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COVID-19 Updates from the BDPs

Follow this page for all the messaging sent to members of the Longhorn community from the Bridging Disciplines Programs.

For Connecting Experience Students and Faculty Mentors

March 26

You are receiving this message if you are doing an internship BDP Connecting Experience this semester or serving as a Faculty Mentor to a student doing an internship Connecting Experience this semester.

In a standard semester, the BDP office requires that students work at least 160 hours at their internship site. For spring 2020, we have reduced this requirement to 120 hours, and students are permitted to count remote internship work toward the hours requirement. The BDP office has communicated this information to internship supervisors. Additionally, for students who will not be able to continue their planned internship responsibilities remotely, we have encouraged internship supervisors to consider whether there is a different project that the intern can take on remotely.

If a student is unable to work at least 120 hours for their internship site, we encourage you to think about an independent research project that can help fill this gap to complete the Connecting Experience credit for the semester. Students who will be unable to complete 120 hours should be sure to complete the BDP mid-semester check-in survey (reminder email forthcoming) or email their BDP advisor if they have not already.

We understand that this is a challenging semester, and the BDP office is here to help! Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions about this information.

For Internship Supervisors

March 24

You are receiving this message because you are currently mentoring a Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP) student, in an Internship Connecting Experience. We wanted to provide some updates and guidance on how the BDP office is handling Internship Connecting Experiences in light of the evolving situation with COVID-19. We are committed to ensuring that students are able to receive credit for their experiences and still have a high-quality experience, even if it diverges from their original plan.

Last week, we reached out to students who are currently in an Internship Connecting Experience, and we asked them to respond to a mid-semester check-in survey and let us know how their internships are being affected. As we receive their responses, we are following up individually with students to help them with specific questions and concerns. As we respond to students, we are doing our best to be flexible and to help them find solutions. Through a survey link that you’ll see below, we’re also asking for input from you to help inform our next steps with students.

Given the current COVID-19 situation, the BDP office is offering the following guidelines for internship sites:

  • In a standard semester, the BDP office requires that students work at least 160 hours at their internship site. For this semester, we have reduced the requirement to 120 hours of work for the internship site. If a student is unable to work at least 120 hours, the BDP office will communicate with students on a case-by-case basis. If necessary, we will help students to plan for an independent research project to help fill the gap.
  • BDP students will be permitted to count remote internship work toward the hour requirement for their internship this semester. Where there is the possibility for students to work remotely on an internship, we would encourage you to allow them to do so.
  • For students who will not be able to continue their planned internship responsibilities, we would ask that you consider whether there is a different way for them to contribute meaningfully to the work of your organization. For instance, the student may be able to complete a remote project that would still allow them to learn about and contribute to the mission of your organization.

Please complete the following survey by Wednesday, April 1 to provide feedback on your intern’s performance so far this semester, as well as updates on the next steps with their internship.

Thank you for all that you are doing during this challenging time. We are here to provide support to both you and students as you figure out the next steps! Please feel free to contact Rebecca Buckalew, BDP Connecting Experiences Coordinator, directly with any questions at rebecca.buckalew1@austin.utexas.edu.

Guidance for Mentors on BDP Connecting Experiences This Spring

March 17

You are receiving this message because you are currently mentoring a Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP) student in a Connecting Experience. We wanted to provide some updates and guidance on how we are handling Connecting Experiences in light of the evolving situation with COVID-19. We are committed to ensuring that students are able to receive credit for their experiences and still have a high-quality experience, even if it diverges from their original plan.

Yesterday, we reached out to students who are currently in a Connecting Experience, and we asked them to respond to a mid-semester check-in survey and let us know how their plans are being affected. As we receive these responses, we will be following up individually with students to help them with specific questions and concerns. We have also asked students to contact their faculty mentors directly to work out a remote communication plan for the semester, and if necessary, to modify their basis for grading for the remainder of their Connecting Experience. If you and your mentee agree to modify grading requirements, you will be able to review and approve the modified Connecting Experience contract through the online MyBDP system, and the BDP office will provide students with instructions on how to initiate that process.

For Internship Experiences:
Some students may be able to work remotely to complete their internship hours, and we have let them know that it’s okay to do this work remotely if the option is available. For other students, programming cancellations, closures, or the nature of their internship responsibilities may make it impossible to complete their required hours. We will be asking students to work with you to modify their Connecting Experience contracts to propose a research or other alternative project that they can use to substitute for the internship hours they will be missing. They might, for example:

  • ask a research question based on some aspect of their internship experience they found interesting and want to learn more about, and complete a paper on their findings;
  • think about some need they observed at their site (e.g. funding sources, needs assessment for grant opportunities, curriculum development for a future program), and collaborate with their supervisor to propose a project they could do at home and deliver to both you and their internship supervisor; or
  • think about something the organization does that they think could be improved or enhanced, and conduct research to inform how they might change it.

