Supporting Short-Term Student Absences due to Illness
COVID is an ongoing reality of our day-to-day lives, in addition to the range of illnesses that can plague us throughout the fall and winter seasons, any of which may result in students being absent from class. As a reminder, Lakehead University has continued with temporarily suspending the need for a student who is ill to provide a Certificate of Illness or Incapacitation completed by a Medical Professional as per University Regulation IV “Examinations – Missed Examinations Due to Illness or Other Extenuating Circumstances”. Instead, students must submit a self-declaration to their instructor and can be directed to the Student Central “Missed Assessment” webpage for support on the steps required to submit their declaration.
The following recommendations may be helpful as instructors develop flexible and compassionate approaches to support these students. The recommendations take into account differing course structures, learning goals, and learning outcomes. Whatever approach/es is/are selected, instructors are encouraged to clearly indicate it/them on their syllabus so the expectations are clear for students from the start of the course.
Maintaining Engagement and Instructional Continuity
Depending on how long students are unable to attend class, there are several options instructors may wish to consider to support their learning until they are able to return to the classroom. For some suggested strategies related to maintaining engagement and instructional continuity, click on the options below to learn more.
Recording class sessions |
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Sharing class materials and updates in myCourselink/D2L |
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Encouraging discussion beyond the classroom |
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Providing virtual office hours |
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Being flexible with assessments |
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While the preceding strategies are widely applicable, their implementation may vary depending on your teaching and learning contexts. Contact the Teaching Commons if you have questions about specific implementation in your classroom or course.