Dear Faculty,
I want to take this opportunity to welcome you back after a much-deserved break. We’re beginning the spring semester during a challenging time, so I want to make sure faculty, staff and students get off to a strong start. This will require all of us to be flexible and communicate regularly.
Communicate your class modality
As you know, the university will begin the first week of classes (Jan. 18 – 21) online. That decision was based on data (as of Jan. 7) that indicated the positivity rate would likely significantly increase with the return of all students and faculty. By starting the first week remotely, faculty and students have the opportunity to make a gradual return to the new semester.
Moving forward, if the on-campus surveillance testing positivity rate reaches 8% or higher, faculty can choose to hold courses in person or online at their discretion. During the first week of class while classes are remote, we ask you to communicate to your students and to your department chair what you plan to do if the positivity rate for Jan. 18-21 is at or greater than 8%. The positivity rate is calculated over an entire week, and we will provide you with the weekly positivity rate by 3 p.m. on the following Sunday (Jan. 23). When the positivity rate is less than 8%, classes will be held in their original modality.
Tap into faculty resources
We encourage you to check out Starting the Semester Remotely, an updated faculty guide created by our Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) to support you as you start the semester. It includes tips on Flexible Teaching, communicating with students, opening courses early in Blackboard and much more.
We ask that you also direct your students to a similar guide created by CITL to support them during this time: https://go.niu.edu/remote-start-tips.
For faculty, CITL provides virtual and in-person support during normal business hours, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays (excluding holidays). Contact CITL by phone at 815-753-0595 or email at citl@niu.edu with your questions or if you would like to meet in person. You can also schedule an appointment for a virtual session with a CITL team member.
Additionally, CITL’s upcoming Teaching Effectiveness Institute on “A Pedagogy of Kindness” will discuss kindness as a pedagogical practice important to our well-being. The topic is particularly timely, and registration is open for the event, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Jan. 13.
Use Navigate
We know the past two years have been trying for students. As the semester progresses, if students are struggling or not participating in your classes, it’s imperative that we identify them and help them. Navigate is our tool for doing so.
Navigate provides NIU faculty and staff with an online platform that allows them to:
- Identify students who could benefit from additional assistance.
- Initiate conversations with students who might be experiencing academic or personal challenges.
- Issue alerts and progress reports to initiate proactive student outreach.
Connect with your students
Now more than ever, it’s important that we connect with our students and keep them engaged. Research indicates that when students feel that they belong and that you care about their success, they learn more, try harder and are more likely to persist in their studies. The connections you make could be key factors to keeping them in school and on the road to graduation.
Vaccinations, boosters and testing
As communicated earlier today, the university has updated its procedures and protocols for vaccinations, exposures and positive cases. Given the prevalence of the Omicron variant, obtaining a test off campus is challenging. This could cause a delay in when and how students will notify the university of a positive case. As always, if students communicate to you that they tested positive or are feeling unwell, please direct them to complete the COVID-19 Screening Checklist and provide them with the appropriate support.
Any student or employee who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who has been exposed to COVID-19 can test on campus at the Student Health Center using the free SHIELD Illinois saliva-based PCR test. Schedule an appointment online by choosing the “NIU ‘Sick Only’ Student Health Center” location in the SHIELD testing portal. Please do not go to the SHIELD testing site in the Holmes Student Center if you are symptomatic.
We continue to encourage all community members to get a booster, if eligible: five months or more since your last dose of Moderna, five months since Pfizer or two months since you received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Visit vaccines.gov to find a free booster clinic near you. Additionally, as of Jan. 7, we have removed students from in-person classes if they are unvaccinated and do not have an approved religious or medical exemption.
Finally, I understand the challenges you’re facing and want to thank you for your efforts. I can assure you that the flexibility extended to our students will also be extended to faculty. With kindness and grace, we will continue to help our Huskies succeed.
Sincerely,
Beth Ingram
Executive Vice President and Provost
Northern Illinois University
