Faculty and Instruction FAQs

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What should I do if one of my students reports symptoms of COVID-19, is visibly ill or reports a positive test result that was done in the past 10 days?

If the student came to class, send the student home to isolate.
Instruct the student to report their illness using this form.

If you are concerned that the student did not complete the form contact the COVID-19 hotline at covid@health.isu.edu or (208) 282-2705.

Do not notify the class or other students about a suspected illness without direction from the health committee. The health committee will work with the faculty members, the local health district to conduct contact tracing and follow up notification for any colleagues, students, or other individuals who may have had close contact and therefore need to take additional measures.
The faculty member should email the following information to covid@health.isu.edu.

Prepare a list of the other people in your classroom or learning environment who had close contact with the ill individual for the time period including 72 hours before symptoms onset up to the last day in the classroom.

Close contact is interaction within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for at least 10 minutes whether or not they had symptoms.

The faculty member should email this information to covid@health.isu.edu.
The health team will reach out to provide additional next steps and guidance.

If the student was in class, close the workspace and contact Facilities Services for cleaning and disinfection.
Encourage the student to contact their primary care provider via phone to determine the need for testing for COVID-19. If the student does not have a primary care provider they can contact University Health at (208) 282-2330 (Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls) or Unity Health (208) 895-6729 (Meridian)

Encourage the student to follow the recommendations of a medical professional for testing and treatment. If the medical professional’s advice and recommendations differ from these guidelines or you have questions, contact covid@health.isu.edu for assistance.

When can a student return to activities on campus?

Symptomatic

(Positive or no COVID-19 Test)

Asymptomatic

(Positive COVID-19 Test)

Maintain Isolation Until:

at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

AND

3 days with no fever

AND

respiratory symptoms have markedly improved (e.g. cough, shortness of breath)

Maintain Isolation Until:

10 days have passed since the test was performed

What should I do if one of my students reports an exposure?

If the student had close contact with an individual with known or probable COVID-19 they are a considered primary contact and should:

Stay home until 14 days after last exposure and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from all others during that time
Encourage the student to voluntarily self-report their exposure using this form.
Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 by checking temperature twice a day, and watching for fever (100.4 ℉ or higher), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms using the CDC Self-Checker Tool found at the CDC Symptoms of Coronavirus link.
Especially avoid contact with people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19
Follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop
Contact their primary care provider via phone, to determine if they should be tested. If the employee does not have a primary care provider they can contact University Health at (208) 282-2330 (Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Twin Falls) or Unity Health (208) 895-6729 (Meridian).

What if I had close contact with person A who had close contact with person B who has COVID-19?

Person A is a primary contact. You are considered a secondary contact. Secondary contacts may continue usual activities with strict adherence to basic COVID-19 prevention measures including strict mask wearing, physical distancing, and handwashing. Secondary contacts should closely monitor for any symptoms. If Person A develops symptoms, you are now a primary contact and you need to quarantine. If you develop any symptoms of COVID-19 you should immediately self-isolate and seek medical care.

Example: Sally attended an outdoor barbeque on Friday with Fred. Sally spent 20 minutes standing next to Fred helping him with dishes after the barbeque (i.e. close contact with Fred). Fred learned on Saturday that his friend Mary has COVID-19. Fred had close contact with Mary on Thursday. Sally had no contact with Mary at any time. Fred is a primary contact and needs to quarantine for 14 days. Sally is a secondary contact and needs to monitor for symptoms and wait to learn if Fred develops symptoms or tests positive. She may continue usual activities with strict adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures. If Fred develops symptoms within 72 hours of the barbeque, Sally should quarantine and follow guidelines because she is now a primary contact.

How should I modify my attendance policies during COVID-19?

Faculty should develop attendance policies that allow students to be physically absent from class when they are exposed or ill or when household members are ill without fear of academic repercussions. This does not mean, however, that students must be excused from completing work missed while ill or under quarantine.

What if an ill or exposed student refuses to follow guidance?

Contact Student Affairs for assistance at (208) 282-2794. The Health Committee will work directly with the Dean of Students to coordinate opportunities for student education.

What if a student refuses to wear a facial covering during class?

Faculty should communicate that wearing a face covering is a requirement for class and part of our shared duty to keep campus as safe as possible. If the student refuses, faculty may ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student refuses to leave the classroom and/or there is ongoing lack of adherence to protocols in the course, faculty may choose to revert the in-person class session/exercises to a distance/online format for that day. The faculty member should report classroom disruptions resulting from a student or students who are unwilling to wear a face covering to Student Affairs at (208) 282-2794. Faculty can reference the Face Covering Toolkit for Faculty document for guidance.

What if a student is unable to wear a facial covering for medical reasons or presents a note from a medical provider?

The faculty member should connect the student with Disability Services. Disability Services has alternatives to face coverings on hand and can work with the students to meet their needs. Disability Services can be contacted at(208) 282-3599.

Will faculty be notified if a student in their classroom has tested positive for COVID-19? Will other students be notified?

Faculty will be notified if a student in their classroom has a positive test for COVID-19. Faculty should not notify other class attendees without express direction from the COVID-19 Health Committee. The Health Committee will coordinate this communication.

