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Instructional Continuity

What is Instructional Continuity?

At its most basic definition, "instructional continuity" means that in the event of any interruption of college operations, academic and instructional progress would continue.

Key Facts

  • Instructional Continuity refers to a temporary move to remote instruction. The move must be temporary, and must have a specific beginning and end date to meet federal and state guidelines for instructional continuity. The campus will determine the beginning and end dates.
  • Remote instruction does not need to be conducted in Canvas, and the checklist below provides some possible suggestions for temporarily conducting your courses, collecting assignment submissions, discussing course content, and providing lectures.
  • Fully online courses are not affected by Campus closures; Hybrid courses may move their on-campus portion of class to temporary remote instruction via Canvas or Zoom.
  • While it may be tempting to use publisher's products to provide temporary remote instruction, Academic Senate guidelines prohibit the adoption of publisher content without Section 508 approval.
  • If you have a Canvas shell for your on-campus course, you may utilize Canvas tools to facilitate temporary remote instruction. If you need assistance, faculty mentors and the interim Distance Education Coordinator, Maria Fernandez, will be able to provide assistance.
  • Instructional Continuity is temporary. No course outline of record will be altered to allow for "temporary" DE delivery. Temporary remote instruction does not mean that the course becomes a fully online course after the closure is lifted. If going forward, a department wishes to update its course outlines of record to allow for online or hybrid delivery, the department is encouraged to go through the established curriculum update process.

What does it look like? Strategies for maintaining Instructional Continuity include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Making plans for communicating with students.
  • Considering possible adjustments to assignments while keeping in mind ADA 508 accessibility (not all PDFs are accessible).
  • Implementing technologies such as Zoom, Canvas, Email, Google Docs, Microsoft Teams.

What are faculty obligations for Instructional Continuity?

Instructional continuity is the responsibility of all instructors of record, including full-time faculty, adjuncts and teaching associates.

Preparation

The checklist is by no mean exhaustive or prescriptive and is meant to help you address issues that may arise in the event of college closure or widespread absences. You may also want to consider how these suggestions could be adapted for single absences (such as one student's prolonged absence due to illness).

Instructional Continuity Preparation Checklist
Issues to Address Possible Solutions
Establish a mode of communication to use in case of an emergency.
  • Ensure students all have access to and are aware of this communication method.
Email
Canvas
Microsoft Teams
Make your syllabus available digitally. Email
Canvas
Google Docs
Microsoft Teams
Decide how you will distribute documents and readings during a disruption.
  • Become familiar with the process of making PDFs from hard copies.
  • Familiarize yourself with how to use Library e-reserves.
Canvas
Library Permalinks or E-books
Email
Google Drive
Microsoft Teams
Designate a centralized place to collect student submissions. Email
Canvas
COS One Drive
Microsoft Teams
Think about how you would continue class discussion in the event of a disruption. Canvas Discussions
Google Docs
ConferNow (Zoom)
Microsoft Teams
Consider capturing your lecture content for students to watch remotely. ConferNow (Zoom)
Microsoft Teams
Identify an option for holding class and/or office hours virtually. You can fall back on your chosen option if it is expected that several class periods will be missed. ConferNow (Zoom)
Skype
Microsoft Teams
Think about how your methods for evaluating student learning could be moved to a digital space. Google Docs
Canvas Assignment
Canvas Quizzes
Email
Settle on an option for providing students with grades and feedback on their work in the event of an emergency. Canvas Assignment
Email
Google Docs
Microsoft Teams