Dean's Community Message

July 7, 2020

Dear College of Engineering Community,

Nearly 30% of our engineering students come from outside the U.S. They are critical to the intellectual vibrancy of our college and the University at large. They are invaluable members of our community. Yesterday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it will no longer provide exemptions for international students currently in the United States to allow for a fully online course load during the fall semester. To aid our international students in understanding the ICE regulations and their implications, Global Penn State and the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic in Penn State Law have published a What You Need to Know document that provides additional context and answers to frequently asked questions. I strongly encourage you to read it.

Within the college, we will continue to monitor this situation and its implications for our international students, providing updates as they are available. If you have questions about this issue or others related to COVID-19 and the University’s planning for the fall semester, please reach out to our college’s response team at L-COE_CORONA_CRISIS_TEAM@engr.psu.edu.

Here are today’s updates:


Student FAQs: Fall 2020

The University’s Keep Learning website has been updated with a broad list of frequently asked questions for fall 2020. The FAQs are categorized by Classrooms, Health and Safety, Advising, and Class Format/Instructional Mode. Please take a look. As a reminder, course delivery mode decisions are still being finalized, with the goal for completion by mid-July. Until that time, the course modes reflected in LionPATH may change more than once.


Workshops on Instructional Strategies and Technologies for FA20

The Leonhard Center (LC) and the Office for Digital Learning (ODL) will offer a weekly workshop series throughout July to help instructors prepare for teaching in the fall. The workshops will be offered in pairs: the first workshop focuses on instructional strategies and the second on instructional technologies. The topics for the workshops are: student engagement/active learning, teams/collaboration, building community, and assessments. Registration is required for the workshops. Additional details are provided in the attachment. The upcoming pair of workshops are:

  • Effective student teams in any learning environment
    Tuesday, July 14, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
    Registration
  • Digital tools to support student teams in any learning environment
    Thursday, July 16, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
    Registration

Additionally, ODL will be hosting office hours on tools to support student teams and collaboration on Friday, July 17, from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Registration is not required. Join via Zoom. For more information about the workshops or office hours, contact Tom Litzinger (tal2@psu.edu) or Cathy Holsing (cjh145@psu.edu).


Teaching Tip #23 – Request technical help for your fall class

Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) is currently working through the logistical details of the Tech TA program for the Fall 2020 semester. We understand that many faculty members are considering either a fully remote or highly flexible mixed learning environment for students and would benefit from Tech TA support. If you would like to request a Tech TA for Fall, please complete the form and we will email you when we have more information and can begin to fulfill requests.


All the best!

Justin Schwartz
Harold and Inge Marcus Dean, College of Engineering