Contact tracing will be performed for positive cases in the campus community. Individuals determined to have had close contact with the positive person will be notified by the Health Department and/or University-based contact tracers and instructed to quarantine. If local or university health officials determine the risk to be significant, widespread notification will take place facilitated by the University COVID-19 Health Committee.

If physical distancing and appropriate face covering use is maintained throughout the entire class period, individuals in the class will likely not need to quarantine.

Utilizing a seating chart may help with contact tracing in the event of exposure.

What are the various course types offered this semester?

Fully Online - Moodle (AO)

Asynchronous Online- Coursework delivered by web, email, and message boards that are posted in online forums. Courses are usually delivered through Moodle. Courses are not time or place dependent (async.)
Synchronous Online- A course where students and faculty are together at the same time, like a classroom. But not in the same location. Primarily Zoom based. (sync.)

Mostly Online (OL)

The majority of the course is online but may require up to five in person meetings.

Zoom Distance Based (S0)

A course where students and faculty are together at the same time, like a classroom. But not in the same location. Primarily Zoom based.

Blended - Reduced In-Class Time (BL)

Blended- Reduced Seat Time. A combination of face to face classroom some days combined with online days that don't require a student to be in a certain place at a certain time. For example, a three-credit course meets only Monday and Wednesday in a classroom (for an hour each class period) and then equivalent material is delivered online in place of a Friday class (33% of the class is online).

Dedicated Video Conference Classroom (VS)

Video Conference Network - need a dedicated classroom at an ISU campus location. Individual remote connections are also possible.

Standard Classroom and Zoom (FX)

HyFlex is a course design model that presents the components of face to face classroom learning in a flexible course structure that gives students the option of attending sessions in the classroom, participating via Zoom, or doing both. Students can change their mode of attendance weekly or by topic, according to need or preference and in consultation with their faculty member.

Standard Classroom (CL)

Standard Lecture in the Classroom.

Lab (LB)

Lab

Other (Dissertation, thesis, rotations, etc.) (OT)

Dissertation, Thesis, Practicum, Rotations, Independent Study

What is the best way to communicate with students before classes begin to let them know how HyFlex classes work and who should attend on which days?

Faculty should email students before the first day or classes to explain the instruction method. Moodle courses can also be opened before the first day of classes by faculty to communicate this information. Contact the ITRC for help opening your class early and the best way to track who has seen a message.

Faculty members should ensure that students have information on how the course will be taught instructions for attending class in-person or attending via Zoom.

Do courses have to be recorded?

Yes, faculty are asked to record lectures to ensure that all students can access course material even if they are sick or in quarantine, so as to not encourage students who are ill or exposed to come to class. However, faculty members have the right to turn off the recording if they choose to not record discussions that occur during class. In these cases, thought should be given to how students who are watching will be engaged in the class.

In current distance learning courses with in-seat and Web-RTC sections, will students who want to attend at home via Web-RTC have to transfer to the Web-RTC section via registration or can they simply be given access to Web-RTC?

WebRTC access can be shared with all the students who will be attending from home.

Are students able to sign up for HyFlex courses and never intend to come to an in-person class?

Yes, students can sign up for a HyFlex course and never intend to come to class.

If we get sick or need to cancel class, is someone going to put a sign on the door of our new classroom?

Faculty should communicate with their department and determine the best way to notify students. Moodle notifications are going to be the best and easiest way.

Will students have to pay the eISU fee for hyflex, in-person, or online courses.

No, students will be charged the eISU fee for all online courses. The university will refund the online fee for the 2020 fall semester. Students in hyflex and in-person courses will not be charged the eISU fee.

Will classrooms be set up with 6-feet distancing?

Yes, seats will be marked with a Bengal Paw to indicate where you can sit to maintain social distancing. Excess furniture will remain in the room, due to limited storage capacity for excess furniture. Some rooms have fixed seats, or seats connected to the desk. A Bengal Paw will indicate where to sit. There will also be diagrams at the podium showing where to sit in case rooms get moved around.

How do I know the capacity of the room where I will be teaching?

This Room Information table shows the COVID-19 capacity of each room

Will classrooms be sanitized in between classes?

No. Each classroom will undergo nightly cleaning and a comprehensive cleaning every 72 hours. Hand sanitizers will be located at room entrances at each classroom with a protocol for all students and faculty to use them when entering and leaving the room. Faculty are asked to wipe down podiums, microphones, keyboards, etc. after each classroom use.

How will hallway congregation be avoided in between classes?

Signage will be posted in classrooms and hallways reminding people to practice 6’ of physical distancing and not congregate. It is requested that individuals walk on the right side of hallways and staircases.

Will faculty receive microphones to use for lectures in these extra-large classrooms? Will we be sharing the microphone with other faculty using the space?

Yes, if you need a microphone in a large classroom and there is not a sound system already available in that space, portable systems will be available. If you need a microphone in your classroom please contact the ITRC at (208) 282-5880.

Microphones will remain in the classroom and will need to be shared with other faculty teaching in those classrooms.