Responses have been approved by the Building Northern Committee and were last updated on 8/24/2020.

General Academic Questions

  • Currently, classes will be delivered as they are designated in the Banner course schedule – F2F or online.
  • Classes will start August 31.
  • Class meetings will be increased by 5 minutes (e.g., 50 minutes will be 55 minutes)
  • The last day of regular class meetings will be Tuesday, November 24.
  • Monday, November 30 will be a study day.
  • Finals week will be remote and will run from December 1 to December 7 (Tuesday to Monday).
  • Tuesday, December 8th will be an if-needed make-up day for finals.
  • To meet Dept of Ed guidelines, 2 additional alternately-delivered class hours will occur sometime between Aug 31 and Nov 24.

These dates, along with add, drop, and withdraw deadlines, are outlined in the Fall 2020 academic calendar. Please note the altered Finals Week schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: Residence halls will be closing on November 25th. An application will be made available early in the semester for students who would like to request to remain in campus housing after the halls have closed. For more information, contact the Dean of Students.

The grade submission area in MyInfo will be open November 24th and will close at noon on Friday, December 11th.

Yes; while the semester timeline has been modified, the number of contact hours and course objectives remain the same.

Not at this time, but we will re-evaluate the situation at midterm.

As per the catalog and the student handbook, an incomplete indicates that the work of the course is more than three-fourths complete, not finished, but may be completed. An incomplete is given only to a student who has a valid reason for not having completed all the requirements of a course. The faculty member and student must arrange to complete the work prior to the ending of the following term. Arrangements must be completed in the next resident semester, or the "I" is changed to an "F." If the student is not in residence, two semesters are given to complete the work, or the incomplete becomes an "F." The final grade for the course will replace the notation of "I" in the semester in which the course was originally registered, and the credit for the course will be counted in that semester. The final grade will affect the grade point average of that semester, just as if the work had originally been completed in that semester.

The most important takeaway is the student and faculty member should both agree that an Incomplete is the best option for the student.

If you have a student who needs to complete incomplete work in Brightspace, please contact the Office of Teaching and Learning Excellence to ensure the student has access to the course beyond the end of the semester.

There is some room to allow a student to take the Incomplete, when it is in the best interest of both the faculty member and the student. Students only have one semester to complete the course if they are concurrently enrolled, and this may not be feasible for the student or faculty member.

If the student has extenuating circumstances they may apply for an Exception to the Late Withdrawal Deadline. This would allow them to request a withdrawal (W) if the date has passed.

If you have questions, please contact the Registrar at registrar@msun.edu.

Yes; however, an exception would need to be made if a student has an accommodation approved through Accessibility Services.

Please contact Human Resources and your academic dean to determine the appropriate accommodation.

Follow the guidelines provided in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Please see suggested syllabus language, which was drafted by OTLE in conjunction with faculty attending summer workshops. These have been reviewed and approved by the Covid Response Team and Building Northern Committee.

Faculty have shared course timeline examples that they are including with their syllabi.


Classroom Health and Safety Questions

Here is the face covering policy. If students have an accommodation to wear a face shield rather than a mask, you will be notified by Accessibility Services.

If a student does not comply, please follow these protocols.

All classrooms have been set up with tables and chairs spaced appropriately for social distancing. Seating charts are required by the health department to allow for contact tracing (and minimal exposure) should anyone in the class become ill. Faculty will need to establish social distancing protocol in lab situations through classroom management (numbered stations, dividers, etc).

Seating charts will need to be submitted to your College Administrator. Please see the seating chart guidance document for more direction, including how to name the seating chart files.

Classrooms have been stocked with disinfectant supplies. Please send your request to James Corner, Custodial Supervisor.

The self-screening language will be communicated to students in weekly reminders from the Dean of Students Office, through the MSUN COVID-19 website, and through a banner at the top of the main www.msun.edu webpage that encourages students and faculty to self-screen daily. 

Students who are sick or showing symptoms must stay home and should contact Student Health Services at (406) 265-3599 or call the local flu clinic at (406) 262-1570.

We will not necessarily know if/when a campus member tests positive, as that information is protected by HIPAA. A positive case will be communicated to the health department by the individual's health care provider.

The health department handles all contact tracing and will work with both the Dean of Students and the Director of Human Resources if they need contact information. The health department will contact individuals who are deemed close contacts to the person who has tested positive. In general, a close contact is someone with whom the positive person has been in contact for more than 15 minutes and at a distance less than 6 feet.

Faculty cannot request or collect medical information from students, as that information is protected by HIPAA. All faculty need to be prepared to deliver remote learning (synchronous or asynchronous) in the case that students are unable to return to class.

If a student needs an extended absence from class, please direct the student to Accessibility Services.

If the student has been diagnosed or quarantined due to exposure, the health department will work with that student to determine when they are released. They must be 24-hour symptom-free (without medication).

If a student is absent, please submit an Early Alert so that student may be connected to the appropriate resources and assistance.

 

Please see suggested syllabus language, which was drafted by OTLE in conjunction with faculty attending summer workshops. These have been reviewed and approved by the Covid Response Team and Building Northern Committee.


Classroom and Instructional Technology Questions

From the main msun.edu page, click on "Faculty & Staff" in the top left and then on the "Faculty Resources" tab to the middle of the page. The "Covid-19 Resources" section includes a classroom technology map at the link called "Classroom Technologies and Social Distancing Capacities."

A contact information sheet will be placed on the top or side of each classroom podium so that instructors can quickly call for assistance if issues arise with classroom technology.

OTLE has a list of hardware equipment available for checkout on their technology request form. See the "Instructional Technology" page on the OTLE website as well for more information on various teaching tools (hardware and software) that might be able to fulfill your needs.

If you would like to request technology or technology training that is not available here, please consult with OTLE.