Dear colleagues,

In light of Governor Cuomo’s announcement that 100% of non-essential employees should be working remotely after Sunday night, we must accelerate the laboratory shutdown described in our prior message to Monday, March 23.

As you know, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve — with the closing of schools, restaurants, and bars, and calls from state and county leaders for local businesses to reduce on-site personnel.

What this all points to is the importance of implementing more aggressive social distancing in order to protect the health of the most vulnerable members of our community.

With that in mind, we are taking the view that public health and safety is more important than research productivity right now. 

Earlier this week, faculty were asked to develop plans for how you might ramp-down in your laboratories, and to have those plans finalized. Those plans included the identification of 2 key individuals in each of your labs (in addition to the head of the lab) who could continue essential operations during a ramp-down period.

Effective next Monday (3/23), we are going to need to limit facility access to these individuals only.  Backups should be designated for each of these individuals (if not already specified in business continuity plans).  Under exceptional circumstances, a 3rd staff member may be granted access for a short time period, with chair approval and if necessary, for animal-related activities.

No new research may be initiated on-site, effective immediately.  Only the following research will be permitted to continue on-site:

• Approved research on COVID-19
• Approved therapeutic clinical trials
• Approved ongoing essential experiments (e.g., long-term animal studies needing harvesting of tissues).

This research must be approved by the relevant department chair/center director and the relevant research dean.

We realize that this is a major shift, but it is consistent with the steps being taken by most of our peer institutions, all of the research-intensive academic medical centers in New York State, and it is now a necessary response as the effort to protect our community’s health and safety evolves.

Rob Clark. Provost and Senior Vice President for Research, UR
Steve Dewhurst, Vice Dean for Research, SMD
John Tarduno, Dean for Research, AS&E
Richard Waugh, Vice Provost for Research, UR

Blackboard, Zoom and other instructional strategies for SMD grad faculty will be taught by Sarah Peyre and Lisa Brown in a Zoom session on these days:

• Monday, March 23: 10-11:30
• Tuesday, March 24: 1-2:30 
• Friday, March 27: 10-11:30

This session will cover:

• Planning and Preparing for Teaching at a Distance
• Getting online
  How do I Offer Live Lectures and Class Meetings?
• Creating your learning environment
  How do I Communicate with my Students?
• Sharing Educational Materials
  How do I Share Content with my Students?
  How do I Pre-Record Lectures for my Students?
• Engaging your Students
  How do I Facilitate Discussions with my Students?
• Testing and Assignments
  How do I Collect Assignments?
  How do I Facilitate Exams or Tests?
  How do I Share Student Grades Confidentially?
• Questions and Answers

Join Zoom Meeting https://rochester.zoom.us/j/950486686

Meeting ID: 950 486 686

ONLINE LEARNING WORKSHOPS

Online Learning Workshops for University faculty members, graduate students, and other instructors will continue to be held in Zoom sessions. Also click here for a site with more information about Learning During Times of Disruption.

• Tools for Developing Assessments. Noon to 1 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. March 26. Different types of assessment and feedback tools in Blackboard can be used to meet your teaching and learning objectives. An overview of tools in Blackboard that support student learning through both summative and formative assessment.
• Tools for Facilitating Synchronous Experiences. 4-5 p.m. April 13 and noon to 1 p.m. April 16. This workshop will focus on the application of synchronous communication tools that faculty can use for multiple purposes including live online class sessions, remote speakers in face-to-face classroom courses, online office hours, and remote teaching when traveling.
• Ensuring a High-Quality Experience. 4-5 p.m. April 27 and noon to 1 p.m. April 30. This final workshop in the series connects effective online course design with the national Quality Matters program and reviews best practices in online teaching. Examples of effective online teaching strategies are presented and discussed.

Please confirm that audio and video preferences on your computer are enabled prior to the start of the sessions. RSVP here. Questions? Email Adele Coelho.