Back to Mac: Instructor Guide to Winter 2022

This winter, McMaster will be welcoming students, faculty and staff back to campus incrementally, alignment with the latest government and public health measures. This guide is intended to provide key information and resources you will need for teaching and learning this term.

Preparing to return to campus

• Plan for how you’ll get to work, including applying for or renewing a full or part-time parking pass, researching public transit schedules or looking into bike racks and secure bike storage options. If you prepaid for a parking pass for January, you have the option to request a refund for that month by emailing parking@mcmaster.ca.  
• Read McMaster’s COVID safety strategy, including measures in areas like ventilation, cleaning, masking and vaccination.  
• Complete the mandatory Back to Mac COVID-19 training. 

Before coming to campus each day

• Use MacCheck before coming to campus to complete your daily health screening. A green check mark means you are clear to attend a McMaster site that day.
• Bring your ID Badge and your mask. General information on masking can be found here. 

While on campus

• Keep at least 2 metres distance from others except in designated instructional areas such as classrooms, laboratories, libraries.
• Wear your mask covering your nose, mouth and chin. 
• When teaching, there are a couple of tips to keep in mind while lecturing, including holding the microphone close to the mask and speaking loudly, slowly, and clearly. It is important to repeat classroom questions so that they are captured on the lecture recording.   
• Sanitize your hands when entering a building and follow safety signs on campus.
• Follow the guidelines for spaces and eating on campus.  
• Business meetings should be held virtually wherever possible between now and January 27. When in-person meetings resume, follow guidelines for meetings, including masking and physical distancing.

Need to self-isolate?

• Report to the university through Mosaic if you test positive for COVID-19 on a rapid test or a PCR test and have attended a McMaster location in the past 14 days. Follow the province’s current isolation guidelines. 
• You may find yourself in a situation where you do not pass MacCheck. If you are well, you may need to pivot occasionally to virtual or remote teaching. Please communicate promptly and clearly to your students if this happens. 

Preparing course activities

• Visit the Campus Classrooms Technology (CCT) website to learn more about Echo360 upgrades in additional classrooms, added audio/video conferencing capabilities, and more to support your teaching activities.
• Winter 2022 Class Teams have been created for all courses listed in Mosaic are available for instructors (not required). If you would like to proceed, see the setup guide on how to activate and use your Class Teams.
• Universal Design for Learning Resources: The MacPherson Institute has partnered to develop resources that take UDL as a foundational approach, including Forward with FLEXibility: A Teaching and Learning Resource on Accessibility and Inclusion and McMaster’s Inclusive Teaching Guide. 
• On-going flexibility for in-person teaching and learning: Please account for possible student absences in your course and the flexibility that may be required throughout the term given the screening requirements.
• Professor Hippo-on-Campus: Student mental health education program for educators and navigators.