COVID-19 Q&A

Last updated:  3/22/19 at 10:28 pm

I am taking graduate classes in the department.  Will these be held virtually as well?

Yes.  Faculty members have a number of options about how to proceed, including holding classes by teleconference on Zoom.

My departmental service is currently in the TLC.  What are my responsibilities now?

Your responsibility is to be available online by appointment for your students, and your previously announced office hours are now optional.

If you are contacted by a student who you have previously helped in the TLC, you are under no obligation to help this student.   It is important to be clear with students that the TLC is no longer operating this semester.  This being said, you may help the student if you choose to, but you do not need to.  Some ways to help that you may consider (if you choose to take this route):

• You can set up a private Zoom session with the student
• You can set up a weekly Zoom hour (or more) and invite your own students as well as this additional student who you helped previously in the TLC (if, of course, this additional student is in the same course as your students).

I am teaching a basic-level language class in the department.  What changes do I need to make?

Holly, Megan, Richard, and Michele have sent an e-mail with extensive details for adjustments, and they will be providing more information in coming weeks.  We encourage everyone to consult one another with questions–especially technical questions–before reaching out to the language coordinators in order to help lighten their inboxes.  You may also let us know if you have questions on the Qualtrics survey and we can compile a separate list of common questions for language program instructors.

For additional help:

I am teaching a 3000-level course in the department with multiple sections.  What changes do I need to make?

The coordinators of each level will reach out by e-mail to supervise adjustments.  As Laura has said, “We are not trying to convert F2F courses into OL courses at the drop of a hat.”

• SPAN 3401:  Anna Babel
• SPAN 3403:  Jill Welch
• SPAN 3404:  Terrell Morgan
• SPAN 3450:  Eugenia Romero

Oihane (muxika-loitzate.1@osu.edu) has taught pronunciation online and has offered to be a resource if you have questions about creating teaching videos/ tutorials.  James (leow.11@osu.edu) taught high school under Ohio’s “Blizzard Bag” policy and screen-captured PowerPoint presentations for a few last-resort lectures on snow days.  Find instructions here (and make sure the sound is working before recording the full video!).  For a rough/ old (but mysteriously popular) example check out an example for Advanced Grammar here.

Laura also shared an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education with GREAT advice about how to step back and plan before jumping into action.  Check it out here.

I am scheduled to present my MA paper this semester.  How do the restrictions apply to me?

Update (3/16/20):  Video exams are allowed during this semester and will not require a petition.  [Departments, p]lease work with your graduating students completing a candidacy exam, thesis oral exam, or dissertation defense and be as flexible as possible.

Make sure to follow up with your advisor and Rebeka to confirm details for your case.

_________

Previously:

MA papers will still be presented, but there may be adjustments to how, when, and where this takes place.  Here is the response from the grad school:

“As of right now with the University still open, and with restrictions only on classrooms and travel, we will still be following exam guidelines as expressed in the Graduate School Handbook as well as directives from University leadership.  Students should still be on campus for the exams, but the videoconference option can be used for committee members. If more than one committee member will participate by videoconference, then the student will need to submit a Committee and Examination petition on Gradforms to make the request.  Consult Appendix B in the Graduate School Handbook for guidelines about videoconferencing. The main point from this is that all exam participants need to be able to see and hear each other, so phone only connections are not allowed.

If extenuating circumstances with a student should arise related to the virus, we would encourage the student or the program to reach out to us to discuss options.”

What’s going to happen with OSUCHiLL/ the Symposium?

The organizers have decided to cancel OSUCHiLL and the Symposium this year and are looking into scheduling the keynote speaker talks for a later date.

I have additional responsibilities (e.g. family responsibilities) that may be impacted by the response to COVID-19.  What can I do if I am unable to work remotely because of these responsibilities?

Do what you can to prepare for the possibility that other responsibilities may be impacted.  If situations have arisen that compromises your ability to fulfill your responsibilities, Laura and Rebeka have asked you to reach out to them with particular needs. As always, you may reach out to Estelí, Jacque, or James if you would like us to help facilitate any conversation.  Stay tuned for more information. 

I have a plan to conduct research this summer.  Will the current policy affect my research plans?

From Laura:

• “Under current university guidelines, travel can be booked after April 20, 2020, but please be mindful that university travel guidelines may change as facts and circumstances of the travel environment unfolds” ( https://busfin.osu.edu/travel-faq)
• Given that the summer term is quite long (to mid-August), you may wish to consider if your research trip can be taken later in the summer.
• I encourage you to consult with your advisor to come up with a “plan B.”  I realize that this can sound overwhelming.  Many of you have spent a great deal of time already coming up with research plans for your dissertation or for pre-dissertation work.  But, given the current uncertainty, it may make sense to begin to think about options.
• Finally, the department wants to support our graduate students in ways that allow them to make progress toward their degree.  We will need to think of new solutions about how to best do that given the current situation.  This includes helping to find ways to support field research in its various forms.

_________

Previously:

Currently, university-sponsored travel is cancelled through April 20 (the end of the spring semester).  You are encouraged to speak with your advisor to make a contingency plan should your ability to travel be impacted.

I applied for research funds through the department.  Does the department still intend to award travel funds for research this summer?  Am I still eligible for an award if my plans must be adjusted?

From Laura:

• University regulations require that we utilize the funds as dictated by the donors (e.g. funds set up to underwrite travel abroad must be used for that function rather than for “research” understood more broadly).
• That said, there is already an understanding that the department should be flexible where possible.   The Awards Committee (Dr. Trigo, chair; along with Drs. Pereira and Schwenter) will be addressing this issue in the coming weeks.
• Stay tuned for more on this.

Are summer teaching assignments affected by the changes?  Should I prepare for the possibility of not teaching this summer?

From Laura:

• The university has not made any decision yet about whether the suspension of face-to-face instruction will be expanded into the summer term (into Maymester; the 6-week; and/or the 8-week sessions).  Until that decision is made, we cannot make department-level decisions.
• That said, we are thinking ahead and will be considering what we would need to do to switch some of the face-to-face classes/sections planned for SU20 to the OL modality.  We need to wait a while to address this possible contingency plan.  Everyone is already working at full-speed and I won’t have time to discuss this in a deliberative way with the Language Program for a while yet.  We also don’t know what enrollments will look like, as undergraduates think through their own situations

I am a GTA.  Do I need to be in Columbus?

Laura has issued an e-mail to address this.  The official expectation is that instructors remain in Columbus (this applies to both online and face-to-face courses).  However, if something about your particular case means that you need to return to/ stay in your home, please write Laura as soon as possible (podalsky.1@osu.edu) and include:

• You plans overall
• How will you access remote technologies to complete your instructional duties?
• What other obstacles may influence your ability to teach?  How will you resolve these obstacles?

I am a GTA and I need extra technical support.  Where can I go for this?

• Ohio State’s primary resource for technical support can be found at KeepTeaching:  https://keepteaching.osu.edu/
  • And in particular the “Get Help” tab:  https://keepteaching.osu.edu/get-help
• For help with Zoom in particular, Zoom offers daily webinars about how to use their technology:  https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360029527911
• The coordinators are also offering consultations for specific questions:
• Virtual Live Line with the Language Program Team 

  [Optional; join the session at any time; if you cannot make either session, contact LP team and another session could be made available as well]

  • Mon., March 23 (1 session)
    • Session 1: 2:00pm-3:00pm | Join here: https://osu.zoom.us/j/4140922504