Off campus for a few weeks

[hester]

Hello,

 Have any adjuncts moved classes online for a few sessions if you were not on campus?

If so, did you get dept chair approval or just tell students?

School is rigid about who can teach online.

Most online courses are taught by full timers.

Thanks

[lightning]

Our adjuncts (and everyone else, for that matter) only have to inform our unit chair via email.

[sinenomine]

Our adjuncts (and everyone else, for that matter) only have to inform our unit chair via email.

Same for my school. As a chair and then dean, I appreciate faculty being up front about it.

[fishbrains]

You would need approval from our chair (and she would probably not think twice about saying "yes").

Should a student complain, the chair would not like to be surprised by it.

[Sun_Worshiper]

You'd technically need approval at my place. But you wouldn't be the first to do it without the go ahead.

[the_geneticist]

Here, you need to teach a class "as listed in [classes.com]".  If your class is listed as in-person, then you need special permission from your chair first to change to any sort of online or remote instruction.

[EdnaMode]

At my institution, no faculty, whether TT or adjunct, are allowed to teach remotely (whether synchronous or asynchronous) more than a certain percentage (25%, maybe?) of a course that is listed in the catalog as an in-person course. I will tell my chair if I will be away from campus for more than a day or two, even if I have made arrangements for my courses. That way if any of the students don't pay attention to Canvas and go to him to ask why I'm not in the classroom or lab, he knows that it's on them, not me, to figure out what's going on. 

[jerseyjay]

What is the class, how long will you be away from campus, and why?

If it is only one or two classes, I think most chairs would be happy that you're not just cancelling the class.

If it is several weeks, then people might get annoyed.

If it is a lecture class, then an online period is probably not so bad as a class that requires hands-on activities.

If it is because you are recovering from illness or operation, then it would probably go over better than if you are taking a cruise.

My advice is to email the chair and the secretary, because you don't want the chair to be taken by surprise and you want the secretary to be able to respond if a student (despite a million announcements) shows up to the classroom and finds it empty.

[Mobius]

There would be a problem at my place with a few weeks unless it's surgery or illness. FT faculty couldn't do that.

[Puget]

One or two days is fine and would not need to tell anyone (heck, a lot of us cancel, err give an alternative assignment, for a class for conference travel). "A few weeks" meaning multiple class sessions, no go, unless there were really extenuating circumstances (like medical ones)-- in person classes are required to meet in person.

[bio-nonymous]

One or two days is fine and would not need to tell anyone (heck, a lot of us cancel, err give an alternative assignment, for a class for conference travel). "A few weeks" meaning multiple class sessions, no go, unless there were really extenuating circumstances (like medical ones)-- in person classes are required to meet in person.

I agree, shifting to online for a couple of classes over the semester is one thing, especially if letting the dept. chair know--e.g., "I am under the weather, and may be contagious, but feel OK enough to record a lecture to preserve the class structure" or "I going to an academic conference and will miss that Friday lecture, so I intend to substitute a virtual lesson on that day". Missing a week or more of class is another. Classes here have designations of "in-person", "hybrid <50% online", "hybrid >50% online" and "100% online"--and the course is supposed to follow that designation. I agree with Puget that a major medical event would probably be an acceptable excuse around here to miss that much time from the classroom. In any event a discussion with the program director or department chair would definitely be needed to miss a large amount of time, whatever the reason, and might involve some negotiations (finding someone else teaching the missed lessons in person, etc.).

[AmLitHist]

There would be a problem at my place with a few weeks unless it's surgery or illness. FT faculty couldn't do that.

Same here. It would be a firing offence for "changing course delivery modality without authorization."  I caught all manner of hell for doing it for 2 days of a F2F class a couple of years ago--even though I'd done so multiple times in the past with no problems. In each case, I'd told my chair in advance (the rationale being, if I can put the content and activities for them online and keep them engaged and working, rather than cancelling for a week, it's better to have the continuity). The most recent time, though, it hit the fan.

Of course, many of you here, and particularly the OP, likely work in more reasonable places than I.

EDIT:  the "without authorization" apparently means "under no circumstances ever, no matter which supervisor OKs the change."

[ciao_yall]

There would be a problem at my place with a few weeks unless it's surgery or illness. FT faculty couldn't do that.

Same here. It would be a firing offence for "changing course delivery modality without authorization."  I caught all manner of hell for doing it for 2 days of a F2F class a couple of years ago--even though I'd done so multiple times in the past with no problems. In each case, I'd told my chair in advance (the rationale being, if I can put the content and activities for them online and keep them engaged and working, rather than cancelling for a week, it's better to have the continuity). The most recent time, though, it hit the fan.

Of course, many of you here, and particularly the OP, likely work in more reasonable places than I.

EDIT:  the "without authorization" apparently means "under no circumstances ever, no matter which supervisor OKs the change."

The problem isn't the well-engaged, active instructor who occasionally gets sick or has an emergency.

The problem is the instructor who constantly "puts class online this week" with a video and robo-quiz.

[kaysixteen]

Do students desirous of a real, ftf class,for which they have signed up, ever actually complain when professors abuse this post-covid ability to switch classes to online?

[ciao_yall]

Do students desirous of a real, ftf class,for which they have signed up, ever actually complain when professors abuse this post-covid ability to switch classes to online?

If they made the effort to schlep to campus.

If they had a friend/crush they were looking forward to seeing.

If they had questions for the instructor.

The occasional break is fine. But signing up for an in-person class means that's the experience the student wanted.