Month: March 2020

Dear Chico State Faculty,

I want to acknowledge your extraordinary work during this pedagogical transition. To support your ongoing efforts, the Office of Faculty Development will host an optional “Virtual Faculty Learning Community (VFLC)” via Zoom on Thursday mornings from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. for the rest of the semester. This is a time for faculty to connect with one another, ask questions, share ideas, and raise concerns. We will spend the first 15 minutes discussing the most up-to-date resources and tools available to you. The remaining 45 minutes will be spent engaged in conversations about topics that you want to discuss with each other. Examples could include administering online final exams, maintaining a sense of community for students online, or staying healthy during this process. Bring your questions and ideas!

Sessions will be NOT be recorded but we will sum up any resources mentioned on the FDEV website. This VFLC is totally voluntary and there is no compensation. You are free to arrive late, leave early, or just be present for any portion of the session that your schedule allows.

-Josh

Our jobs and our lives have changed significantly in the past two weeks.

Below are a list of resources to support your transition to alternative teaching formats. If you would like to share your thoughts about teaching resources you need, questions you have, or ideas you’d like to share with others, let us know here.

Resources for Chico State Faculty

• Tuesday Tips Archives
• TLP’s Keep Teaching resource page
• Resources from the Virtual Keep Teaching Conference on 3/23/20
• Faculty FAQs regarding virtual teaching tools
• Library Copyright Statement and Fair Use for Remote Teaching
• Zoom chat available with Chico State Librarians

• Free Webinar on Equity-Minded Virtual Teaching on 3/26 at 10 a.m. hosted by CORA
• Free Webinar on Equity and Inclusion in Online Learning on 3/27 at 10 a.m. hosted by AAC&U
• Free Chico State Virtual Sustainability Conference 3/26 – 3/27 (may be a good event for your students to join)

To learn efficiently, students must be healthy. And to teach effectively, faculty must be healthy. If you’re sick with a cold or flu and need to stay home and rest, you can get medicine to manage your symptoms at a reduced priced. Thanks to the campus WellCat Health Center, faculty can get over-the-counter drugs (generic in some cases) for a fraction of the retail price. For example, you can purchase Nyquil for $2.17, Robitussin for $1.85, Advil for $1.85, or Multi-vitamins for $1.85. A complete list of over 100 medicines and supplements on the pharmacy medication list are available at the pharmacy window during normal business hours.

If you’re not sick but need a “mental wellness” day off, consider taking the one Personal Holiday that all faculty are entitled to each year (see CBA 33.3).