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Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology

When Students Must Stay Home

Widespread student absences can be a nightmare for faculty, but in the event of an emergency situation, such as widespread illness, severe weather, or a natural disaster, they may be—if not the norm, then at least more common than we’d like. The suggestions below can help you prepare for times when even a significant number of students are absent.

Prevention

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and taking steps to prevent the spread of illness in your classroom is particularly important this year. You can help prevent the spread of disease in any or all of the following ways.

  • Encourage students to stay away from classrooms and other public places until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
  • Encourage students to be proactive in avoiding and preparing for H1N1 and other kinds of flu. Remind them to
    • clean hands often, and sneeze/cough into inner elbow or tissue, not hands, in your classroom
    • exchange contact information with classmates
    • keep contact information at home for reporting illness to all instructors, academic advisors, and the Dean of Students Office (required for 3 or more days missed)
  • Explore innovative ways to increase the distances between students (such as moving desks apart or using more distance learning) to limit spread of disease. Ideally, there should be at least 6 feet between people at most times. If possible, consider increasing space between students by
    • holding class outdoors (weather permitting)
    • moving the class to a larger, vacant classroom (if available)
    • moving students into vacant seats to provide more distance

Planning

Realizing in advance that you may be facing a semester when more students than usual will be absent can be helpful. This allows you to engage in some advance planning as you design your course. Consider the following suggestions as you think ahead.

  • Review and, if necessary, revise your syllabus to allow for greater flexibility. For example
    • add language that warns students of possible adjustments throughout the semester due to “circumstances beyond our control”
    • include flu-friendly policies on attendance, missed exams, and late assignments. Keep in mind that recovering students will be behind in other classes as well
    • remember that a doctor’s notice for absences will not be available to most students, nor will it be required
  • Early in the semester, have students identify “flu friends” or “class contacts,” classmates who will take notes for them if they have to be absent.
  • Be prepared to answer more student inquiries than usual about special accommodations. Keep in mind that
    • student learning is the goal of every class; consider ways you can promote learning even if it means making exceptions or accommodations on a case-by-case basis
    • your time and effort are valuable too; don’t promise more than you can reasonably accomplish or provide
  • Remind students throughout the semester of your contingency plans.
  • Tell your students that you expect to be notified (in advance, if possible) if they will be absent. This requires making sure they know the best way to reach you outside of class.
  • Adjust assignments and assessments that can be completed either in or out of class or in either face-to-face or online environments.
  • Consider building flexible deadlines into your course schedule.

When Students are Absent

In the 21st century, students don’t have to be in a classroom to learn. Here are some suggestions for facilitating learning when your students must stay home.

  • Make sure that at least one student is taking notes that can be shared with absent classmates.
  • Maintain your daily routine for as long or as much as possible. This will be easier if you are a regular user of Blackboard. That way much of the material students need is already available from other locations.
  • If you’re not a regular user of Blackboard, request the emergency Blackboard course template and use it to supplement classroom communication, discussion, lecture delivery, assignment submission and grade communication.
  • Consider suspending classes and adjusting your courses when class attendance falls too low to allow meaningful in-class activity. This should be a last resort, and if you have to do it, you should also
    • review your learning outcomes for the course and revise your course calendar to move class sessions that cover optional or less vital material to the end of the semester; that way you can eliminate them if needed
    • provide ways for students to communicate and/or receive and submit class materials and communications electronically while class is suspended
    • remember that class should stay suspended for at least five to seven calendar days in order to allow time for recovery and to inhibit the spread of disease

If you have additional suggestions for preventing and planning for student absences or for working with students who miss class due to illness, please send them to us. We will use them to supplement the ideas we’ve provided above.