Several UCA classes held synchronous Zoom meetings when synchronous instruction was canceled due to winter weather.
The UCA “Instructional Continuity during Inclement Weather Events Policy” linked in the campus-wide emails announcing remote instruction states: “Classes that are normally delivered face-to-face will be limited to asynchronous options. Keeping instruction asynchronous is important in this context because we do not want to disenfranchise students who do not have the necessary technology available.”
The policy also states that hybrid classes can hold synchronous online instructions and online classes will continue, but several students reported to The Echo instances of traditional classes holding synchronous Zoom meetings during Jan. 16-18.
Students in SPAN 1320 Elementary Spanish II, MUS 4311 Intro to Linear Analysis and ENGL 4340 Major Authors: Samuel Beckett reported their classes holding synchronous Zoom meetings.
All three classes are listed as traditional instruction in the UCA course catalog.
When asked if the classes violated UCA’s remote learning policy, Provost Patricia Poulter said, “This is a conversation the student(s) involved should have directly with the course instructor, and if there seems to be a disconnect with the policy that is unresolved by that conversation, the student(s) should contact the department chair.”
“I believe the remote instruction policy is straightforward,” Poulter said.
The policy does not contain anything stating that department chairs can allow departments to hold synchronous meetings during inclement weather for traditional classes.
In the inclement weather announcement email stating that remote instruction would remain in place for Jan. 18, the president’s office said, “While many main roads have returned to normal or are clearing, there are still many secondary routes that remain hazardous and provide challenges to commuters.”
UCA Director of Media Relations Fredricka Sharkey said, “The President’s Office consults with UCAPD, monitors the National Weather Service, Arkansas Department of Transportation and iDrive, and several other sources to determine the weather and possible road and bridge conditions and power outages for students, faculty, and staff who might have to travel to campus.”
“The safety and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff are of utmost importance, so each of these groups is considered when deciding what operational plan to employ during inclement weather,” Sharkey said.