FAQs: LfA & Graduate Teaching
The following Q&A’s pertain to logistics of BU’s LfA model and responsibilities of graduate teaching fellows (TFs).
*indicates information provided by ENG LfA coaches Dr. Aleksanders Zokuls and Dr. Ousama M. A’Amar and thus may only apply to ENG students
^indicates information provided by BME Department Chair John White and thus may only apply to Biomedical Engineering students
Q: Can the administration share the data and analysis that was used for implementing the LfA model?
A: “The LfA format was recommended after careful study by the University’s Undergraduate Programs Working Group, chaired by Sue Kennedy, interim associate provost for undergraduate affairs, and was approved by the University’s committee tasked with overseeing the reopening of BU’s campuses.”
GWISE Note: At this time, survey results claiming that over 70% of undergrads wanted to return back to BU for on-campus instruction have not been shared. However, recently, simulations4 modeling the effectiveness of potential interventions were released, which may have been used to inform the hybrid model decision.
WORKPLACE ADJUSTMENTS
Q: If a TF who is medically high risk gets denied a workplace adjustment, will they be expected to go against doctor’s orders and teach in person?
A: “If a student is not granted a teaching or research environment adjustment and cannot perform their teaching or research remotely in a manner that is consistent with the relevant department’s teaching or research needs, the student may choose to return to campus to perform their teaching or research duties or to forgo their stipend.”
Q: Is there an appeals process for workplace adjustments? How does this appeals process work?
A: “As this is a University program, not a reasonable accommodation process, appeals are not permitted.”
HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE CLASSROOM
Q: What do we do if students refuse to wear masks or follow health protocols?
A: Call security and report the student. You have the jurisdiction to cancel class if proper protocols are not being followed.1,2
“If [a student] refuses to put on a face covering, the faculty member will inform the class that they will not proceed with instruction until [the student] uses [their] face covering or leaves. If [the student] refuses to wear a face covering or to leave, the faculty member may dismiss the class and contact the academic Dean’s office for follow up.”3
Q: Will there be any provision of PPE or protective equipment for instructors in classrooms (e.g., masks, plexiglass shields)? Will there be any provision of extra PPE (e.g., disposable masks) for students who show up without proper PPE?
A: All members of the Boston University community will be expected to wear face coverings while on campus, in accordance with current Massachusetts regulations and CDC guidance. PhD students should provide their own face mask for normal, day-to-day activity.
*The university will NOT provide extra PPE. Each person is responsible to bring and properly use their own PPE.
See previous answer regarding non-compliance.
Q: Will we be told if a person in a course that meets in the same room as us contracts the virus?
A: ^Generally, no. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) includes strict protections of health-related information for patients. In BU’s testing regime, only the healthcare workers and the patients themselves will know the identities of COVID-positive students. If an instructor or TF is identified as having been exposed by a student in class, that instructor or TF will be notified and possibly quarantined, but not given the identity of the patient. Of course, people who do test positive are allowed to self-disclose to you. Please know that this is personal health information and should not be further disclosed to others in your class or in the Community.
“BU began a contact tracing program this past spring and will expand it for the fall. BU plans to employ tracing for infections of individuals in testing categories 1 and 2. For residential students, the individuals in their immediate housing group or household will be a primary focus, as well as others with whom they have had close contact in preceding days.
*If someone contracts COVID-19, the person who contracted it will name people who they have been in close contact with and they will be notified.
Q: If a TF gets sick and can no longer teach, will a replacement TF be provided?
A: ^The Dean’s office has told the BME department that they will be able to hire hourly student employees to help cover such situations.
Q: How often will classrooms be cleaned? Will cleaning supplies be available?
A: ^ ENG Dean Lutchen told BME Dept Chair John White that classrooms will be cleaned each evening, but not between classes during the day. Cleaning supplies will be available throughout the day in each classroom for people to wipe down surfaces before they use them.
