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Faculty Offered Options on Remaking Missed Undergraduate Classes

By Duke Today Staff

A season of severe weather may mean students will return to classes on the weekend later this semester.

With a pair of snowstorms leading to more than three days of cancelled undergraduate classes at Duke, undergraduate education officials are encouraging faculty to take a flexible approach to making up missed course time, which may mean special online sessions or weekend classes.

Lee Baker, dean of academic affairs of Trinity College; Linda Franzoni, associate dean for undergraduate education in the Pratt School; and Steve Nowicki, dean of undergraduate education, decided the procedure over the weekend. The administration "will try to empower faculty with the tools, time and classrooms to make up missed class periods.”

Some faculty members may decide that they can get through the curriculum by consolidating material in the remaining class periods.  But if additional classes are necessary, Nowicki suggested options.

* The Center for Instructional Technology can provide a consultant to help the faculty member plan and develop content for an online class session to cover missed material.  More information can be found here.

* If necessary Nowicki said staff with work with faculty members to schedule additional class sessions.  Some makeup classes may not be placed in the same location where the class is presently assigned, but Nowicki said, "we will attempt to assign the class to its present location."

The concern about additional classes is that instructors will create conflicts with other make-up sessions.  To avoid conflicts, Nowicki said undergraduate class instructors must submit requests in advance and should attempt to assign the class for its normally scheduled time on the following dates:

  • Classes cancelled on Wednesday, Jan. 29, will be made up on Saturday, March 22.
  • Classes cancelled on Wednesday, Feb. 12, will be made up on Sunday, Feb. 23.
  • Classes cancelled on Thursday, Feb. 13, will be made up on Saturday, March 29.
  • Classes cancelled on Friday, Feb. 14, will be made up on Friday, April 25.

To assist in the scheduling, requests for additional classes should be sent to tcscheduler@duke.edu no later than Feb. 19.