It’s only been three months, but the start of the Fall 2020 semester seems like lightyears ago. The priority, then and now, is to maximize a safe and healthy environment for us to teach, work, learn and live in. Although the decision was made to move learning off-campus early in the Fall semester, the foundation was laid in ConnectCarolina to help staff manage information about COVID-related changes to the academic calendar, class schedules, course details and more.
Last summer, the ConnectCarolina Student Administration team, led by Maribel Carrion, rose to meet the challenge of collecting, coding and providing updated information to students, faculty and staff. That included changes such as:
- a compressed academic calendar,
- longer instructional days to allow extra time for students to travel between on-campus classes,
- reassigning classrooms to meet COVID-19 capacity recommendations, and
- the addition of new ways for faculty to deliver instruction.
ConnectCarolina, as the system of record for the University, is the place where all this updated information resides. Did you know that moving the Fall 2021 term start date from August 18 to August 10 led to nearly 11,000 updates to the start dates of classes? It also meant more than 40,000 updates to student records, because each class they registered for had to be updated with the date changes, and each time the mode of instruction changed.
The team is now building on that foundation to prepare for Spring 2021 registration and the start of the semester. Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at what the Student Administration team is working on.
Updated the Modes of Instruction & Class Details page
- The team updated the Class Details page for each course with information received from departments about how their faculty plans to deliver instruction.
- The modes of instruction have changed for Spring 2021 and include:
| In–Person On Campus | In-person class meetings days and times with some possible virtual learning |
| In-Person On Campus and Remote | In-person class meetings days and times with option for fully remote learners |
| Remote Only- Synchronous | Remote only. At least one session a week at a specific day and time |
| Remote Only – Mostly Asynchronous | Remote only. Most sessions are not on a specific day and time |
| Remote Only – All Asynchronous | Remote only. No sessions are on a specific day and time |
Developed a Class Features page
- The new Class Features page shows information about how the class will be delivered plus information to help students balance their class schedule. Faculty also have the option to upload documents with more details, like the class syllabus, the weighted components of the class, or an estimated cost for supplies. Faculty participation is optional, so detailed information will not be available for all courses.
Added Student Housing Status to ConnectCarolina
- For the first time, staff in the Office of the University Registrar and Office of Financial Aid will now be able to monitor student housing contract status in ConnectCarolina. The new Student Housing page allows Financial Aid processors to consider where a student is living when they package or repackage financial aid. For example, if a student is living at home and taking all their classes remotely, they will not get a housing allowance in their aid package.
This is just a small fraction of the work going on, so stayed tuned for another spotlight on the Student Administration team in future issues of the ConnectCarolina Newsletter.