Dear Faculty and Instructional Staff,
I write to provide you with pertinent updates following the announcement that TCU is extending Spring Break for students through March 20 and starting distance learning (online) coursework beginning March 23. This email is to provide instructional continuity information. You will receive an additional email from Vice Chancellor & Chief Human Resources Officer Yohna Chambers regarding employee information.
Distance Learning:
The Koehler Center and TCU Information Technology (IT) are preparing to support faculty members as we move to an online delivery format beginning March 23. To facilitate this effort, deans will begin identifying ‘Instructional Continuity Facilitators (ICF),’ faculty with online education expertise, who can work with small groups of teaching faculty (including adjuncts, graduate students, and teaching assistants) to assess needs and help identify solutions. The ICFs will work collaboratively with the Koehler Center and the IT Support Coordinators who are assigned to each college. If you are teaching a course this semester, you will be informed by your dean of your designated ICF within the next few days. Once your ICF has been assigned, they will be available to begin providing needed support. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit https://tcuonline.tcu.edu/ramping-up-rapidly/ to learn more about the options and resources for moving your courses and course materials online.
In addition, the university has also made the following decisions:
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Students who have been away from campus for Spring Break are asked to delay returning to campus until they receive further instruction.
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All large meetings, conferences and on-campus events are canceled through April 3. The purpose for this decision relates to CDC guidelines which recommend that mass gatherings or large community events can facilitate the spread of the virus as well as tax local health care response. Additionally, the CDC recommends social distancing, which means remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.
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TCU business operations will remain open the week of March 16, as well as March 23 - April 3. Faculty and staff members will continue their work to support the instructional continuity for our students. TCU community members are asked to check their campus email and tcu.edu/coronavirus for more information.
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With increased community transmission being reported in the United States and globally, TCU has suspended all University-related international travel and University- related non-essential domestic travel through the end of the month or until further notice. University-sponsored domestic travel must be approved, in advance, by the appropriate Vice Chancellor. The University has requested that non-essential personal travel to regions with community transmission be reconsidered.
Finally, TCU community members are reminded to safeguard their health and the health of others by washing hands regularly, covering their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and staying home when sick.
We will send more emails with further information as we work out all procedures and processes. Thank you for your patience as we identify the best ways to keep our campus safe and healthy as well as provide instruction to help our students progress toward their degree.
Sincerely,
Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs