The following message was sent to all Mines students on 3/20/20:
Dear Mines Students:
I understand the current situation is stressful and has created new challenges for many of you. Please know that we are here to help and support you. We will get through this together, as Orediggers.
Things may feel a bit uncertain right now and you are likely feeling a little anxious about how your classes will function for the remainder of the semester. Trust me, your instructors feel the same way right now. As we all work through the new world of remote learning, please be patient with yourself, your classmates, your family and your instructors.
Here is some information that we hope will help you prepare for the start of remote learning on Monday, March 30:
Technology
The majority of your courses will be conducted through Canvas and Zoom. You should already have access to all your courses in Canvas and please know that your instructors are working very hard to adjust assignments and build out new resources for every course. Some materials might not yet be “published” (be visible), so don’t fret yet if you don’t see something. Additional resources will be added to each course as the classes are launched.
Class Meeting Times
The majority of your courses will likely run “live,” meaning you will be expected to connect during the days and times your class would normally meet (in Mountain Time), so you can begin to plan your schedule.
Your instructors will send connection details in the coming week. For Zoom sessions your instructors will email you meeting ID’s for the lectures and office hours specific to each course. If you haven’t heard from an instructor by Friday, March 27, please contact them directly.
All sessions will be automatically recorded and your instructors will post the recordings in your Canvas course for later review and reference. Some of the live sessions will be predominately discussions, while others might feel more like a webinar, so if possible, please attend the live versions of each class.
What if I can’t participate in real-time?
If you are not able to participate in real-time, please let your instructors know. We recognize that for a variety of circumstances, some of you may not be able to participate in real-time (e.g., because you are located in a very different time zone or you are caring for others). This is OK, and we have asked instructors to work with you to figure out alternatives, including watching the recorded version of the course.
A few courses will run asynchronously, meaning you won’t have to connect live except perhaps for office hours. In these courses, you will have assignments and tasks to work on with clear deadlines. You can work on these assignments with more flexible schedules, but you will still want to get everything submitted on time. Your instructors will share details as soon as they are firmed up.
What can I do in advance to prepare?
If you are not comfortable navigating in Canvas or Zoom, you can find guides and tutorials on the Trefny Center’s new student-facing page: https://online.mines.edu/keeplearning/. You can view a short tutorial on joining a Zoom meeting HERE. You should familiarize yourself with Zoom meetings before your first class so that you are ready to go when the class starts.
If you have any technical difficulties, you can get assistance within the Canvas course or by calling the new ITS Hotline at (303) 384-2345 between 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Mountain Time (MT) Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. MT Saturday and Sunday.
Please work with your instructors as they strive to meet your educational needs as we wrap up the semester in these unprecedented times. Be sure to connect with your Mines peers through remote options to support each other, study and maintain the Mines learning community. If you encounter issues that can’t be resolved via the hotline or by your instructors, please reach out to your advisor or your program’s Department Head.
We are here to support you as best as we can while operating as a remote campus. We will keep you posted as new information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Rick Holz
Provost and Professor