By Kim Thanos, CEO

It’s painful to see the havoc COVID-19 is wreaking in communities globally. Working day in and day out in higher education, this week it is dizzying to see the pace at which the virus is disrupting life for faculty, students, and educational institutions. 

Amid all this disruption and uncertainty, the Lumen Learning Team stands ready to assist with any rapid transition institutions and educators may be making to online learning, in order to reduce risk and slow the pace of transmission.

Lumen courseware is designed to help at-risk students succeed in digital environments, and we want to make our learning tools and team readily available wherever we may be helpful. We’re taking the following steps to help institutions resolve problems and get students through this term successfully. 

  1. Live classes may shift to Lumen Waymaker or OHM courseware at no cost for the remainder of the term. For faculty members seeking a well-designed digital alternative or supplement to their current textbook, Lumen courseware may be a good fit. Course set-up is simple, and faculty can be ready to teach the same day they make the change. We also provide free services to support a successful transition. Learn More. 
  2. We’re offering webinars about how to get started and set up your online course with Lumen materials in just a few minutes, along with best practices for online delivery.
    • Register: Tuesday 3/17: 9:00-9:45 AM ET /  6:00-6:45 AM PT
    • Register: Tuesday 3/17: 3:00-3:45 PM ET / 12:00-12:45 AM PT
    • Register: Thursday 3/19: 12:00-12:45 PM ET / 9:00-9:45 AM PT
    • Register: Thursday 3/19: 5:00-5:45 PM ET / 2:00-2:45 AM PT
  3. To support professional development, we’re introducing a series of short videos about effective digital teaching and learning using Lumen courseware. We’ll begin sharing them this week on Lumen’s blog. Topics include:
    • Setting up your course in the LMS
    • Engaging students in virtual environments
    • Staying connected to students at a distance
    • Helping students become self-directed learners
    • And more!
  4. Lumen’s outstanding Support Team is available to assist with any needs. Reach out with support needs and general questions, including help for instructional designers, LMS administrators and others working with faculty to switch modalities using our courseware. Send a message to support@lumenlearning.com or schedule an Office Hours appointment for live virtual support.
  5. Lumen Community Slack can connect you with the Lumen Team, as well as faculty using Lumen courseware and other members of our community. Use this form to request an invitation to this collaboration tool.

Please reach out if the Lumen Team may be of help in any way possible during this period.

 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).