For Research Experiences:
Some students in independent research experiences may be able to complete their projects as originally planned. For students in research assistantship experiences or who are using human subjects as part of their projects, please note the following guidance, relevant to undergraduate researchers, that went out to PIs earlier this week from the Office of the VP for Research:

  • All undergraduate students have the right to decide to decline to work in the laboratory environment without fear of retaliation or retribution. All undergraduates may request work-from-home and PIs may not decline that request.
  • Face-to-face human subject research that does not provide a direct benefit to the subjects must be paused, effective immediately.
  • Any work that can be done outside the lab should be done outside the lab until further notice. This includes data analysis, literature search, writing thesis chapters, etc.
  • Undergraduates working in the labs as paid employees may continue to work in the lab if they desire to if PI deems it acceptable, and if it is allowed under department/ORU/College policy.
  • Undergraduates working for course credit may continue to work until they have sufficient data to receive credit. PIs are encouraged to find alternative means of continuing the projects that minimize the amount of in-person presence required. Departments, ORUs, and Colleges may put more restrictive policies in place.
  • Students in FRI and REU programs can expect to hear more from their PIs.

Where there is the possibility for students to work remotely on research assistantships, we would encourage you to allow them to do so. For students who will not be able to continue their responsibilities, we would ask that you either find a different way for them to contribute meaningfully to the project, or else work with them to identify an independent project they can do to substitute for their research assistant responsibilities. Some of the guidance for internships, above, may be applicable depending on the specific situation.

Students doing human subjects work that can be completed remotely may be able to continue as planned, with modifications to eliminate in-person meetings. Students who had to submit an IRB proposal should consider whether they need to submit a modification to the IRB office. For students who are unable to continue their human subjects research, please work with them to find alternative methods or to redirect their research in a way that does not require human subjects.

For students whose basis for grading includes presenting at the BDP Poster Session:
We will be converting our April 23 BDP Poster Session to a virtual poster session, most likely via Canvas. We will send out more details as we have them, but students who were planning to present a poster should still create a pdf version of their poster and plan to participate. The Office of Undergraduate Research is planning to offer an online version of its poster-making workshop, and we will provide this information to students when available. There will be an opportunity for interaction online about the posters, so we would encourage you to spend some time looking at the posters and asking questions/making comments for the students, in order to make this experience as valuable for them as possible.

For all experiences:
As you work with your student on any necessary modifications, please keep in mind that we are already halfway through the semester, and students will be dealing with lots of changes and challenges as their other classes move online. Their revised deliverable(s) should be meaningful for their BDP certificate topic and interests, but also manageable to accomplish in the remaining time they have this semester.

We are here to help! Both Larissa Noake and I are working remotely at this time, and although we are both working modified hours as we juggle work and child care, one of us will get back to you as soon as we can. If you could please include both of us (hermanjm@austin.utexas.edu and larissa.noake@austin.utexas.edu) on any communications, that will help us ensure that we are able to respond in as timely a manner as possible. If it would be helpful to talk on the phone for any complicated situations, please let us know in your message some times you would be available and how to contact you.

Thank you all for everything you’re doing to support students as we navigate this challenging semester!

For Faculty Panel Members

March 17

I hope you’re all doing well. I wanted to send an update on how the BDP office is handling the evolving situation with COVID-19.

The BDP staff are working remotely to continue supporting BDP students and applicants. Students will have access to advising appointments via video or phone, and we are working this week and next to move our group advising functions (regular information sessions for prospective students, applicant advising sessions, and connecting experience workshops) into online formats.

Students in Connecting Experiences this semester and their faculty mentors are receiving separate communication from us about how to deal with their experiences this semester. We are committed to ensuring that students are able to receive credit and still have a high-quality experience, even if it diverges from their original plan.

We will be converting our April 23 BDP Poster Session to a virtual poster session. We will send out more details as we have them, but students who were planning to present a poster will still have the opportunity to participate. There will be an opportunity for interaction online about the posters, so we would encourage you to spend some time looking at the posters and asking questions/making comments for the students, in order to make this experience as valuable for them as possible.

We have already started the process of scheduling faculty panel meetings for early May, and you have or soon will receive an email about scheduling from Tressa Olsen, our Administrative Associate. In the event that the university is still operating in this modified way by then, we will convert these to remote meetings using Zoom.

