Changes to COVID Self Reporting Spring 2022 — Faculty Guidance

East Carolina University’s Office of the Provost has announced changes to its COVID-19 self reporting system. Faculty will no longer receive correspondence from the Dean of Students Office when a student self-reports with COVID.

New process (Beginning January 2022)

• Student will complete the self-report in Pirateport.
• The self-report will be automatically distributed to the faculty members. The new version of the self-report will specify if the student is completing the self-report because they are in isolation or quarantine. Faculty should treat this as they do the flu self-report.
• Faculty should expect to receive a return to class note from students indicating they have been cleared to return to class. The student will still receive a return to class note from SHS (whether in isolation or quarantine). Students who use a provider not with SHS should be expected to produce a return to class note from their healthcare provider. It is the responsibility of the students to present this note to the faculty.

Attendance

• Students registered for face-to-face classes should expect and plan to attend those classes in person as required in the individual classes’ attendance policies. Instructors are NOT expected to deliver parallel online or hybrid courses.
• If students must miss class for COVID-related reasons (quarantine, isolation, or caring for someone who is quarantined or isolating), they should not be penalized for the absence, and the instructor should make class material available to them as appropriate, depending on what classroom activities were missed. (For example, the instructor might provide lecture streaming and/or recording, one-on-one consultation in office hours, or opportunities to participate in remote group work.) It is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor before they miss class for COVID-related reasons to make alternate arrangements for accessing the missed class material.
• Instructors should be careful not to incentivize students to attend class when they are ill or a potential risk to others.
• Attendance policies should be communicated to students via CANVAS at least one week prior to the start of the semester. Attendance policies should also, as always, be included in the course syllabus.
• Instructors should encourage students to identify a note taking buddy in the class.

— Grant Hayes, Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs