04/09/20 

HAYS, Kan. -- The lives of more than 4,000 Fort Hays State University Students who began this semester living and studying on campus was turned upside down on March 12, 2020, when in response to guidance from federal, state and regional public health officials, university president, Dr. Tisa Mason, announced in an email to faculty, staff and students that all in-person classes would transition to online instruction no later than March 30.

President Mason’s call to transition to an all-online format on a very tight timeline presented several challenges for faculty and university learning technology professionals. One challenge was technical-moving more than 800 on-campus courses to an online format. While the task might at first appear daunting for any university, FHSU’s decades-long tradition of delivering high-quality online learning experiences made the task much more manageable. Fresh off transitioning more than 4,000 Chinese students enrolled in degree programs on two partner campuses to online instruction via mobile phones in February, the Teaching Innovations and Learning Technologies (TILT) team worked with university faculty throughout spring break week to ensure the transition to an all-online format was complete by the first day of classes on March 30.

Transitioning students, many with no experience in online learning, to this new format was the second major challenge. Adding to the challenge was numerous and constantly evolving COVID-19 driven changes to campus operations, including social distancing, self-quarantines, limitations on public gatherings, and the campus-wide move of faculty and staff to working from home. It seemed inevitable that thousands of students would lose important contact with their fellow students, support staff and faculty mentors. But was soon apparent was that the faculty and staff transition to remote operations also created openings in daily schedules that previously would have been dedicated to classroom, research and office-based operations.

On a campus with a rich tradition for innovation, persistence and strong personal connections between faculty, staff and students, what first appeared a challenge almost immediately revealed itself to be a tremendous opportunity. The idea of creating “care teams,” groups of university community volunteers who could maintain ongoing contact with students now learning from a distance, quickly took shape. According to Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Joey Linn, “When the decision was made to move all of our students to an online format, it was critical we move quickly to help support our students during this time of transition and uncertainty. We felt that the combination of these new care teams, along with the tremendous work of our faculty, would work very well to ensuring student success during this trying time."

Led by Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Taylor Kriley, the university care teams include more than 60 faculty, staff and student volunteers organized into teams built around serving specific student groups ranging from freshmen to graduate students. “I’ve simply been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response of our campus community. Tigers simply care for each other, and this effort shows the extent of our shared dedication to student success.”

Campus care teams began working with thousands of FHSU students on March 30 addressing safety and security concerns and providing insight and timely connections to important academic, advising and health and wellness resources. University staffer Angela Stieben, who will lead a sixteen-member care team supporting juniors, jumped at the chance to pitch in. “As an alum of this university (97’ and 00’), I am proud of my alma mater, and honored to be part of this effort.”

For more information changes to university operations, including the latest health and safety guidance from federal, state and regional agencies, visit the university’s COVID-19 response page at https://www.fhsu.edu/covid-19-response/index.