While preparing for the anticipated flu season is moving forward for many faculty, academic continuity is important at anytime, whether it is for one student or many students. As a former horticulture instructor at a community college where 100% of my students were already working in the landscaping and turf management industries, there were countless times one or more students could not attend class due to work. Academic continuity was important long before the current concerns for the anticipated flu crisis.

First, for those instructors with fully online courses,  academic continuity is already there providing students with the opportunity to learn. For those instructors with face-to-face courses, a Blackboard course can provide academic continuity when students do not have the opportunity to attend your face-to-face lectures or labs. This is regardless of the cause of their absence from a lecture or lab.

The first big step is "Plan Ahead". While it may be too late to change much for this term or semester, you can start planning for next term.

1. Learn how to use Blackboard now!

Probably the biggest first step is learn how to use the version of Blackboard at your institution. Even if you do not use Blackboard as part of your face-to-face course right now, at least have some experience navigating in a Blackboard course and adding files to the course. It's better to learn now instead of trying to learn later with "fever, aches, sneezes and wheezes".

This is also a good time to learn how to use some of the other e-learning technologies that are also a component of the on-line course environment. A key one is the supported web conferencing system at the institution such as Elluminate, Wimba, Connect and WebEx, so the instructor can continue to conduct real-time face-to-face lectures.

2. Provide digitial versions of all course materials.

Use a Blackboard course for all course materials and handouts. Since most course materials are now produced on a computer and then printed for distribution to the students in the lecture hall, post a digital copy of the materials in PDF or HTML format in the course. 

PDF or HTML formats are recommended as they are the most "web friendly" on almost any device, ranging from standard desktops to web-enabled mobile phones. Avoid putting any materials up in the course in word processor (Word, Pages, Writer, etc) or presentation (PowerPoint, KeyNote, Impress, etc) file formats. If you do need to post an "Office" file, also include an additional version in PDF or HTML format.

3. Provide detailed course learning goals and objectives.

Develop detailed learning goals and objects not only on a course wide level but also on a topic or weekly level. Look at revising your course to follow a modular approach based on topics in a subject area instead of the course as one big unit.

Also, consider providing rubrics or checklists of the detailed learning objectives so students can track their learning progress if they are not able to attend class. The rubrics/checklists can foster self and peer learning through a variety of communication avenues.

4. Create "stand-alone" lectures

Often in lecture, the instructor will talk for about an hour and when the "bell rings" say "Ah, time is up, we will continue at the next lecture". However, the student may not be able to make the "next lecture".

With the detailed learning goals and objectives as a guide, look at developing each lecture as a "stand alone" presentation. Think of each lecture session more like a "conference presentation" with a definite beginning, middle and end. 

There is no need to do full "taking head" video recordings of the lectures. It can be as simple as an audio recording to a well-developed narrated presentation. Audio recordings or narrated presentations can be done either in the lecture or after lecture. (See Don’t be a Talking Head: Presentation capture not lecture capture") If the instructor cannot or is unable to do full lecture recordings, at least provide short summaries of the lecture such as a five minute wrap-up recording in the office after the lecture.