I caught cold this week and I’m writing this from home. In the last few weeks, I started hearing here and there about cold and flu and news from few students missing classes. Unlike last year, we’re not hearing much about the H1N1 flu craze, but it is still good to be aware that flu season is coming very, very soon, and we should all be prepared for a bad case scenario.
It is nice my coworkers and bosses at CTLT are very understanding about my cold. We’re pretty good about staying home when we suspect germs may get passed around. So many of the things we do nowadays are accessible online or can be made accessible online so when I feel sick, I usually work from home (unless I’m too sick to work) and I can do almost everything (well, except for teaching in classroom). Blackboard is really nice in case you or students get sick because you can make course materials available and give and receive assignments. One faculty member swore that’s how she avoided getting germs from students because she didn’t have to get paper assignments from students. We even have an emergency Blackboard course template so if you ever need to set up a course really quickly and continue teaching, please contact CTLT for assistance.
We also have an additional resource page called When Flu Strikes, and this guide gives additional tips to make it easy to work from home in case of flu and other illness. Moreover, as you prepare for next semester’s courses, this guide will provide you with useful attendance policy and syllabus information so you’re ready for flu and cold season.
Of course, we hope it won’t be bad this year, but it’s always good to be well-prepared. I’m heading to the kitchen to have a warm honey ginger tea and am thankful for the digital age and thoughtful colleagues.
