Message from the Interim President to Faculty (03/11/2020)

Dear Faculty,

The Governor announced today that CUNY and SUNY will suspend classes effective tomorrow; there will be no in-person classes on campus from Thursday, March 12-Wednesday, March 18.  During that time, BMCC will be open and will provide training and support to faculty and students to transition all courses from face-to-face delivery to distance teaching formats.  Starting March 19, the spring semester will resume with all instruction provided through distance learning for the duration of the semester.

By “distance formats” we refer both to online learning as well as to simpler methods of providing content to students “at a distance,” including using email or some of the more basic capabilities of Blackboard. Distance learning can be both asynchronous—meaning that students and instructors provide and access course material at different times convenient to them—or synchronous—meaning with students and instructors participating at the same time, much like a regularly-scheduled class. In general, asynchronous distance teaching is less complicated, and less technologically intensive than synchronous approaches. Faculty are urged to adopt whatever approach with which they are comfortable, and whatever approach suits the content of their course.

First, we ask that faculty immediately transition to distance delivery all course sections that are currently coded in CUNYFirst as having at least some element of distance education (fully online, online, hybrid, partially online, and web-enhanced) as these will be easiest to convert. We ask that those faculty who are prepared to move immediately to distance instruction inform their Department Chairs, confirming their experience with teaching in the chosen format and the suitability of each course for that format.

Our next priority is to support faculty teaching face-to-face courses in their conversion to distance learning modalities.  We recognize that this may be challenging for faculty who have never taught this way, or faculty who teach courses that do not lend themselves easily to distance formats (e.g., science courses with labs).  Please refer to our Course Continuity site for recommended actions and helpful tips: https://sites.google.com/bmcc.cuny.edu/emergency-preparedness/.  We have posted the video of our Planning for Instructional Continuity training held yesterday, as well as the dates and times of additional training sessions to be held from March 12-March 18.  We are aware of the potential limitations and ask that you think creatively about adapting material that presents particular challenges in distance formats.

Faculty are expected to attend training sessions and seek support as needed to be ready to transition all instruction to distance learning starting on March 19. We also recognize that many students are not familiar with distance learning and may not have easy access to the internet. From March 12-March 18, we are providing training and support for students to prepare for distance learning. BMCC will remain open throughout the semester (excluding any holidays) for students to access our computer labs, the library, the Learning Resource Center and other tutoring, advisement, Single Stop, the Office of Accessibility, Counseling and other support services.  Staff will be present, and faculty will have access to their offices and labs.

Again, we must be ready to deliver all instruction through distance learning starting March 19. We will continue to provide updates as available. I am grateful for our collective commitment to ensuring a safe and welcoming community, and for the care and concern that you have shown for all community members, particularly the most vulnerable among us. In these challenging and uncertain times, we are truly a community working together and taking care of each other. Thank you for your contributions and commitment.