Pandemic Response Plan for the Statistics Department
Each department is required to have a pandemic response plan, in case of a pandemic such as major flu outbreak. Key components of the Statistics Department Pandemic Response Plan involve delivery of courses in a way that facilitates "social distancing" if necessary (that is, remote delivery). In addition, we must take into account the possibility of early semester termination, possibly at 12 weeks. While this document covers all Statistics Department taught classes in a semester, individual instructors are responsible for implementing their own customized plan.
Our primary pandemic coordinator is Brian S. Yandell, Associate Chair; our backup coordinator is Nancy Brinkerhoff, administrative staff.
- Social Distance Delivery Options
- Flu and Social Distance Resources
- Statistics Courses
- Administrative and Technical Instructional Support
Return to Statistics Department Home Page.
Social Distance Delivery Options
Classes may need to switch from standard classroom meetings to social distancing delivery if required by the Dean. In our case this may be realized by a combination of remote delivery options, including telephone calls, teleconferences, email, web pages and Learn@UW. These actions will greatly reduce traffic in MSC and other buildings. Each class will have its own plan, with components that may include the following:
- Use normal lecture and office hour times to respond to students queries by telephone, email, or through the Learn@UW Discussion Board.
- Use Learn@UW.
- Use Library Reserves/Course Pages
- Use Statistics Department web pages to post materials.
- Conduct teleconferences on essential course topics.
- Administer exams or projects remotely. Establish grades based on completed work.
Further details can be found in Flu and Social Distance Resources below.
Flu and Social Distance Resources
Campus information on flu, in particular H1N1, can be found at http://flu.wisc.edu. In addition, Teaching & Learning Experience has a special section on pandemic planning at https://tle.wisc.edu/pandemic. Questions can be addressed to pandemicinfo@mhub.uwpd.wisc.edu. Additional information can be found at the
L&S Handbook VIII-6: Pandemic Flu Planning--Continuity of Instruction . The L&S Pandemic Planning Group can be contacted at
The internet resources below should help establish social distance learning.
Learn@UW Resources
Maintaining social distance for statistics courses often means using internet tools. Your best sources of information about building web pages or using Learn@UW are other instructors and students who already use them. Learn@UW is the primary campus course web site system. With Learn@UW, you can easily share links, files and media with your students. You can also manage grades securely, deliver online quizzes or surveys, and much more.
It is best to establish (and post) some ground rules among the instructor, TAs and students. Be clear on deadlines. Decide on what formats are acceptable (for example, allow text TXT, PDF and older style Word DOC, but not newer Word7 DOCX?).
Students can go directly to https://learnuw.wisc.edu and login if their instructor has activated this semester's course. Instructors can get started as follows:
- Check out the "Getting Started with Learn@UW" tutorials at http://kb.wisc.edu/luwmad/page.php?id=5278.
- Login and find your timetable course at https://learnuw.wisc.edu.
- Determine what portions of Learn@UW would best enhance your course. The list below was provided by Statistics instructors. For additional help, email academictech@doit.wisc.edu with questions.
- Content: Lectures can be posted and managed in the Content area.
- Dropbox: The Dropbox capability of Learn@UW allows students to submit assignments electronically. The grader can use the Dropbox to download files submitted by the student, provide feedback and assign grades.
- Discussion: Post notes and worked out problems in place of lecture, and create activities for students to do on their own in place of lecture. Have students use the Discussion Board function in Learn@UW to post questions, which the instructor can then answer. The questions and answers would be visible to all students.
- Remember to set your Learn@UW course to "Active" for student access. For details, see: http://kb.wisc.edu/luwmad/page.php?id=3192.
- For quick answers on how to use a tool, or for technical questions, call the DoIT Help Desk at 264-HELP (4357).
Library Reserves/Course Pages
The Library Reserves Course Page (LCP) can be found at http://www.library.wisc.edu/lcp. See also http://wendt.libary.wisc.edu/borrowing_and_ordering/course_reserves. Shortcuts to many statistics research guides can be found at http://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/statistics.
