Academic Continuance in Case Of Contagion

Jonathan P. Mathews

About Penn State• Formed 1855• Land Grant Institution• 25 Campus Locations• >90,000 Students (total)• 42,294 at University Park

(Main Campus)• 6,267 being graduate

students• 160 Majors• 7,000 undergraduate courses• 157 graduate programs at 5

Campus Locations• And a World Campus (5,009

students) (6% growth last year)

• 15 Colleges• 5,439 full time faculty*,

2,600 part time (*non-administration)

“One University geographically dispersed”

Student Body & Pandemic

• Need to protect the PSU name, students, and revenue (to ensure continuance)

• WEB Classes can play a role

• World Campus can play a role

• But can not accommodate the 7,000 courses or the 44,000 + students at University Park or 42,000 other students at other campus locations-currently

• We all need to pitch in (assuming we are able to do so)

Can we carry on in case of pandemic?

Should we? Time frame?

How can we recover/restart a semester?

What About Web Classes?

e-Learning Cooperative?

Flow of Courses from Campus to Campus in the e-Learning Cooperative

• largest PSU campus

• Established 1998• Sole delivery channel for non-campus students

• Profit sharing• Marketing (& market research)

• Student services• Technical support

“World Campus”

Who is Teaching Online (WEB)?

5,439 full time faculty*, 2,600 part time (*non-administration), 3,000 full time at UP

Snowday ApproachesRapid Online Responses to Academic Interruptions-Longer term Solution

Special 6-Week Mostly GenEd Semester (if we are

unprepared)• If the University was to cancel classes:

– Keep World Campus Open

• Special 6-week* semester of only existing WEB classes via CMS (ANGEL), same as summer schedule

• Massive increase in enrollment capacity via using additional faculty (voluntary)

• 6-weeks is defined time period (long enough for pandemic to take its course?)

• Restart the previous existing semester after with adjustments (faculty availability | semester length)

• Faculty continue to mentor graduate students online• Revenue is protected (no need to cancelled a semester)

• *Typical Semester is 15 weeks

Acknowledgements

• Stephen Abrams• Jeanie Andrews Paula Milone-Nuzzo, • Diane Brannon Margaret E. Spear• John Harwood Susan Welch• Linda C. Higginson

ReginaVasilatosYounken• Ronald L. Jackson II Patricia Mills• Janet May David DiBiase• Cole Camplese