You have designed your course carefully, aiming to guide your students toward achieving important learning outcomes. When you plan for continuity of learning, you ensure that your students will stay engaged in learning and continue to make progress toward outcomes, even when disruptions occur. Your commitment to continuity of learning signals to your students that you are focused on supporting their learning, no matter what challenges arise. 

As you develop a continuity of learning plan, here are some key questions and ideas to consider:  

• Focus on learning objectives. If you need to cancel an on-campus class meeting, your first instinct might be to offer the same class online in Zoom. Pause to reflect on your learning objectives for the class meeting and whether other options might be more effective than replicating your original plan in Zoom. For example, perhaps you can design an asynchronous activity that engages students in the learning objectives you have in mind.  

• Consider students’ access to technology. As you plan for continuity of learning, consider how your plans may create challenges for students who have limited access to technology. For example, moving an on-campus class to Zoom may present challenges for students whose Internet access is unreliable or provides insufficient bandwidth to handle video calls. If your continuity of learning plan requires students to use technology, is it possible to use a familiar technology that students have already used in your class? If not, what kinds of support might they need in order to get started with the new technology?     

• Communicate early. Include a continuity of learning plan in your syllabus so students will know what to expect if your class experiences a disruption. Make sure you tell students how you will communicate with them about any changes in your course. In the event of a disruption, contact students early—even if your main message is that you are aware of the disruption and will follow-up with a detailed plan.    

Suffolk has developed a Continuity of Learning Policy that can help inform planning for your courses.