITE. The scale of upgrades and their spread across campus means it may take into next week to complete that process. Mr. Jeremy Gamez, Interim CIO sent a summary
of available tech, as well as instructions for classroom use Wednesday over the VPAA list serve. That document is attached to this update.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Faculty must take roll for in-person class meetings. This will serve our contact tracing effort and help keep the University community safe. Each week you will receive an email asking you to report on your B, E and L sections
only. The email will contain a link. Track attendance across the week, when the email comes, click the link and report. More details will come next week. Those reports go straight to our Success Teams who will reach out to students. Feel free to reach
out yourself. It can’t hurt. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>If you are teaching all or mostly online, please do not forget to contact your students who are inactive or miss assignments.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>The University system of contact tracing and daily metrics used to guide future decisions about adjustment of campus operations were announced by President Rudin via email Wednesday and Thursday. The specific monitoring metrics
for those considerations are attached in case you missed it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>Faculty with face-to-face teaching responsibilities may request face shields through their deans’ offices. The face shield can allow someone lecturing to remove their mask for better voice projection during class. Request these
ONLY if you have face-to-face responsibilities. These are manufactured in-house, but we are also helping our neighbors-- businesses and schools to protect their employees.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>This semester faculty, staff, and students will be surveyed at least twice during the course of the semester. Why? To help administration make better decisions and midterm corrections as needed. The daily situation is fluid,
and our response needs to be fluid. The first such survey will go out the second week of class. The whole campus community will need support in the coming weeks, these surveys will help us do a better job for students and each other.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left:38.25pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]>All room changes and any modality changes that result in more face-to-face or blended sections must be approved through the VPAA’s office. Do not unilaterally change from assigned rooms.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We confront the paradox of planning in the face of great uncertainty. Hard work could be overturned overnight. And, yet, we plan anyway. We plan and advance into uncertainty because our mission is to bring our students and ourselves
through to a better day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you have specific questions, please feel free to email <a href="mailto:Ricky.Dobbs@tamuc.edu">
<span style="color:windowtext">Ricky.Dobbs@tamuc.edu</span></a> . <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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