Please feel free to contact either me or Larissa if you have questions or concerns. We are both juggling work and child care, so if you could please include both of us (hermanjm@austin.utexas.edu and larissa.noake@austin.utexas.edu) on any communications, that will help us ensure that we are able to respond in as timely a manner as possible.

Thank you all for everything you’re doing to support students as we navigate this challenging semester!

Mid-semester Survey Message for Connecting Experience Students

March 16

You are receiving this message because you are completing a Connecting Experience for your BDP certificate this spring. We are aware that for many of you, your Connecting Experience plans may be affected by the evolving COVID-19 situation. Please read the rest of this message for important information and instructions for dealing with any changes to your Connecting Experience for the semester.

If you are experiencing any challenges, especially due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, please let us know so we can be a resource to you. BDP advisors are currently working remotely, will be monitoring your survey responses, and will be available to provide you with support as needed. If you have concerns, you are also welcome to email your BDP advisor directly. If you wish to schedule a remote BDP advising appointment, please know that you’ll soon be receiving instructions on how to do this.

Additionally, if you haven’t already made a plan for remote communication with your BDP Faculty Mentor, we ask you to reach out to your Faculty Mentor directly to make a plan for communicating remotely.

If you were planning to participate in the April BDP Poster Session, whether as part of your grade for your Connecting Experience or not, there will still be an opportunity to participate in a virtual poster session. We will be in touch as soon as we have more details to share.

For internship CE students only:
We recognize that your internship site may be impacted by the COVID-19 situation. The BDP office is here to help you adapt your Connecting Experience requirements, if needed, due to current challenges. If you are concerned that you will not be able to complete 160 hours of work for your internship site this semester due to the COVID-19 situation, please be sure to respond to the survey or contact your BDP advisor directly to let us know. If you have the option to work remotely for your internship site due to COVID-19, please know that remote hours worked can count toward your 160-hour requirement. If working remotely, you should be sure to have a plan with your internship supervisor so that they are able to confirm the number of hours you have worked (whether in the office or remotely) by the end of the semester.

For research CE students only:
We recognize that your research may be impacted by the COVID-19 situation. The BDP office is here to help you adapt your Connecting Experience requirements, if needed, due to current challenges. If you have concerns about how your research may be impacted by the COVID-19 situation, please be sure to respond to the survey or contact your BDP advisor directly to let us know. Also, please be aware that the Office of the Vice President for Research has announced that the following policies are now in effect for all research at UT, in addition to other policies that might affect your project (PIs have already received more detailed information):

  • All undergraduate students have the right to decide to decline to work in the laboratory environment without fear of retaliation or retribution. All undergraduates may request work-from-home and PIs may not decline that request.
  • Face-to-face human subject research that does not provide a direct benefit to the subjects must be paused, effective immediately.
  • Any work that can be done outside the lab should be done outside the lab until further notice. This includes data analysis, literature search, writing thesis chapters, etc.
  • Undergraduates working in the labs as paid employees may continue to work in the lab if they desire to if PI deems it acceptable, and if it is allowed under department/ORU/College policy.
  • Undergraduates working for course credit may continue to work until they have sufficient data to receive credit. PIs are encouraged to find alternative means of continuing the projects that minimize the amount of in-person presence required. Departments, ORUs, and Colleges may put more restrictive policies in place.

For creative project CE students only:
We recognize that your creative project may be impacted by the COVID-19 situation. The BDP office is here to help you adapt your Connecting Experience requirements, if needed, due to current challenges. If you have concerns about how your creative project may be impacted by the COVID-19 situation, please be sure to respond to the survey or contact your BDP advisor directly to let us know.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the BDP office at bdp@austin.utexas.edu or to email your BDP advisor directly. We’re here to help!

For BDP Applicants

March 12

Thank you for submitting your application to a Bridging Disciplines Programs certificate! Each applicant to the BDPs will be required to view an online BDP applicant advising session prior to April 14. The purpose of this session is to provide applicants with information to help them strengthen their applications, and all applicants will have the opportunity to submit revisions to their BDP applications by April 22.

As you know, the university is closely monitoring the situation with the Corona Virus (COVID-19). As of now, there are no definitive plans to move all classes online, but for yours and our safety, the Bridging Disciplines Programs will be moving our applicant advising sessions from in-person meetings to Canvas.

You will all be added to the “BDP applicant” Canvas page in the next few days, where you will be able to either view the applicant advising session live (schedule to come) with live Q&A, or have the option to view a recording of the session with a discussion board for any questions. You will be required to complete a Canvas quiz by April 14 to ensure you have watched the session and understand the information.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.