Engineering update: Important memo to all instructors about contingency plans for online delivery

This message was originally sent to instructors in the Faculty of Engineering by Daniel Davison, associate dean, undergraduate studies.

Please see the attached memo from the VPAP concerning courses being taught this term, and the need to make contingency plans in case classes and exams are cancelled and have to move online. Highlights include the following:

• Instructors should have their contingency plans complete no later than Wed March 18.
• The university now has a resource page to help instructors prepare:  https://uwaterloo.ca/keep-learning/ (click on the links listed at the left).  The list of "tools" is clearly not exhaustive, and you may use other tools as you see fit.
• Don't count on the university being able to provide proctored remote final exams.  Come up with an alternative plan, which could include a take-home exam (perhaps with randomized questions), a re-weighting of assignments and midterms, etc. This can be tough -- talk to your colleagues to get ideas of what they're doing.
• Formal consensus with the class is no longer required.  Instead, students should be informed and given 48 hours to respond, and instructors must make a "good faith attempt" to mitigate any substantive issues brought up by the students.  You can contact all students in your class by emailing through LEARN.

Read the memo from James Rush, vice-president, academic and provost.