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When You Must Stay Home

It’s possible to continue teaching even in the event of an emergency situation such as widespread or personal illness, severe weather, or natural disaster. All it takes is some advance planning. The suggestions below can help you prepare for times when you are unable to be in the classroom yourself. Please note that many of these strategies can be helpful even in uneventful semesters.

Planning ahead

We all want to assume we’ll avoid becoming ill ourselves, but unfortunately, it’s almost inevitable that some of us are going to catch the flu or have to miss class for other unexpected reasons. As always, planning ahead is the key to minimizing the disruptions such events can cause. Here are some things you can do while you’re still feeling well to help things go smoothly when you must stay home.

1. Review (and revise) your syllabus as follows:
   • Make sure your course policies section addresses, attendance, late work, grade extensions, and make-up work in ways that are feasible, and treat all students equitably. President Bowman has asked instructors to create attendance policies that follow these guidelines:
     • Students, faculty and staff members will not be required to obtain a doctor’s note to confirm illness or recovery. Doctor’s offices and medical facilities may be unable to provide such documentation in a timely manner.
     • Policies on missed classes, exams and late assignments should not prevent students from staying home when ill or prompt them to return to class or take exams while still symptomatic and potentially infectious.
     • Students missing class for 3 or more days should contact the Dean of Students Office at http://www.deanofstudents.ilstu.edu/absences.shtml
     For examples of flu-friendly attendance policies that follow these recommendations, click here.
   • Build some flex-time in to the course schedule.
   • Include campus emergency preparedness information and relevant websites. Encourage students to sign up for emergency notifications.
   • Include information about how you will communicate with your students if class is cancelled.
   • Finally, make sure your syllabus and all critical course materials are created and stored in digital formats. Back up all course materials in multiple locations. This will make it easier to move your course—or portions of your course—online, if necessary. (More information about that below.)
2. Develop a contingency plan for your course.
   • Identify and prioritize your learning outcomes and course requirements. Decide which are absolutely essential and must be met even in the event of flu or other emergency situations.
   • Create a class cell phone tree, email list, listserv, or other tools to facilitate quick communication in multiple modes.
   • Educate and familiarize yourself and students with the online tools you plan to use during an emergency. Create an “in case of emergency” handout for students.
   • Request the emergency Blackboard course template and use Blackboard for communication, discussion, lecture delivery, assignment submission and grade communication.
   • Train your TA/GA or a colleague to assist if you are unavailable.
3. Know what you have to do to cancel a class and be prepared to do it.
   • Review your departmental guidelines and procedures for cancelling classes.
   • Maintain a list of important campus phone numbers and other contact information at home.
4. Ask for help.
   • Contact the ISU Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology (438-2542) for additional information or to schedule individual consultations.
   • Visit the CTLT website (www.teachtech.ilstu.edu) to get information about and register for workshops that can help prepare you to teach and work from off-campus sites.

Teach from a Distance

In the 21^st century, you don’t have to be on campus to teach. Here are some suggestions for times when you must stay home to care for a family member or are ill yourself, but feeling well enough to do some work. These ideas can also be used when you have to travel.

1. Communicate
   • Make sure your department, your teaching assistants (if any), and your students are aware of your plans.
2. Use twenty-first century technologies to get the job done.
   • Becoming a regular Blackboard user is easiest. That way there are fewer last-minute preparations or adjustments to make.
   • If you’re not a regular Blackboard user, you can request an easy-to-learn-and-use emergency Blackboard course template which can be used to facilitate communication, discussion, lecture delivery, assignment submission and grade communication from a distance.
   You can also…
   • Deliver your lecture(s) online through tools such as Blackboard
   • Allow electronic assignment submission through Blackboard, email attachments, and course websites, etc.
   • Continue student discussion through Blackboard, wikis, chat rooms, blogs, Facebook, or other online forums.
   • Continue group work using wikis, Google Docs, email, Facebook, Blackboard, and other online tools.
   • Postpone exams and quizzes if possible, or administer them through Blackboard.
   • Identify times you will be available for office hours by phone or through email, instant messaging, Facebook, Skype, etc.
   If you are not familiar with these tools, CTLT can help. Think ahead about which tools you might find most useful in an emergency and then contact us to learn how to use them.

Other Resources

Click here to see ISU’s Human Resources H1N1 Guidelines.
Click here to see ISU’s Emergency Management Plan.

If you have additional suggestions for continuing instruction during times when you must stay home, please send them to us. We will use them to supplement the ideas we’ve provided above.