NAUFlex

NAUFlex Working Definition

NAUFlex™ enables students to actively participate in their coursework during the required day and time of the courses, even if they are not physically in the classroom. This course design model allows students to be fully engaged with faculty and peers and get the best of the high-quality educational experience NAU is known for.

NAUFlex Components

1. Classes will be conducted in-person and live-streamed
2. Students attend classes in-person on pre-assigned days
3. Students attend remotely during regularly LOUIE-scheduled class times through Bb Learn Collaborate and Zoom
4. Students can access class resources, as usual, on their Bb Learn shells
5. Students attend class face-to-face or remote during regularly scheduled class times
6. Faculty teach live in-person.  If approved and medically necessary, faculty may teach remotely with accommodations that maintain the live and in-person experience for students.
7. Classes are streamed live. To support student success and equitable access, consider posting a recording of the live class for later viewing.

NAUFlex Summary Guidelines for Faculty 

NAUFlex™ offers flexible and more adaptive educational and instructional options, provides student access, and allows us to observe physical distancing guidelines in effect due to COVID-19. This will provide greater peace of mind for our students.

Here is what NAUFlex™ will look like this year, from the perspective of the instructor (with some details forthcoming):

• Begin course preparation as early as possible and seek NAU Online instructional design support, as needed to update your Bb Learn course shell and content using best practices. NAU Online instructional design support is available through LMS-Faculty-Help@nau.edu.
• Prepare classes that can be offered simultaneously live and live-streamed by creating activities to enhance student learning, such as quizzes, assignments, online discussions, small group activities, as well as virtual office hours. Faculty resources will be found through the Faculty Professional Development Program.
• Create activities in Bb Learn to enhance what happens during class (ex: quizzes, assignments, online discussions, small group activities).
• When students are not attending class in-person, they will be attending remotely during the LOUIE-scheduled class time via Bb Collaborate or other videoconferencing platforms.
• When you arrive to begin class, set up remote teaching technology (lectern computer, projector, camera, doc cam etc.), begin the videoconference session, and make sure that you are recording your session. NAU Information Technology Services support is available at https://in.nau.edu/its/. Remote technology allows authenticated video and chat participation, small group breakout discussion, and a uniform user experience for all our students.
• Engage students in active learning, both in the room and remotely, using polling sites or apps on smartphones/mobile devices, or other educational technology solutions such as Google Docs for real-time collaboration with faculty and fellow students who are attending class in-person.
• Post the recording of the class session in Bb Learn for any students who missed class due to illness, self-quarantine, caring for loved ones, etc. This can easily be done by consulting with NAU Online instructional design support at LMS-Faculty-Help@nau.edu.
• Advance the curriculum progression in each class session. In other words, except in very rare cases (ex: an essential hands-on lab activity), you would not repeat class sessions two or three times per week.
• Develop a plan for rotating attendance in your classes to alternate students’ in-class and remote participation. Remote attendance will be realized through Bb Collaborate or other videoconferencing platform. With proper physical distancing, students that are on campus will likely be able to attend class in-person once a week, depending on the size of the room and enrollment.  Example: NAU 123 meets MWF and has 60 students enrolled. 20 will attend on M, 20 on W, 20 on F. Students not attending in-person will be joining via NAUFlex™.

Based on classroom size, individual accommodations, pedagogical constraints, and physical distancing needs, the instructor assigns students to in-person attendance on specific class meeting days. which allows authenticated video and chat participation, small group breakout discussion, and a uniform user experience for all our students. Also, please understand that there might be further adjustments to allow for more in-person time as enrollment is determined during the term.

Watch for upcoming training throughout June, July, and August on NAUFlex and classroom support.