March 19, 2020

Dear CLASS students,

A lot has changed in our world in the past two weeks and I am sure you have a lot of questions, especially about your classes; I am writing to answer some of those questions. We realize this is a trying time, but we also realize that the skills you are developing as a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are preparing you for this challenge. Your ability to adapt, think critically, solve problems, and manage difficult circumstances to accomplish goals will allow you to succeed during this time of transition and help you be prepared to meet real-world challenges upon graduation. The situation on our campus and globally is rapidly changing but we are confident you are well prepared to meet this challenge.

Thank you for your patience as our faculty and staff have worked to create a plan to shift your instruction for the remainder of the semester. Your health and safety are our top priority. In order to ensure your academic experience remains of the highest quality, it was important that we take this time to prepare.

A complete list of how each of your courses will be delivered is posted at https://learnanywhere.unt.edu. For classes that were fully online before spring break, instruction continues on the original schedule as planned. For online class that had scheduled face-to-face activities, your instructor will make you aware of any modifications. For blended learning or face-to-face classes, the missed week will be made up over the rest of the semester.

In many cases, your faculty will be using Canvas and/or Zoom to provide you with as rich a learning experience as possible. You can learn more about each of these tools at https://online.unt.edu/learn. For the limited number of classes that will continue to meet on campus, we will us social distancing to structure them for student and faculty safety.

Your professors will contact you by Friday, March 20 to let you know what is going to happen with your classes between now and the end of the semester. If you have particular concerns or questions about any of your classes, please reach out to your instructor through email or the Canvas portal. You can learn more about UNT’s response to COVID-19 at https://healthalerts.unt.edu/. The website is updated regularly with the latest information.

I know you are likely to have many questions. Your instructor is the first line of communication, and is ready to support you. Our advising team will be available for the rest of the semester, and you can talk to them online or by phone. I will be holding a Zoom office hour on Friday, March 20 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM CST where you can ask questions (here’s the invitation link), and I will schedule additional opportunities going forward.

Thank you for your patience and persistence as we navigate new modes of instruction. We are committed to the health and safety of everyone in our community and we will continue to provide high quality instruction so you can succeed, progress, and achieve your academic goals. Keep your CLASSy attitude and have a successful finish.

Sincerely,
Tamara L. Brown, PhD
Executive Dean
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences