If classes are postponed due to weather, illness, utility, infrastructure or other emergency, Online Learning offers resources and support for seamless academic continuity.
Every Blue Ridge course (regardless of delivery method) is provided an online shell within our Learning Management System (LMS) . Instructors are encouraged to access these course-specific shells to plan ahead for possible disruptions
These simple steps will help you maintain your classes even when the college is closed for an extended period.
- Contact your class to let them know how you will continue instruction.
- You can send an email through both the LMS (college email) and your WebAdvisor Class Roster (their personal email).
- Inform them how to get a hold of you in case of an emergency.
- Inform them when they can expect a reply from you regarding emails or messages (e.g., within 24 hours).
- Inform students how to continue their coursework.
- Explain how students will access course documents/material through the LMS.
- Let students know of any live virtual classes you will be running through Collaborate and or how to access the recording if they miss it.
- Tell students how to submit their work.
- Explain what activities students will be expected to submit through the LMS (e.g., quizzes, assignments).
- Set up a practice assignment or quiz to provide you and your students with an opportunity to use this tool.
- We do not recommend you have students submit assignments via email. If files are too large for the LMS, consider sharing a Google Drive folder to easily collect such files.
- Tell students how they will get their grades.
- Every course should already be utilizing the gradebook within the LMS for grades. If using a separate 3rd-party, let students know where to go.
For faculty needing help in making the transition from face-to-face to online, consult the “Online Transition Toolkit,” and please reach out to the Online Learning team for all additional questions.