Return of the Masked Mavericks Fall brings a new approach to education By Amanda Dyslin '04
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hen it came to academics, feedback from faculty and students at the end of spring semester indicated a return to in-person instruction in some form was desired. “We were hearing from students that it was a tough semester,” said Interim Provost Matt Cecil. “We heard, overall, nationally from students that most of them don’t want a repeat of online semesters. They value the experience of working with faculty and other students.” Mark Johnson, vice president and CIO of IT Solutions at the University, worked with his team to develop a hybrid instruction model called FlexSync, a variation of similar hybrid, flexible models at other campuses. The in-person/online course-delivery model allows some students to be physically present in the classroom, while others interact remotely via Zoom. Some classes are solely in-person, such as some Theatre and Dance classes and science labs. Others are completely online. For the FlexSync courses, staff worked over the summer to install all the necessary equipment and technology into 120 classrooms; classrooms have also been reset with fewer desks and chairs to ensure appropriate social distancing. Academic Affairs also completely rebuilt the fall course schedule, which includes about 3,700 classes. “The main thing is we wanted to emphasize student choice– to give students a choice of how they want to attend a synchronous class,” Cecil said. “We’ve focused on making these the best possible experiences and not just getting by.” Guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota State system informed the University's plan for reacting to possible outbreaks once students returned. If transmission of the virus escalates to dangerous levels in 16
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the fall and winter months, course delivery could move back online. “Everything in this pandemic is evolving,” Cecil said. Kristi Treinen, Communications Studies professor, said she was stressed but excited to implement FlexSync this fall. “For me, what it’s going to do is allow me to still have a faceto-face option with students,” she said. Treinen said caps on classroom capacity mean there are about 10 students on average in her rooms at a time, which allows both students and faculty to feel much safer. Yet the teleconferencing allows her to continue teaching many more students in a more direct, face-to-face manner. “I was just happy to have the FlexSync option because I don’t want to teach all online,” she said. “I’m really hoping this will be the way to go.”
Advising and Registration University Advising already was in a state of transition when COVID-19 hit, having recently moved under the umbrella of the division of Student Success, Analytics and Integrated Planning. So in the midst of all the accompanying logistical change, the virus hit the reset button. Advising students who might need extra help academically or who have questions about what courses to choose occurred mostly in person on campus, with drop-ins welcome. Some advising was done by phone, but online tools weren’t part of the regular practice, said Sara Granberg-Rademacker, interim director of University Advising. When everyone was ordered to work from home after Spring Break, everything changed. “Thank goodness for IT. We had to get student record info, use different platforms and be able to access those from home,” Granberg-Rademacker said. “Initially, our biggest
