Tentative list of courses with a face-to-face component - June 26, 2020

Dear Students,

Not surprisingly, there have been many questions arising as to how classes will be offered in the coming fall semester. Department Chairs, faculty, administrators and staff have been working hard on this over the past several weeks. While we haven’t pinned down all the specifics, and the situation remains fluid due to uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 situation, we did want to share with you what we know so far.

Online/Remote/On-campus Teaching:

We expect approximately 30% of FSU classes to meet at least partially on campus in fall 2020. The University Registrar has created a preliminary listing of these classes, which is available at this link: Tentative list of Fall 2020 Day Division Courses that will include a face-to-face component (Classes not on this list will take place remotely.)

Some classes on the list may take place fully on campus, but many will be a variety of hybrid models in which students and faculty meet sometimes on campus but also engage in some of the course material on a remote basis. It might be useful to clarify some of the terminology we are using:

Online

The class was originally scheduled to be taught completely online and will be largely asynchronous (students will not be required to meet as a group at specific times). Online classes are not assigned specific time blocks, so while the instructor might make appointments with specific students, or student groups may carve out specific times to meet remotely for group work, students will not be asked to all be present at certain times, as those times could conflict with work schedules or with other classes that do have specific time block assignments.

Remote

The class was originally scheduled as a traditional face-to-face class, or as a hybrid class that meets once a week with some of the content delivered remotely. Some of these classes now will be offered completely remotely. These classes do have specific time blocks assigned, and where a room location would have been listed, "remote" will now be listed in that cell of the course listing. Because there is an assigned time block, the instructor may choose to have synchronous class meetings (students all meet at the same time), but only during the specified time block, since any other meeting time could conflict with other classes the student is taking. Instructors also may choose not to have synchronous meetings for these classes.

Hybrid

These classes will have some face-to-face meetings on campus. There are three possible models for these classes:

  1. Standard hybrid model: the whole class meets together one day a week, face-to-face, with the remainder of the content covered online. (In some cases, it may meet less often than once a week.)
  2. Team model: Rotating sections of the class (or "teams") will meet on alternate days, with the other section(s) participating remotely on their laptops, for example via Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate.
  3. Multiple rooms model: The class will be spread out over more than one room to allow for social distancing. The faculty member will rotate among the rooms based on a schedule set out in the syllabus. Students not in the same room as the instructor will participate remotely on their laptops.

Traditional Face-to-face

In these classes, all students will meet together at the same time in the same room with the instructor. This will be possible only for those classes assigned to large enough rooms, and with small enough enrollment numbers, to allow for social distancing.

Note:

  • In all cases, whether the class is online, remote, hybrid, or traditional face-to-face, allowance will be made for students unable to participate on campus, or unable to participate at a given time, due to COVID-related concerns. Therefore, all synchronous class meetings (where the whole class meets together at the same time either on campus or remotely) will be recorded in some way to make the content available to students.
  • Faculty will make every effort to provide information about the exact format and requirements of the class as early as possible so that students can plan accordingly.

Attendance

Some students will have COVID-related concerns and challenges that make it difficult or even dangerous to attend a class at a specific time or place. Students are encouraged to reach out to their instructors to gain access to any content that they might miss due to a COVID-related concern.

On-campus classroom safety measures 

  • All occupants of the classroom will need to wear a face covering at all times.
  • Social distancing will be maintained by the placement of furniture, so no classroom furniture may be moved at any time.
  • Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes will be available in the common areas and hallways of the buildings. Individuals are responsible for sanitizing their desk and seating area before and after use, similar to common practice in gyms and fitness centers. 

We are very much looking forward to seeing students back on campus in the fall, always while upholding the health and safety of the FSU community as a top priority.

Please take care and stay safe!

Ellen Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs