Mitigating the Risk of COVID-19

Last updated October 2020

These policies apply for AY 20/21.

Presence on Campus

1. AUBG expects instructors to work from home except when they need to be in their offices for teaching and research.

2. All committee meetings with eleven or more attendees must take place online, including FA and University committee meetings, Faculty Assembly meetings, department meetings, and Dean’s Council meetings. Chairs must ensure that attendees meet social distancing expectations during the meeting.

3. Instructors are permitted to hold their office hours online. Instructors who hold office hours on the ground must ensure that they meet social distancing expectations during their meetings.

Public Transport

AUBG encourages faculty to avoid public transport.

Revised Course Schedule

AUBG has adopted a new course schedule for fall 2020. This schedule extends the time between classes so that the cleaning staff has time to sanitize the classrooms.

On-Ground Courses

Instructors who hold on-ground courses must follow the same procedures as students to mitigate their risk of transmitting the virus.

1. AUBG recommends that instructors have themselves tested for COVID-19 before they attend the first class of the semester. Instructors present the results of the test to the Health Center.

2. Instructors are required to check their temperature when they enter the MB and BAC. Instructors with an elevated temperature must report to the Health Center and are not permitted to attend on-ground classes until the Health Center has cleared them.

3. Instructors are required to sanitize their hands after checking their temperature at the MB or BAC entrance.

4. Instructors must be able to cover their nose and mouth in class. Face masks, face shields, and scarfs are appropriate, providing that the instructor can cover his or her nose and mouth if needed.

5. Instructors must practice social distancing in the classroom and ensure that their students practice social distancing in the classroom. Instructors must wear a face mask, face shield, or scarf in the classroom when social distancing is not possible.

Online Courses

1. Instructors at elevated risk from COVID-19 can apply to the Health Center before July 15 to hold all of their courses online. Instructors with health issues should consult with their physician or the Health Center to determine whether they are at elevated risk. Instructors who cannot enter Bulgaria because of visa issues or border restrictions can apply to the Dean of Faculty to teach all of their courses online until they can return to campus.

2. Instructors must advise their Department Chair, the Dean of Faculty, and the Registrar’s Office that they are teaching their courses online before 5 pm on July 20.

3. Instructors whose health status changes during the semester should inform the Health Center immediately and apply to the Dean of Faculty for permission to teach the rest of the semester online.

Contact Hours

A regular course has two eighty-minute classes each week for thirteen weeks. The regular class format may not work as well for hybrid and online courses. Instructors may experiment with different approaches to their courses, providing that they do not reduce the course’s contact hours. Alternative methods may include asynchronous and flipped classes. The course syllabus should indicate the contact time with students and topics covered. Instructors who would like to depart from regular classes should have their syllabi reviewed by their department chair before the start of the semester.

Instructors must hold class meetings during the times designated for their classes. Instructors cannot expect students to attend classes outside of the assigned times. Classes cannot be held after 7.30 pm or during the Wednesday meeting hour.

Exams cannot be held after 7.30 pm or during the Wednesday meeting hour except for exams that combine multiple sections of the same course. Instructors must hold such exams after 7.30 pm. Instructors cannot hold exams that combine multiple sections of the same course unless they can meet the social distancing requirement. Instructors must note these exams in the syllabus.

Student Assistants

Instructors teaching hybrid classes may hire a student assistant to help them manage the online students during on-ground classes.

Canvas

1. Instructors must upload their course syllabi to Canvas.

2. Instructors must use Canvas to record the attendance of students. Instructors must note whether the student attended the class on the ground or online. Instructors must update the attendance records immediately after class. AUBG may use the attendance records to trace the contacts of an infected student.

3. Instructors must upload the grades of all assignments to Canvas so that on-ground and online students can see their progress throughout the semester.

4. Some students may need to attend classes asynchronously due to time-zone or other issues. Instructors with such students in their courses should record their classes and make the recordings available through Canvas. Other instructors may find recording their classes helpful to mitigate connectivity issues.