The University of Wisconsin released an online message to students Saturday to provide resources for the campus’ transition to online servicing and the alternate delivery of classes, which start Monday.
Last Tuesday, the university announced that all classes will be delivered alternatively until the end of the spring semester. The message said that all employees were being advised to move their services into teleworking, and employees who are unable to make the transition will be eligible to use leave.
“This new reality is still fluid and uncertain, but I want you to know that we’re not going anywhere… literally,” Vice-Chancellor Lori Reesor said in Saturday’s message.
According to Reesor’s message, almost every service students had access to on campus would be available remotely during this time.
Reesor’s message directed students to a list of tips for learning remotely. Some of these tips include becoming familiar with new technological programs, setting a schedule to encourage structure and motivation and avoiding multitasking.
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According to the DoIt Help Desk, some of the programs that UW has adopted for alternate delivery of classes include Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Kaltura Media Space, Piazza and Webex. On the Help Desk’s website, students can access these programs as well as learn how to use them.
According to the DoIt Help Desk, these four platforms are all instructional tools that are made available by professors through Canvas. Blackboard Collaborate Ultra allows students to join live sessions of their classes at the time of their lectures. Webex is also a live video streaming platform, but it is accessed through an email link or by calling in.
Kaltura Media Space allows professors to record their lectures for students to watch on their own time. Piazza is a class forum where questions and answers about class material can be posted by both students and professors.
Student advising services will also be delivered online for the rest of the semester, according to the UW-Madison Undergraduate Advising website.
Students can use Starfish to book virtual appointments with their advisors, which will be held through platforms such as Google Hangout or simply over the phone. The advising website also announced that the deadline for students to drop a class has been pushed back to April 17.
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Students can access these resources and more through the new COVID-19 website for students, which Reesor introduced in Saturday’s message.
“I ask you to join us in our commitment to keeping the spirit of the University of Wisconsin-Madison alive,” Reesor wrote.
