Learn more about taking care of Maize & Blue at campusblueprint.umich.edu/care 

Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the School of Education, George Herbert Mead Collegiate Professor of Education, and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture in the School of Education, has been leading the coordinating committee on instructional planning for the public health-informed fall semester at the University of Michigan. 

In this episode of Michigan Minds, Moje discusses the hard work required to create a successful hybrid semester, but emphasizes that it will also be rewarding.

“I’m already learning a whole new set of tools and different kinds of practices, and I think in some ways, the hybrid work will actually draw more of our attention to what it means to teach and learn,” she says. “And I think we will start to think very differently as a faculty.”

Moje explains how each style of teaching will work. For in-person learning, classrooms will be set up so tables are distanced. And the committee is developing opportunities for virtual learners so they can interact with in-person students. There are also plans to provide asynchronous instruction for those dealing with a time difference.

One of the challenges members of the U-M community will experience as they return to campus will be maintaining a safe space apart and not congregating, she says.

“When we see someone we haven’t seen in a long time, we naturally want to embrace them or shake hands: we can’t do that. We’re creating a new set of norms that we’re going to have to be really respectful of,” she says, adding that it is absolutely critical that students do not gather in large groups and that they practice important public health measures like wearing masks.

Moje also highlights some of the innovative ways that faculty at the School of Education are creating modules for professional development, helping others learn how to do online instruction, and providing support wherever they can.

Learn more from Moje in this episode of Michigan Minds.  

Download the podcast transcript.

To learn more about U-M plans for a successful fall semester, visit campusblueprint.umich.edu/care.