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Snowpocalypse Barely Slows down University of Maryland-Baltimore County Thanks to Wimba

UMBC snow days require schedule changes to make up for time lost

To read the original article in The Retriever, click here
by Tilly Ingleby

The “snowpocalypse” that paralyzed Maryland in February may have provided a welcome break for college students, but as the snow begins to melt and the semester progresses, both students and faculty are coming to realize that this unexpected time off may have had a damaging effect on their academics.

Many departments have been forced to adjust syllabi to make sure that teaching material and assessments can be fit into the remaining weeks of in the semester. “Our recent inclement weather has produced substantial challenges and I wish to convey my thanks to our faculty, staff, and students for their efforts to keep the campus safe and move our academic program forward despite these challenging circumstances,” says Elliot Hirshman, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “To ensure appropriate coverage of course materials from February 5 to February 12 class meetings, I have asked faculty members to work with their Deans and Chairs to formulate plans for covering course materials.”

Hirshman asked members of staff to use technology wherever possible to ensure students’ progress wouldn’t be affected by the storm. Dr. Tara Carpenter of the chemistry department did just that: “When it looked like we were going to miss more than just a day, I posted voiced-over powerpoint lectures using the Wimba classroom within Blackboard.” Carpenter indicated that just like a typical lecture, students were responsible for knowing the concepts she taught through Blackboard. “When campus reopened, I held an evening session to review some of the key concepts for those who wanted to attend. The weather did cause us to get a little behind, but with the use of technology, I was able to keep class going for the most part.”

Staff in the arts departments also used technology to try and keep as close to their pre-arranged schedules as possible. Professor Carole Stewart of the English department also used the Internet to help make up for the snow days: “To address missed readings, I distributed questions through Blackboard to both of my classes. I also emailed the classes to briefly respond to the assigned readings and provide links to any pertinent information online.” Professor Stewart had the class interact with her by e-mail, and in turn she replied to their assignments over Blackboard. “There were some difficulties with students having access to the Internet because their power was down, but that was the main problem.”

But however useful technology has proven to be in the severe weather, there are some students who are still suffering at the hands of the snow. “I would say that the snow messed up my routine regarding academics,” comments senior English major Benjamin Souder. “Well, it was a week off. So now schedules are all messed up.” Mark Chaffer agrees that the readjustment of class scheduling has hardly proven to be convenient. “My Science 100 module missed two classes,” adds the sophomore Economics major. “The lab class had one lab session that we will not make up, and we have had to reschedule exams and due dates in my other classes.”

As the weather clears up, UMBC is making an effort to help students make up for lost class time. “We will be designating re-scheduling class periods for each class period from February 5 to February 12. These periods will generally be after 2:00 p.m. on Fridays and after 6:00 p.m. on the other weekdays,” says Hirshman. “Accommodations will be made for faculty or staff members who are the instructor on record and face scheduling conflicts within this framework. Similarly, faculty members are urged to make reasonable accommodations for students facing scheduling conflicts, for example religious observance, family commitment and so on.” Hirshman indicated that additional re-scheduling periods will be added as necessary. Noting the burden the snow put on all members of the UMBC community, Hirshman added, “I appreciate the flexibility and stalwart efforts of our faculty, students and staff in supporting our academic program in this challenging time.”