Dr. Taylor chairs the subcommittee which includes Emily Baxter, Eileen Grodziak, Liz Huck, Lea Rosenberry, Heidi Watson-Held, and Red Yuan. Speaking to us on behalf of the subcommittee, Dr. Taylor advised us that they are working on the final touches for an upcoming web page on the Web Learning site which will centralize and promote the Contingency Planning policies and strategies. While we displayed it briefly during the session, it is not yet published. Once it is, an announcement will be made. Otherwise, Dr. Taylor spent the time identifying key policies at work that drive our decision-making processes around cancelling for weather and other issues. The key point was made that this work is not exclusively about Snow Days but about contingency planning: in the case of any emergency, cancellation, or weather issue, these policies and strategies will guide us.

Policies & Strategies

For emphasis, Dr. Taylor made it clear that the upcoming website with information will focus on teaching and practical strategies surrounding class cancellations and planning for contingencies. However, it will cross-reference the existing institutional policies regarding faculty expectations and class cancellations. Other policies will be established as the University continues to investigate this area of teaching and learning. Below are the Key Takeaways from our conversation.

Key Takeaways

• Web Learning Contingency Planning website is forthcoming with consolidated information regarding these policies and strategies.
• We cannot require students to attend a synchronous learning experience or complete a learning activity on the day of a campus closure.
• More specific policies are also forthcoming: the existing policies do not cover all the necessary content.
• Faculty are not allowed to simply cancel a class: cancellations must be for a personal emergency or campus closure. Otherwise, faculty must provide an alternative learning activity or opportunity for any class that they cannot attend.
• University Park and campuses may have their own existing policies regarding closures (e.g. Harrisburg's).

Technology & Support

Altogether, this issue focuses on principles of teaching and learning with a strong emphasis on technology. When we cannot be together for one reason or another, technology is our go-to assistant to maintain the pace of our course without adding face-to-face class time to make-up for lost days. The below resources will point you to our best supports for accomplishing this in the event of a Snow Day or any other contingency.

Lastly, would you like direct training to help prepare for your contingency days? We recommend the following options:

1. Reach out to your local Instructional Designer. Whether you have one in your college, you're at University Park, or have access to a Campus ID, we are all glad to help you through this process.
2. Head over to ITLD: they have learning paths for many of our institutional software and will provide individualized training if applicable.
3. Check out the LRN resources as well. You will find scheduled web sessions and other recordings for University tools that can assist you.
4. Look into the LinkedInLearning resources for self-paced training modules on all kinds of software solutions.
5. For one-on-one training, also consider the TechTutors resource that can schedule training for students, faculty, and staff.
6. The Media Commons team can also support with specific tools and resources for faculty, staff, and students.

Resources

• After completing the Snow Day? Snow Way! experience, we compiled a Box folder of relevant supporting materials. Check it out here!
• Looking to watch the recording? You can find it here.
• During the session, Dr. Taylor references Dr. Rob Pangborn's memo regarding campus closures and rescheduling missed time.
• At several points throughout the session, our experts referred to the EdTech Advisor (ETA) as a go-to resource for finding solutions to your contingency planning ideas: https://sites.psu.edu/eta/.
• Dr. Taylor and the subcommittee, as well as the forthcoming Contingency Planning web page, are all hosted at the Web Learning sites page.
• For a list of all central-supported classrooms and technology, check out https://lat.tlt.psu.edu/home/classrooms/overview/.
• Full set of Questions & Answers from the session can be found here.

Recording

Want to check out the recording? See below. Note, the recorded experience may not reflect the overall experience directly. With equipment and user changes, as well as the breakout rooms, some of the original experience is lost on the recording.