Planning for Disruption

As educators, we always hope that every class we teach will go smoothly according to the plan. Yet, sometimes that is not the case. What do you do when there’s a disruption — illness, inclement weather, public health emergency, or an unexpected situation on students’ side — and you have to adjust your plan? Plan for disruption!

Montclair State University has long sought to support students and their instructors when illness or other life events cause unanticipated absences from regular attendance.

As a general rule, if students find themselves in situations where they cannot attend class for an extended period of time, they can seek support from the Dean of Students (DOS).
- Instructors who have an attendance policy can use the “University Excused Absence” option in Canvas to indicate DOS excused absences for the days students are absent.
Faculty should not attempt to assess the validity of students’ requests for absence, nor provide health advice. Instructors should direct students to contact University Health Center (UHC) for medical questions, and to call or email the staff at the DOS for all other issues that might be raised as part of an appeal to be exempt from attending class.
COVID-19 Information is helpful in clarifying the University’s reliance on CDC guidelines.
Instructors can require students to consult with a University tutor at CAST if their attendance becomes a concern. CAST academic coaches can help students figure out what they need to do to keep up. They can assist students in reading your syllabus, notes, and expectations. To require tutoring, go to the Navigate platform via NEST and “Issue an alert.” Select “Tutoring needed.” This will effectively create a case that a tutor will handle directly, ensuring that you receive an update from the tutor by scrolling down your Navigate homepage to see status updates on the cases you’ve opened.
Assessment and evaluation (grading)

As instructors, our job is to evaluate students on their achievement of the learning objectives of our courses. All the structures we develop — absentee policies, requirements for collaboration and meeting deadlines, etc., — are designed to support student learning of the course objectives. Similarly, our assessments are designed to further learning and evaluate learning. Thus, the extent to which students demonstrate fulfillment of course learning objectives, regardless of their exact achievement of the individual elements of our courses, is what matters. Strong learning objectives and assessments enable us to fulfill our responsibilities as educators, and over-reliance on grading calculators and point systems may undercut our higher purpose. Use your judgment to be equitable, flexible, and focused on the high-level goals you have for learning in your course.

If a student acts in a way where you are immediately concerned for your safety, their safety, or the safety of others, call University Police at (973) 655-5222
Set clear expectations for behavior in the course in your syllabus and in your first class.
- Consider asking students to identify their own expectations for the course as well to generate buy-in
Address concerning or disruptive behavior early in the semester – don’t hold off in an effort to avoid conflict.
Submit an incident report or reach out to the Director of Student Conduct Chris Trautman about behaviors that you feel may violate the University Code of Conduct.
If comfortable, address the behavior with the student either in the moment or right after class.
Consult with your department chair and/or The Dean of Students Office if you are unsure of how to handle a situation
Some students benefit from clear instructions – ex: “if you raise your hand and I don’t call on you after five seconds, it means I want to hear from other voices and you can lower your hand.”
Submit a CARE report for students about whom you’re concerned

As educators, we aim to address controversial topics to help students develop the skills of empathic listening and productive participation in important conversations. Yet sometimes we need to think on our feet as we address unplanned situations that arise in our classrooms.

For suggestions on navigating political conversations in the classroom, see Political Discussions in the Classroom: Do’s and Don’ts.

When the University administration announces that all classes will be remote, and you are scheduled to teach on campus, take the following steps:

Adapt your lesson for online delivery — ideally via Zoom as it best approximates your in-person class plan.
Send an announcement via Canvas Announcements, letting students know of your plan. Communicate your intention to have a robust learning experience, and let them know how they should be prepared. Consider reminding them of Zoom Etiquette so students can prepare for on-camera, audio-ready attendance.
Review just a few tips for increasing success for teaching with Zoom, and consider sending these tips to your students. You can also send Canvas Zoom Guidance and Help.
Go get yourself a Montclair Zoom virtual background!
Take attendance by reviewing the Zoom squares, or by checking reports in Zoom.
Have more time? Read through the Synchronous Teaching Strategies provided by ITDS.

Instructors may choose to upload their slides, notes, handouts, discussion questions, answer keys, and other learning materials to Canvas. Doing so may benefit all students, and it will certainly benefit those who missed class.
Articulate make-up work expectations. Be sure to keep your focus on student learning. If for some students make-up work becomes significantly delayed, instructors may want to consider what specific assignments would be most instrumental to focus on to ensure those students’ success.
Teach your students to gather the information they missed from sources other than you, such as Canvas and their classmates. While instructors do their best to help students catch up, those are important skill for college students, and the classroom becomes more sustainable when students are able to collect that information early and start catching up independently.

Don’t leave an existing classroom issue unaddressed in hopes that it may resolve itself. Quite often, situations that disrupt student learning will only escalate as the semester progresses and the levels of stress continue to rise.
Don’t allow your caution around political topics to prevent you from addressing any hate speech or bullying if they take place in class.
Don’t change the modality of your course. While some students may request a change, and you may be tempted, modality is not up to faculty discretion. If you have specific concerns about your class, consult your chair. Experience has taught us that instructors may be pressured to change modalities. Resist the pressure!
Don’t try to assess the validity of students’ requests for absence when they are health-related; don’t provide health advice.
Don’t discuss absent students with other students. Health information is private.