Overview

H1N1 influenza contagion is on the rise throughout the United States. Of particular concern in higher education settings is the fact that 19- to 24-year-olds are especially susceptible to severe illness from this flu strain. There have already been cases at UVa, and increasing H1N1 activity is anticipated during the fall term.

For these reasons, faculty should be prepared to continue teaching and to maintain course integrity even if absenteeism is high due to illness, or class attendance is discouraged by medical authorities. Please do not ask for a physician's excuse for absence due to illness.

Maintaining Class Continuity With UVaCollab

The UVaCollab course management suite is designed expressly to foster discussion and collaboration around course content, regardless of proximity between instructors and students. UVaCollab offers a number of tools that can help maintain class communications and facilitate the distribution of information during a flu emergency. They include:

• Tools for disseminating basic course information, such as the Syllabus, Announcements, Email Archive (where you can locate your site email address and view archived messages sent to that address), and Schedule.
• Tools for posting and sharing files and other course content: Resources (for uploading documents, posting URLs, etc.), Drop Box (for private file sharing between instructor and student), and iTunes U (for podcasting)
• Tools to facilitate online discussion and collaboration as well as other online class activities, including Discussion and Private Messages, Forums, a Chat Room, Assignments, Tests & Quizzes, Anonymous Feedback, Polls, and a Wiki (for collaborative editing of content).

Remember that the UVa Honor Code can allow for some flexibility in offering tests and quizzes to students in unproctored settings.

The UVaCollab Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, accessible from the FAQ link in the footer of every screen, provides comprehensive information about the system's many features. The UVaCollab team also offers Quick Start demonstrations and Advanced Tutorials to provide more information about the full range of course management features and how to use them. Find out more on the UVaCollab Demo Schedule page or email collab-demos@virginia.edu.

Additional Strategies

Other technology tools suggest additional ways for instructors to continue course activities during a severe flu outbreak.

• Send email. Whether using the email tool in Collab or using your own preferred program, email is a robust, flexible way to stay connected with individuals and groups.
• Create slide presentations of your lectures using software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote. You can add narration to your slide stack, as well as image, video, and hyperlink components.
  • For more information about adding media components to your presentation, see the PowerPoint or Keynote online help.
  • Find extended instructions for adding voice narration to PowerPoint at TechRepublic
• Produce a screen capture video. Record actions you perform on your computer—visiting online resources, demonstrating software features, etc.—so students can replay them later. Several programs provide video screen capture capabilities, including the free application Jing and more feature-rich packages such as Camtasia Studio.
• Video- or audio-record your lectures. In many cases, you can record using the built-in capabilities of your computer, along with free or low-cost software:
  • Audio: Audacity (free download) for Windows | for Mac | Tutorials
  • Video: Windows Live Movie Maker (free download) | Apple iMovie (low cost; part of iLife bundle)

Once you create a slide presentation or digital recording, you can post it as a resource in UVaCollab where your students can access it online. In the case of a video or audio production, you can also publish it in UVa's iTunes U site.

Finding Help

• If you have a question or problem using UVaCollab that is not covered by the online help utility, send email to collab-support@virginia.edu.
• Online training in the use of many commercial software packages, including the Microsoft Office suite and some digital media applications, is available to UVa faculty and staff from VTC. To access the VTC materials you must first send an email to vtc-online@virginia.edu and include your name and UVa Computing ID, your school or department, and your phone number. Find out more from ITC Training Services.
• Another avenue for online training in Microsoft technologies is the Microsoft IT Academy. Find out how to get access from the UVa administrator of the resource.

Note that if you plan to use a tool or technology that you've never tried before, start now. In the event it becomes necessary to continue instruction without traditional class meetings, help resources will be strained and personal support could be limited.

• UVaCollab
• UVa H1N1 Flu Site
• flu.gov—CDC Guidance for Higher Education
• Flu.gov—Know What to Do About the Flu