As the spread of COVID-19 continues, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has taken additional steps to help protect the university and broader community. University officials announced March 12 that in-person classes will be suspended beginning March 16, and will be transitioned to remote access.

In order to assist the transition to remote access, the university has canceled classes March 16-20. After spring break, beginning March 30, all classes will be taught remotely and will no longer be taught in-person. Faculty are encouraged to use this time to take the necessary steps for teaching remotely.

Options for online instruction include:

• Delivering course material via Canvas
• Using a combination of email, Canvas announcements and Canvas inbox to communicate with students
• Recording lectures in advance, either with video or audio, and posting them in Canvas
• Allowing assignments to be submitted digitally through Canvas
• Giving students who were expected to make in-class presentations a substitute assignment that can be completed digitally
• Replacing in-class exams with an assignment that can be completed remotely
• Considering an alternative to an in-class final exam that can be completed digitally

Step-by-step tutorials for the options listed above are available on Nebraska’s COVID-19 website. An additional guide is available on the Center for Transformative Teaching website.

Faculty members are also encouraged to complete a readiness check, found on Nebraska’s COVID-19 website, to assess their ability to work remotely.

The university understands that not every option will work for every teaching environment, including some experiential learning courses such as labs and clinics. Those with questions can reach out to their department chair and instructional design specialist in their college, or contact the Center for Transformative Teaching.

For additional information or to voice concerns, email covid19@unl.edu.