4/06/21 Academic Affairs Brief
Faculty & Academic Staff Email Updates Sent Bi-Weekly
This Brief Includes:
CLT Events
Academic “Nudge” Report
Remind Graduating Seniors To Fill Out In-person Commencement Participation Form
Faculty/Staff Invitation to Record or Submit Congratulatory Messages to Graduating Students
CLT Events
04/06 Critical Conversations Series (3): Non-Violent Masculinity, 4:00 PM
04/07 PART Programs: MGH Well-Being Initiative 12 PM
04/07 Faculty Writing Group 2 PM
04/07 Gradebook Support Open Hours 4 PM
04/07 Mindful Tea & Chat 4:30 PM
04/08 CLT Adjunct Open Consultation 5 PM
Academic "Nudge" Report
During week 4 of this semester all faculty were sent a form (one per section) to ask how students were doing academically in their classes. Students who were flagged for an academic concern received follow-up via email and text message for those not responding. Students were provided a list of resources available to students and asked what action steps they might take. A follow up survey was sent to faculty on Week 8 to ask about the success of this pilot process. The full report on the “nudge” process is available here.
Summary highlights from this report include:
280 students were flagged for an academic concern.
112 students responded to the follow-up survey.
73% of student survey respondents said they would meet with their instructor.
45 faculty responded to the subsequent follow-up survey about the overall process.
77% of faculty respondents said the pre-midterm nudge process would be useful in a future semester.
Tips for how Faculty Advisors can use this information in their advising meetings is on Faculty Central.
Remind Graduating Seniors to Complete In-person Commencement Participation Form
We continue to watch the spread of COVID-19 in Vermont and in our local community carefully. Any in-person event will be contingent on state and regional guidance and our own discretion in order to keep the health of our Champlain community a central priority. At this time, we are still planning for an in-person diploma ceremony for students who sign-up to participate. The main commencement ceremony will be virtual.
Please encourage graduating senior students who may be interested in participating in the in-person ceremony to fill out the forms from the Registrar’s Office (sent to eligible students through email). Planning for the number of students who intend to participate in-person is critical for event logistics and COVID precautions. The deadline for students to sign-up to participate in-person has been extended to Friday, April 9th. Students who do not fill out this form by Friday will not be permitted to participate in the in-person event in May.
Faculty/Staff Invitation to Record or Submit Congratulatory Messages to Graduating Students
As mentioned above, the main ceremony of the 2021 commencement will be virtual. We recently surveyed graduating students to ask what they hope to see in a virtual commencement ceremony. The students said it would be meaningful to hear messages from more of their faculty, with whom they have a close relationship.
We have scheduled a day for faculty and staff to come to campus and record a message to graduating students. Please keep your remarks brief, focused on the program in which you teach and/or you may record a general congratulatory message to the graduating class.
For those in the testing pool, filming is scheduled on Wednesday, April 14, from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm in the Champlain Room. Please use this sign-up genius link to reserve a slot.
If you would like to include a message, but are not in the testing pool or unable to come to campus, you may send a video recording of your message. We also would like videos of folks clapping for our graduates for the virtual commencement ceremony. Please be watching for an email with further instructions on how to submit these recordings.
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT UPDATE
A sampling of student engagement opportunities coming up this week:
Important Dates
04/09 - Last day to withdraw from a class or the College
04/12-04/23 Registration for Summer and Fall 2021
04/28 - Last day to request an incomplete grade for Spring 2021
04/30 - Last day to request a medical withdrawal
04/30 - Last day of classes
05/03 - 05/07 - Finals Week (This is the same as week 15, normal class schedule)
05/09 - Final grades due
05/15 - Commencement