Important Information about your Fall 2020 Class Schedule

Good afternoon, Rockhurst students,

As we’ve previously shared, Rockhurst faculty, staff and administrators have been hard at work redesigning our Fall 2020 course offerings in order to create an optimal learning experience for our students. To that end, we have created eight instructional modalities to provide high quality, student-centered, and interactive teaching and learning environments. Descriptions of each modality are provided below. Redesigning our course offerings in this way will allow the University to plan a return to campus with face-to-face curricular and co-curricular interactions using social distancing guidelines to ensure the health and well-being of the entire University community. We believe that offering a blend of instructional modalities will benefit student learning by expanding ways of engaging in course work so that we all can be together again in a safe way this Fall.

You may now view your updated Fall 2020 class schedule, which includes course modality information. For students new to Rockhurst University and for returning students who need a reminder, log in to Rockweb via my.rockhurst.edu and clicking on the Rockweb tab, on the left hand side of the third row down. Then select "student" under the main menu, then "registration," "student detail schedule," and select the appropriate term (fall 2020). To help you understand which modality each of your courses now has, please note the Schedule Type for each course on your schedule and read the following descriptions and notes carefully:

Schedule Type = “Classroom-based Course”(CBC): In these courses, all students attend face-to-face (F2F) class sessions in a classroom that can seat all enrolled students while observing social distancing. All students and instructor will be required to wear face masks and classroom furniture will be arranged to keep a minimum of 6 feet between all students. The instructor will follow the Canvas Minimum Use Policy (designed to keep the Canvas experience consistent across all undergraduate courses for ease of student use) and will make arrangements with individual students when accommodations are needed.

Schedule Type = “Online Hybrid Course”(OHC): These courses have one of the following hybrid formats, each of which includes options for students to engage entirely remotely, entirely F2F, or a combination of the two. Instructors will contact the students in each of their classes prior to the start of classes to clarify all details about the particular OHC hybrid model being used and when students will meet face-to-face (F2F):

1.     Hybrid Model 1: In this model, all students will be enrolled in the face-to-face (F2F) class section on campus. However, some students will be scheduled or choose to attend class sessions in-person, while at the same time other enrolled students will join the class online synchronously via technology such as Zoom. The instructor may have a student worker or a student enrolled in the course assist with managing the online synchronous student participation.

2.     Hybrid Model 2: In this model, all students will be enrolled in the face-to-face (F2F) class section on campus. However, some students will be scheduled or choose to attend a F2F class session on campus, while other students engage in the class session online using asynchronous technology. Each F2F session in the classroom will be recorded using technology that includes a video/document camera and clip-on microphone worn by the instructor. The class recording is posted on Canvas for students to watch, along with asynchronous online learning activities.

Schedule Type = “Classroom Hybrid Course”(CHC): These courses have one of the following hybrid formats, each of which includes some amount of required face-to-face (F2F) learning (typically, approximately 50%) – offered in classrooms accommodating social distancing and with masks required (with the exception of possible accommodations needed for students that are sick or quarantined and unable to attend F2F). Instructors will contact the students in each of their classes prior to the start of classes to clarify all details about the particular CHC hybrid model being used and when students will meet face-to-face (F2F):

1.     Hybrid Model 3: In this model, students are assigned by the instructor to smaller groups within a course section. Students attend face-to-face (F2F) class sessions on a rotating basis according to their small groups to engage in an interactive lesson. All students also engage in asynchronous online learning activities via Canvas. The instructor is responsible for creating and sharing with students the rotating schedule.

2.     Hybrid Model 4: In this model, all students attend face-to-face (F2F) class sessions in a classroom that is large enough to accommodate all enrolled students in accordance with social distancing guidelines. The F2F class sessions alternate with synchronous online class sessions or asynchronous online learning activities via Canvas.

3.     Hybrid Model 5: In this model, all students will be enrolled in the face-to-face (F2F) class section on campus in a classroom that can seat all enrolled students while observing social distancing, and students will attend class sessions in-person. The instructor does not attend the class session in-person, but instead joins via remote technology. The instructor can see and hear the students in the classroom, and the students see and hear the instructor in real time projected on the screen. In this model, there will be a student worker present in the classroom to assist with managing the online synchronous instructor participation.

Schedule Type = “Online Synchronous Course”(OSC): In these courses, all students attend online class sessions that meet at specified times listed in the course schedule. There is no face-to-face (F2F) component, but instead, instructors will be interacting online with students during the regular scheduled class times each week. The instructor is a Rockhurst University Certified Online Instructor and the course has been designed as a fully online, high quality, interactive course. The instructor will make arrangements with individual students when accommodations are needed for students who cannot attend a synchronous online class session.

Schedule Type = “Online Asynchronous Course”(OAC): In these courses, all students engage in online learning activities with specified due dates; however, there are no requirements for specific meeting times (aside from possible virtual office hours). There is no face-to-face (F2F) component. The instructor is a Rockhurst University Certified Online Instructor and the course has been designed as a fully online, high quality, interactive course. There is no real-time interaction; however, there are opportunities for students to engage with one another and with the instructor, such as through an online discussion forum and/or virtual office hours.
*Other standard Schedule Types you may see in your schedule:

·       B = “Lab”

·       I = “Independent Study”

·       P = “Practicum/Internship”

·       S = “Seminar”

Additional Notes about your Fall 2020 Schedule:

·       Most students will have a mix of entirely online courses and courses with face-to-face components in their Fall 2020 class schedule. As you might imagine, all face-to-face experiences this Fall (whether hybrid or entirely classroom-based) require at least twice as much classroom space as normal due to the need for social distancing. Additionally, these schedule changes allow Rockhurst to provide accommodations for instructors and students who must remain entirely remote for the semester due to health concerns.

·       Most of the hybrid course models are probably not new to students. Many Rockhurst instructors have offered courses with a very similar and highly effective “flipped classroom” teaching method, through which an instructor shares content through video lectures or other online activities that prepare students for engaged face-to-face learning experiences.

·       As mentioned above, all of our online courses this Fall have been designed as high quality, interactive and engaging courses, and the instructor for each course has been trained and received RU Online Instructor Certification. In many cases, instructors specifically chose the OSC (online synchronous) instructional modality because the online format can actually provide more effective interactions between students than face-to-face formats with social distancing.

What’s Next?
It is important for you to view and understand your class schedule as soon as possible. Class schedule changes based on personal needs or preferences may be possible, so look for another email in the next few days with instructions on how to make or request changes to your schedule. But we encourage you to approach those decisions about whether to seek changes to your Fall 2020 schedule with a spirit of flexibility, openness and community.

Thank you,
Academic Planning Workgroup Co-chairs:

JENNIFER FRIEND, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Professor of Education

PAULA SHORTER, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Enrollment Services
Professor of Mathematics