OHIO President Nellis and Provost Sayrs: A message for students on this historic day

On what is an historic day in the 216-year history of Ohio University, President M. Duane Nellis recorded this message of thanks and support to the students, faculty, staff and alumni who have come together during an unprecedented time to continue to teach, to learn, and to serve our communities and each other.

“Just a few weeks ago, we were all very busy with our work and studies. We could not have imagined the challenges that we would be facing right now. In this time of crisis, it has been inspiring to see how our University Community has worked together.”

Important Information From Ohio University's Executive Vice President and Provost

Information About Transitioning to Remote Learning

Dear Students,

We are excited that classes will be back in session starting today, and that we will once again come together as a community of learning as you continue your progress toward your educational goals. Our faculty having been working diligently throughout the extended spring break to be ready to welcome you back to their virtual classrooms. We also know that while many students are already comfortable learning in an online environment, for some students, the transition to taking all courses online will take some time to get used to.  

Here are some changes we have made to help you transition to online courses:  

• The date to withdraw from (drop) a class has been extended from March 27 to April 24, 2020, the day before the last day of classes. (Classes with alternative schedules have had their withdraw dates extended to the day before their last day of classes as well.) This will give you additional time to adjust to remote teaching and learning before you have to make any decisions about dropping a class.
• Academic advising for fall semester registration will now begin on Monday, March 30, 2020. Fall Semester priority registration will begin on Monday, April 6, 2020. Watch for an email from the University Registrar with your enrollment appointment time and more information about preparing for advising.
• We are exploring the expansion of pass/fail options for classes beyond what is normally available. We anticipate sharing more information about this in the coming week. 
• Additional remote learning support and resources are available at Ohio University’s Keep Learning website.
• As you can imagine, we’ve received a lot of questions from students, faculty, and staff over the last two weeks. We’ve tried to capture some of the most common concerns in Frequently Asked Questions, organized by audience or topic. You will find FAQs at https://www.ohio.edu/coronavirus, and they are updated frequently.

One FAQ that is being added today — “How do I get academic support, like tutoring, writing support, or academic coaching?” — contains links to many academic support services that you are already accustomed to, such as tutoring, writing support, college study skills coaching, supplemental instruction for high challenge courses, and student accessibility services. These services will remain available remotely. If you have not used these services before, this might be the time to reach out for help (see the end of this message for more information).

We have asked faculty to reach out to the students in their classes as we come together again this week. If you have not heard from your instructor by Wednesday, March 25, please reach out to them, and if necessary, contact the designated remote teaching coordinator for your college. Click this link to find your college’s Remote Teaching Coordinator. 

I know this is not the second half of the semester that any of us anticipated, and we will all need to adjust to new ways of teaching and learning to thrive under these extraordinary circumstances. We are here to support you as you transition to online learning and reengage with your professors, staff, and your fellow Bobcats.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Sayrs

Executive Vice President and Provost

New FAQ

Q: How do I get academic support, like tutoring, writing support, or academic coaching?

A: You can continue to access academic support services in the following ways:

Athens Campus: 

Peer tutoring, the Student Writing Center, college study skills coaching, and supplemental instruction are still available. Please visit our website at https://www.ohio.edu/uc/aac/tutoring-services or the Keep-Learning website at https://www.ohio.edu/university-continuity/keep-learning/get-started. Student accessibility services information can be found at: https://www.ohio.edu/uc/sas.

Regional Campuses: 

Each regional campus is prepared to provide remote student support services. Visit the campus coronavirus response page for campus resources and contact information:  

• Chillicothe www.ohio.edu/chillicothe/coronavirus
• Eastern www.ohio.edu/eastern/coronavirus
• Lancaster www.ohio.edu/lancaster/coronavirus
• Southern www.ohio.edu/southern/coronavirus
• Zanesville www.ohio.edu/zanesville/coronavirus 

eCampus: 

Academic support for eCampus students continues at https://www.ohio.edu/ecampus/student-knowledge-center/services/.