Last Updated: June 22, 2020
In-Person Teaching Resumes this Fall
Equipped with the very best guidance and ideas from our leading scholars, innovative students and expert staff – including many of you here in Engineering – we will welcome students to the Ann Arbor campus, classrooms and residence halls for the Fall 2020 semester. Details are available on the University’s Maize & Blueprint website.
This public health-informed in-residence fall semester will be a mixture of in-person and remote experiences designed to provide our transformative Michigan Engineering education, while reflecting our commitment to promoting public health.
Our goal is to ensure excellence of our educational offerings, regardless of delivery method, while balancing the health and safety for students, staff, and faculty.
Students will have the option of choosing whether to return to Ann Arbor for a hybrid learning experience or study from home in a fully remote mode. Instructors should review the learning objectives of their courses and critically evaluate which must be done in person, and which can be accomplished at high quality remotely.
All classes are likely to have some students who will be taking your courses remotely. It is imperative that courses be equitable and inclusive around participating in-person versus online.
In the College, our faculty, staff and COVID Action teams are working together to:
- Evaluate classroom considerations and specific course needs
- Ensure safe, high-quality educational experiences
- Provide the best mix of remote and in-person activities
- Develop customized staffing plans to ensure quality student-facing services
Innovative & In-Person
The University’s Maize and Blueprint website provides comprehensive information about the implementation plan, guiding principles and current status. It’ll be updated regularly as more details are finalized.
Academic Excellence, in Any Context
It will be necessary that instructors adopt a flexible, high-quality hybrid pedagogy that combines online and, as permitted, in-person components. Some key features would include:
- All course materials must be available online
- Participating online must hold the same weight as participating in-person for students.
- Instructors should provide students every opportunity for experiential and hands-on learning, while maintaining a safe environment.
- All technology needs and expectations for courses must be clearly communicated well in advance of the beginning of the term.
We’ve vetted some options for handling course setup, content, activities, engagement and more. You’ll find what’s best so far on the new Recommended Tools page.
Course Planning Help
You don’t have to figure it out alone. Nexus, CAEN and CRLT-Engin have teamed up to help you design high quality remote and hybrid courses – created for engineers, by engineers. If you’re looking for more, check out the Center for Academic Innovation’s online guides and modules.
Tools to help you think differently about course design, pedagogical practices and alternative methods in an engineering context.
Step-by-step guides on course design, communication and content, available to the university community through Academic Innovation.
Engineering-focused planning and guidance for Fall 2020, including online course planning, assessment design, technology recommendations, and more.
Events & Workshops
- Professional Development workshops to help you successfully manage:
- Tools and technologies
- Hybrid laboratory courses
- Large or small-to-medium lecture courses
- Design courses
Peer-to-Peer
- Online Teaching Community of Practice: Exchange ideas, resources, and best practices associated with remote teaching.
Additional University Support
Other units around the University offer their own recommendations for teaching remotely, and can be useful references for College of Engineering faculty: