Contingency Planning and Preparedness
In the event of any extended suspension of on-campus activites and classes, our goal is to minimize the disruption to instruction by fully utilizing campus technology services that can be accessed remotely.
In the spirit of preparedness, offices across the campus are now compiling documentation and guidance on how to access and leverage the many valuable resources we already have at our disposal.
We will continue to keep the campus apprised of available technology resources, but here are some key areas it is beneficial to have in mind:
During an extended suspension of on-campus activites and classes, the Blackboard Learning Management System will be the core resource to provide course content, lecture materials, and assignments. Through the Blackboard LMS, all faculty and students also have access to Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, a web-conferencing program that can be used for video communication.
Be assured, all courses already have a course shell in Blackboard that can be utilized at any point in the semester and students are automatically enrolled in appropriate shells. If you have not used Blackboard before, guidance and training will be offered (see below) and we encourage to you begin familiarizing yourself with the system now.
However, in addition to Blackboard, there are many other technology resources you should consider to remain connected to campus:
Many of these resources may be new to many faculty and staff, but training is available. In addition to already scheduled Blackboard and Instructional Technology trainings for the Spring 2020 semester, additional trainings will be offered over the upcoming weeks on topics relevant to remote access.
Continue checking the OIT Events Page for both existing and new events and monitor your email for additional announcements as new workshops are added.
Documentation on these services is also provided in the Information Technology Services (ITS) knowledge base. Staff are compiling guidance on the tools and services that would be most relevant for use during an extended suspension of on-campus activites and classes and these comprehensive resources will be available soon. The ITS knowledge base is available online from any location and most resources feature detailed walk-throughs, screenshots, or videos as appropriate.
If any extended suspension of on-campus activites and classes should occur, technology updates will be provided through the following methods:
ITS is committed to supporting the campus population in the most timely and effective way possible. In the event of a extended suspension of on-campus activites and classes, all requests for support and training, as well as all issue reporting, can be made through our support site at support.newpaltz.edu.
Maintaining a single point of contact will assist ITS to address support needs in an orderly way; triage issues effectively; and reallocate support staff, as necessary.
