Before the Start of the Semester

Preparedness is key when coping with disasters and emergencies that, by nature, are unpredictable. Before the start of the semester is a good time to think about how you would conduct classroom instruction in the event of an emergency or disaster. To ensure continuity of instruction:

Update your syllabus with information about how you intend to continue instruction virtually.

Backup Class Materials
 Having a backup of your teaching materials and student materials and then storing them in Box or Webfiles ensures that you can access class materials even if you are unable to physically access your office computer. You can also save your backup files on a CD, flash drive, or an external hard drive.

Teaching materials to consider backing up:

  • Syllabus
  • Lecture files and notes
  • Discussion or forum topics
  • Assignments with instructions and any files students need
  • Quizzes
  • Grades

Technology Support
 If you or your students need technology support, contact the Information Service Help Desk via:

The Teaching and Scholarship Hub is also available to assist faculty, whether or not they use technology.

  • Discuss with your department how you will rapidly communicate with each other if disaster strikes.
  • Determine if your course requires any specialized resources or logistics such as labs, design or performance studios, experiential learning, specialized software or access to collections.

Special Teaching Issues
 Some courses may pose particular challenges to the continuation of instruction. If you teach a course with a specialized requirement, identify possible issues and then think about the potential impact a disruption would cause as well as potential solutions that would enable instruction to continue.