“Facilities Management will frequently clean high-touch surfaces throughout all BU campuses. Those surfaces include hallways, doorknobs, elevators, elevator buttons, light switches, handrails, stairwells, kitchens, lounges, and restrooms, in accordance with CDC guidelines. The cleaning agents are hydrogen peroxide–based products (Envirox 117 and Oxivir TB), which contain the lowest toxicity available.”
GWISE Note: Neither Envirox 117 or Oxivir TB are on the EPA list of disinfectants for use against COVID-19.
LfA LOGISTICS
Q: What tools/resources/training will the BU administration provide to TFs and faculty members to help adapt their courses for simultaneous instruction of in-person and virtual courses?
A: *ENG LfA coaches Dr. Aleks Zokuls (azosuls@bu.edu) and Dr. Ousama M. A’Amar (oaamar@bu.edu) are available to help TFs and faculty members and can be reached during their virtual office hours (see below) or by appointment. Their role is to introduce you to the available tools and techniques for hybrid teaching.
Dr. Zokuls Office Hours: Mondays 4PM-6PM
Dr. A’Amar’s Office Hours: Wed, Fri 10AM-12PM
Q: Will there be policies/tools in place to prevent remote students from cheating on in-class assignments, exams, etc in order to not disadvantage their in-person peers?
A: *Contact your school’s Dean of Academic Programs for any issues that come up with cheating. BU does has a license for Turnitin.
*Suggestions: 1) If you are going to use an automated exam tool such as Blackboard you can make lots of questions and give each student only a random small subset. 2) Have open book tests where collaboration is allowed. 3) Write essay questions that are somewhat open ended and can be checked with a plagiarism tool.
Q: Where/who can TFs go to for technical support regarding remote instruction?
A: CTL, ENGIT, BU TechWeb, and DLI websites.
Q: Will we know how many students are enrolled “on campus” throughout the semester and will instructors know in advance how many students to expect each day?
A: *It will be up to the professor of the class to provide this information. The professor is responsible to determine how to divide between in person and remote learning in a fair way. We recommend that professors and TFs communicate with the students prior to the first day of class to find out who will be where.
Q: Will there be cameras in discussion rooms for classes?
A: ^Yes, that’s the plan. The university is installing cameras in all rooms used for lectures and discussions.
“All Office of the University Registrar classrooms will provide technology in support of LfA. In Registrar classrooms, you can look up classroom technology and room attributes in the Find a Classroom tool.”
Q: Will students who attend class virtually have the ability to engage in discussions/submit questions?
A: *Yes. We recommend that everyone in a class uses headphones if there is an audio dialogue to minimize acoustic feedback. The text based chat is a great way to avoid using sound. If there are students and staff with communication disabilities who cannot use the chosen mode of communication, modifications will need to be made to accommodate them.
Q: Can students who are in classrooms engage directly with online students?
A: *Yes, either through audio or chat with Zoom. There are other tools such as Slack that are good for text based chat.
Q: How will this work, will in-person students be required to be using their laptops to interact with remote students while at the same time attending the in-person lecture?
A: *In person students will be expected to have a laptop and headset. If they cannot get one they should reach out to the teaching staff to find a solution. Cell phones and tablets are another way to engage. Not all rooms will have charging facilities so it is recommended to top off batteries when possible. We are advocating that the university installs power strips in a safe manner in large classrooms.
Q: How will TFs be expected to manage interaction with/questions from both remote students and in-person students simultaneously?
A: *Be sure to give time and attention to both in class and remote students equally. For example, in a discussion class, alternate between one in-class exchange and one remote exchange. Programs such as Zoom have a “raise a hand” functionality and chat that if monitored can ensure the remote people get equitable attention.
Q: Are we expected to use different grading criteria for students who physically and virtually attend the course (e.g., class participation grading will be difficult to unify across the two groups)?
A: *It is important that the grading be equitable between the remote and in person cohorts. You will need to figure a metric for class participation grading that works between groups. We recommend you are lenient with grading during class time activities because there are stresses for both remote and in class students.