First Week - Until 11 June 2020

Actions

  • Implementation of the three stage preperation plan, which includes:

    1. Enabling faculty and students
    2. Testing meetings and classes
    3. Improving performance

  • Improving the content for the distance learning preparation website found at bit.ly/cba_elearn

  • Conducting MS Teams training sessions in both Arabic and English for each academic department

  • Formulating the monitoring plan and process:

    1. Monitoring training progress for each faculty member using the 8 stage monitoring file
    • Monitoring is based on tasks to be completed by faculty to ensure the grasp of distance learning skills
    1. Student preparation monitoring using Student Checkin System
    2. Enable faculty to track and communicate with their their students using Faculty Checkin System

  • Testing lecture hall broadcasting through teams.

Milestones

  • Completion of the distance learning preparation website bit.ly/cba_elearn
  • Completion of the CheckIn System
  • Completion of the first stage of the preparation plan as shown in the figure where most faculty have completed KU email setup and setup of MS Teams:
  • The launch of a social media marketing campaign to build awareness among students about the CheckIn system.

Risks and Challenges

  • Most common concern is how students will be evaluated if distance learning is implemented:
  • Note: Given the significant privacy and security risks and the ease to which students can circumvent online proctoring systems, we do not recommend their use when evaluating students. Instead, we forward the following alternatives:
    1. Using pass/fail grades to reduce impact of the current situation, which we hope is temporary, and give students the options to retake courses they pass.
    2. Replacing conventional final exams with other activities that can be used to evaluate students, such as projects, presentations, and discussions whenever possible.
    3. Assign Incomplete grade to students and delay final exams in the hope that the situation improves in the future.
    4. Arrange for conventional exams with social distancing an proper procedures to prevent the spread of viruses among students.
  • Students with no access to laptops
  • Technical support for students
  • Nature of some topics might present a challenge for instructor using distance learning to deliver content
    • Workaround: Testing broadcasting of lectures from lecture halls
  • Lack of student participation in voluntary preparation activities or difficulty in reaching them