College
During
COVID
COMING TOGETHER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Front of house/back of house
For Corrie Whitmore, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences and program coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in the health sciences program, going “asynchronous,” — she recorded all of her lectures and posted assignments ahead of time — meant she could provide more flexibility to her students and avoid technical issues that may come up during a live lecture.
“For my students, this just made sense to try and dial the stress down and let them manage their own time,” said Whitmore in an April Green and Gold News interview.
While faculty and students learned the ropes of their new virtual classrooms, staff and administration were looking ahead toward the summer session, implementing rigorous cleaning protocols in campus buildings and laboratories and thinking about the one tough decision that was on everybody’s mind — would the pandemic be over in time for fall semester?
A virtual support network
To ensure student success, UAA developed many resources to help navigate college during a pandemic. The College During COVID page launched, providing students a one-stop-shop of virtual resources from the university’s policies and guidelines for COVID-19 safety to tips on how to study in their new, all-in-one living and study space.
UAA also invested additional resources, like CARES Act funding and financial support from donors to the Student Support Fund, which has provided more than 400 students with emergency support to cover unexpected financial costs.
“Sometimes students find themselves in a position where they don’t have the resources to solve these financial issues on their own,” said Bruce Schultz, UAA’s vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “We do whatever we can to help students persist and not let the chaos of the day get in their way.”
In addition, resources like the Seawolf Tracks mobile app provided students another opportunity to connect with peers and saw a 170% download increase for the fall semester. Newly launched in spring, Seawolf Mentor, a tech and peer-based mentoring program that has matched 450 mentors and mentees, allows students a way to learn from peers and ask questions about navigating college during an unprecedented time.
Wait and see
She said she hopes that if the infection rate drops drastically or a vaccine is developed and widely distributed, the possibility of opening up campus slowly, safely and holding small in-person gatherings might be an option — but that’s a best-case scenario.
“UAA has the difficult task of balancing academic rigor with safety for its students, faculty and staff, the majority of whom are also members of the greater Anchorage community,” said Sandeen in a recent op-ed. “Rest assured the leadership of Anchorage’s Hometown U and the municipality will continue to work together to do the right thing for our campus community, our city and our state. We can and will get through this, together.”