The Reserves Librarian is Ryan Schryver, and the Statistics Librarian is Amy Kindschi; both have offices in Wendt Library.
Statistics Department Web Pages
Statistics Department web pages are less flexible for instruction, but they were present before Learn@UW. Each course has a web page area at http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~stnnn-n or http://www.stat.wisc.edu/stnnn-instructor [substitute course number (nnn), section (n) and instructor name as appropriate]. These are logically found at /p/stat/course/stnnn-instructor and are owned by the instructor. However, we do not have a mechanism to collect information from students through these web pages. Instead, instructors and TAs must rely on email or Learn@UW.
For further information on department web pages, including individual pages and course pages, see http://www.stat.wisc.edu/twiki/bin/view/CSDocs/WebServerFAQs.
Statistics Courses
Courses Needing an "Essential and Social Distance Ready" Plan
The Registrar maintains a list of courses requiring plans (includes all our regularly offered courses) at http://registrar.wisc.edu/essential_courses.php. Each instructor for an essential course must have a plan to implement social distance learning to ensure that material is taught. Have contingency plans for early semester termination, possibly at 12 weeks. Identify a way to award final grades for the semester in the event of a cancellation of the final part of the semester and final exams. [Courses in brackets may be taught by Statistics Department instructors and/or TAs.]
- Service courses required by other programs
STAT 224 Intro Stats for Engineers STAT 301 Intro-Statistical Methods STAT 324 Intro Applied Stats for Engrs STAT 371 Intro Applied Stats-Life Sci STAT 424 Stat Expermntl Design-Engrs [BMI/Stat 441 Intro to Biostatistics for Pharmacy] [BMI 511 Intro to Biostatistical Methods for Public Health] [STAT/BMI 541 Intro to Biostatistics] [STAT/BMI 542 Intro to Clinical Trials] STAT/For/Hort 571 Stat Meth for Bioscience I STAT/For/Hort 572 Stat Meth for Bioscience II - Service courses required for UG stat majors and/or some degree programs
STAT 309 Intro to Math Statistics I STAT 310 Intro to Mathematical Statistics II STAT 311 Intro to Mathematical Statistics I STAT 312 Intro to Mathematical Statistics II - Core courses for Stat/Biostat graduate degrees
STAT 609 Mathematical Statistics I STAT 610 Mathematical Statistics II [STAT/BMI 641 Stat Methods for Clinical Trials] [STAT/BMI 642 Stat Methods for Epidemiology] STAT 709 Mathematical Statistics I STAT 710 Mathematical Statistics II [STAT/BMI 741 Survival Analysis Theory & Methods] STAT 849 Thry&Appl-Regress&AnalVar I STAT 850 Thry&Appl-Regress&AnalVar II STAT 998 Statistical Consulting
Non-essential Courses
No plan is required for all other courses, which are deemed non-essential. However, instructors should plan accordingly, and are advised to have social distance and early termination plans.
Administrative and Technical Instructional Support
The administrative offices can function remotely as needed. Classroom management can be performed online using standard campus web interfaces. The individual office work spaces are separated sufficiently for social distance requirements. Administrative Windows-based computers have a minimal level of redundancy; an extra computer can be used on a temporary basis.
To the extend possible, staff will make sanitizing liquid dispensers available in the computing labs. Signs will be posted on the dispensers to encourage application before and after using a lab computers. In addition, lab support staff will clean keyboards with sanitizing wipes as frequently as possible.
The primary computing resources for the department are the servers located in the CSSL building and Thin clients at student and faculty desks. Individual thin clients are located in separate cubicles, individual offices, and the 1274 public site. Any thin client will accept login by any Statistics user. Most servers can be managed remotely by our technical staff, and are located where little face-to-face contact is required to perform maintenance. Computer Systems Lab (CSL) staff can service the few servers that cannot be managed remotely. Students and faculty can access servers remotely if advised to stay away from campus. Statistics relies on network services maintained by DoIT and CSL. Multiple Statistics printers provide a redundancy pool that can be used if repairs on individual printers must be delayed.