I’m certain that it’s been an eventful day for everyone in response to the decision to cancel classes next week and release most of you to return home. I pray that those of you who are traveling this weekend don’t experience any issues en route and that no one is exposed to coronavirus.

While classes are canceled, I encourage everyone to rest and take a needed break from academics. I’m sure that there will be challenging days ahead due to the transition to online learning, although I expect that some – maybe most – of you will enjoy many aspects of online courses. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you with this transition.

I will be working next week to transition Comp Sci 364 to an online delivery format. Right now, my plan is to follow the asynchronous, paced format that I’ve used when teaching online courses for Johns Hopkins. Briefly, asynchronous means that you can work on your own schedule, but paced means that there is a fixed window (e.g., weekly) to complete the work. This format offers considerable flexibility while ensuring consistent progress through the course. I would ask that you bear with me – and your other instructors – as we make this transition: unlike my online course development at Johns Hopkins, I won’t have a year to prepare, revise, and review all the online course materials.

Given these circumstances, I ask for your assistance when classes resume. First, I have little doubt that the rapid transition will result in any number of mistakes, which you should report not only to earn extra credit and but also to help me correct them as quickly as possible. Second, I am open to your ideas and suggestions. If you have an idea for something that will make the course more effective, don’t hesitate to let me know – I can also award extra credit for these contributions, too. With more collaborative learning, you may find that you grasp certain topics more quickly than others; it is extremely valuable to me and your classmates when you can develop quick references (e.g., “cheat sheets”) to share your expertise more broadly.

Next week especially you may notice any number of things in flux as part of the transition. Don’t be alarmed, and ask if you have questions when classes resume. While there will be likely be changes to many aspects of the course, much of the remaining content, such as the project, is ideally suited to an online format.