Dear Arts 104 Students,
Please take the time to read this entire Covid 19 plan very carefully and respond any time before the end of day on March 24th - our first (rescheduled) day of class.
Due to the COVID 19 crisis Bridgewater State has delayed classes for a week and instructed faculty to teach the duration of the semester remotely and online starting March 23rd. I’m confident that together we’ll continue to explore the key concepts, ideas, skills and creative potential that this course can unlock.
However, and MUCH more importantly, I understand that finishing ARTS 104 is probably NOT the highest priority in your life right now.
Many of you have jobs, families to care for, friends to support and now you have the additional stress of monitoring your own personal health.
The point is that many of you are facing WAY more important issues than finishing our class projects, and as your instructor - and friend - I do NOT think you should be penalized for a being thrust into a situation that you have no control over whatsoever.
With that in mind, let me offer you a little control. I’ve developed the following 2 options for how we can work together to successfully finish the class and you can receive the credit and the grade that you all deserve. If any part of the following message is unclear please let me know by asking questions.
You have 2 Options for completing ARTS 104:
Option 1: Work remotely and independently to complete all projects before the end of the term. Due date April 30, 2020.
Some of you may have your own personal computer and may wish to work remotely and complete all our projects by the end of the term. If you have access to the software we’ve been using in class such as Garage band or Final-Cut (or other comparable sound and video editing programs) that’s great!
Adobe Creative Cloud is now available for you to use from now until May 31. Below is a PDF with instructions on how to install. Let me know if you aren't able to access the programs, or if it still lists programs as free trials instead of full programs.
There is also a free video editing program called Shortcut https://shotcut.org/ and a very powerful sound editing program called Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/ that you can download and use to complete your audio projects.
You already know that you can work on your websites anytime and anyplace that you have a computer and Internet access.
Schedule and Project evaluations for Option 1:
I will make myself available for email and telephone conversations from 8 AM till 5:PM every day from now till April 30th. You will work on you projects independently, checking in with me via email. You will be posting your audio projects, video projects and final projects to your websites and notifying me via email once posted. I will be reviewing your work-in-progress on-line and you will be expected to make adjustments to assure that you’ve fulfilled all project requirements and re-upload or republish as necessary. I will send you a confirmation message indicating that the project is done and fills the requirements.
I will be sharing links to student work weekly and also be encouraging you to review your peer’s work by navigating to their websites on The Class page.
Option 2: Take a temporary “incomplete” grade and finish all projects when the air is clear and you have access to the labs again. Due date December 9, 2020.
With the labs and library closed many of you will not have access to the computers and software needed to complete our projects, so finishing the class before the end of the term is just not going to be possible. For those in this situation I can extend the completion date for all projects to December 9 (the end of the Fall term).
Here’s the catch. This means taking a temporary “incomplete” grade for the class.
Don’t let the idea of an “incomplete” grade scare you. Think of it like a pause button. We can pick-up where we left off when classes start next September and you can work independently (no project schedule). I’ve spoken with department head Rob Lorenson about this and he’s given me the go ahead. So long as we can get you access to the labs come September (something I’m sure the school will grant given the circumstances) I’m willing to work with you each individually.
What is CRITICAL is that you have all remaining projects and websites completed by the end of the fall 2020 semester. If you do not follow-through and complete these projects before December 9, 2020 the “incomplete” grade becomes an “F”. YIKES!
Schedule and Project evaluations for Option 2:
For option 2 the time-to complete allotment will be from September 1st through December 9th. You will work on you projects independently, checking in with me via email and we can set-up in-person meetings if need be. You will be posting your audio projects, video projects and final projects to your websites and notifying me via email once posted. I will be reviewing your work-in-progress on-line instead and you will be expected to make adjustments to assure that you’ve fulfilled all project requirements and re-upload or republish as necessary. I will send you a confirmation message indicating that the project is done and fills the requirements.
You will work at your own pace and may finish early if you wish. If you would like you can also take part in the Fall 2020 Arts 104 final critique – but that’s not required.
Communication:
The school’s email portal is clogged up with all kinds of pedagogical goop right now and I don’t want your messages to get lost in that mess – so please use the class website to get in touch with me directly. Also – make sure the contact page on your site is active and the email is connected and that you check it regularly. This is very important.
I’m really disappointed that our time together got cut short. You guys are an amazing and talented group and I LOVED coming to class and experiencing your work, but I’m still here and ready to work with each of you so you get the most out of the class. I just need your interaction to make this happen, so please think it over and reply to this email before the end of day on March 24th - the first (rescheduled) day of class – and tell me how you would like to proceed.
Take care of yourselves and your loved ones!
Neil