TO:
All Faculty
FROM:
Pamela Whitten
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Laura Jolly
Vice President for Instruction
DATE:
February 13, 2014
SUBJECT:
Make-up Classes for Inclement Weather
This winter has been extremely challenging for much of the country and the Athens area
is certainly seeing its fair share of extreme winter weather. We recognize that both
faculty and students at UGA have high expectations for the quality of instruction to be
delivered in classes. Student learning is our top priority, and we want to ensure that you
are able to cover your complete syllabus in spite of the multiple days of classes that have
been cancelled due to inclement weather. As faculty, you are in the best position to
adapt your course plans and consider alternative strategies for achieving course
objectives and goals. To assist as you re-work your course timetable, we would like to
offer support in two ways, namely via in-person and virtual interactions.
First, we are designating two Saturdays this semester for faculty to use, as needed, to
make-up some of the missed classes. March 22 will be available to make-up MWF
classes or labs and March 29 will be available to make-up TTh classes or labs. A normal
class schedule will be operational on those dates, and both classrooms and teaching labs
will be open and available to interested faculty. You also may consider holding an
evening examination to regain some lost time, although such a change will have to be
carefully managed to avoid other class conflicts for students. Neither Spring Break nor
the Reading Day may be used to make-up classes under University policies.
Second, as appropriate, we encourage you to employ the University’s online learning
platform, eLearningCommons (eLC), to assist you in providing supplemental materials,
discussions, and assignments (http://elc.uga.edu). For assistance, the Center for Teaching
and Learning (CTL) will host two drop-in eLC and blended learning consultation
sessions entitled "Managing Course Adaptations after Inclement Weather" on
Wednesday, February 19, from 12:00-4:00pm in the North Instructional Plaza and
Thursday, February 20, from 8:30am-12:00pm in 372 MLC. No registration is necessary
for these events as the majority of the CTL’s staff will be present. CTL faculty will assist
you with locating online content, structuring online activities, configuring eLC tools, and
more. If you are unavailable during those times, you are encouraged to contact the
Director of the CTL (Dr. Eddie Watson, edwatson@uga.edu) to schedule a consultation
that is convenient for you and targeted to your adaptation needs.
We want to stress the importance of keeping students informed about modified course
scheduling plans. As you make these changes, we encourage you to make exceptions, as
needed, to address individual student needs. Faculty wishing to utilize the make-up
Saturdays or schedule evening examinations should email Campus Reservations
at reserve@uga.edu. Every effort will be made to schedule your make-up class in its
regularly scheduled classroom or lab. In some cases, an alternate location may be
necessary. Wendy Moore, in Campus Reservations (706-583-8020), is available to solve
unusual class scheduling issues
Please know how much we appreciate the extra efforts you will be making to maintain
both the high standards that are the norm for UGA and the flexibility that will be
necessary to ensure our students are successful.
C:
Vice Presidents
Academic Deans
Department Heads