On behalf of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, I want to let you know what to expect in your Chemistry course in the coming weeks. I assure you that regardless of how the course is delivered (“on-line” or “in-person”), the entire Department is committed to ensuring you are receiving the highest quality of instruction. I also want you know that we care deeply about the learning and success of our students, and we are always here to support your learning regardless of how the course is delivered.

As the Chancellor announced yesterday, beginning on March 30th most of our courses will be implemented exclusively as “on-line” — and will continue as such until at least April 10th. The “on-line” approach will include all components of the course: lecture, discussion, lab, office hours, etc. Over the next two weeks, the specifics of how the course will be delivered will be finalized and conveyed to you. You can expect to view lectures or instructional videos created by your instructor; view discussion section activities, view lab experiment videos created by the teaching assistants; and view short supplemental instruction videos created by the CSI instructors. We will also hold office hours, live-stream discussions, and live-stream CSI sessions. The course assessments will remain the same: homework, lab reports, quizzes, etc. will all continue even if the mode of completing them has changed.

We realize that the degree of coordination and communication between instructors, teaching assistants, and students will be extraordinary. Nevertheless, everyone in the Department is focused on insuring that you are fully supported — both in your understanding of the material and in meeting course expectations.

We look forward to eventually returning to face-to-face (“in-person”) instruction for all of our courses. The timeline for doing so is as yet unknown, and we will of course immediately inform you of developments as they unfold. In the meantime, I am confident that by working together during this unprecedented situation, we will be successful.

Joseph H. Aldstadt, III
Chair, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry