COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, has disrupted higher education institutions worldwide. According to CNBC, as of last week, more than 200 colleges and universities in the United States have closed in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. As your institution starts preparing contingency plans, Symplicity is here to help. For institutions in affected regions, here are ways that our cloud-based and mobile-responsive technologies can provide the most personalized student experience while mitigating the risks associated with coronavirus.
CAREER SERVICES—While campuses might be closing, students shouldn’t have to put a pause on their employment journey. Symplicity CSM can provide students with the following career development resources on a virtual basis:
- Career Fairs—Staff can continue to run career fairs using the virtual career fair set up. You can also create resume books for networking nights for your employers to access resumes online.
- Mock Interviews—Students can record mock interviews online, and staff can continue to review and provide feedback on mock interview recordings online.
- Job Board—Employers can continue to post jobs, students can apply for jobs, and employers can review job applications online. Employers also can review resumes
- Workshops—Staff can continue to run workshop events by adding a virtual meeting link (such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.) to info session descriptions.
FOR DISABILITY SERVICES—Students that need accommodations will continue to need support and there’s a chance they may need more support as a result of campuses closing. Symplicity Accommodate ensures the delivery of accommodation requests with the following virtual resources:
- Appointments—Students can schedule appointments online, and staff can meet with students remotely by adding a virtual meeting link (such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.) to meeting appointments.
- Events—Staff can continue to run workshop events by adding a virtual meeting link (such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.) to workshop descriptions, which is viewable by students on student interface.
- Accommodation/Adjustment Services—Students can continue to receive note-taking services, request test rooms for exams, request equipment or alternative format texts all online.
- Meetings—Staff can schedule intake meetings with students to discuss requests by entering a virtual meeting link (such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.) the Meeting Location field. Make sure that the Meeting Location merge field has been added to the email body of your Accessibility Meeting Scheduled template or edit the email in preview letter mode. If you have students schedule meetings themselves using the Appointments module, then see above for instructions.
FOR STUDENT CONDUCT—Despite campus closures, staff will need to continue managing student cases on a virtual basis. Symplicity Advocate is the most trusted solution for student conduct, Title IX, and behavioral management with online resources such as:
- Incident/CARE/TIX/IPV/SASH Reports—Students can report incidents, such as those triggers by racism or xenophobia, through the public reporting form.
- Meetings/Hearings—Staff can meet with students remotely by inserting a virtual meeting link (whichever virtual meeting tool you are using, such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.) into the Meeting Location of the appointment or paste the link into the letter.
- Charges, Decisions and Sanctions—Charges, Decisions and Sanction letters can all be sent through the system via email. Students completing sanctions can upload them through the student interface. Students can take responsibility by signing decision letters electronically.
- Appeals—Staff can add the appeals link within the decision letters so students can input appeals online or through the student interface.
While you plan for the semester ahead, we hope that the above resources can be helpful for streamlining and virtualizing student services. If you’re interested in learning more, schedule a conversation or email info@symplicity.com.