March 11, 2020
Dear NYFA LA Faculty and Staff,
As you were informed in an earlier notice, the New York Film Academy has been preparing for the possibility of remote learning to assist in the mitigation of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). We would like to reiterate that there are no known cases on any of our campuses, and neither the CDC nor LA County Public Health has recommended that we make alterations to our classroom delivery methods. However, as a precautionary measure, the Los Angeles Campus will move to remote learning no later than Monday, March 23. All in-person classes will be suspended no later than March 23 and will extend for at least one week, but will still be held according to the existing class schedule via ZOOM EDUCATION. If it becomes necessary to extend remote learning beyond March 29, you will receive additional notification.
Instructors may teach from their homes on their own devices during the designated period. If you don’t have an appropriate device, please communicate with your department chair immediately. Instructors may, if necessary for instruction, check out from NYFA limited amounts of equipment (camera, accessories) to use for demonstration purposes from their remote teaching environment. If, for any reason (i.e. technical support, computer access, access to equipment), you prefer to teach your class(es) via Zoom Education from the LA Campus, we may be able to accommodate, but you must communicate that request to your chair by Monday, March 16. In the unlikely event that NYFA must close the LA Campus buildings, you will be notified.
All students are expected to attend class through the online environment.
We are not making this decision lightly. It is guided first by our priority to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and families. We also have a social responsibility for the health of surrounding communities to do what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our city, especially among the most vulnerable. The date of March 23rd was agreed upon to allow us to best prepare for this eventuality based on current evolving conditions. If conditions and outlook change, we may amend this plan.
We do understand, given the nature of the hands-on education at NYFA, the challenges of remote learning. Certain material that you and chair agree that cannot be adequately covered, will be covered upon return to on-site learning. Instructors should, however, make every attempt to achieve the learning outcomes of each class, even though you are not teaching in our typical learning environment. When we return to campus we want the schedule to be as unaltered as possible in order for students to complete their semester on time. Any make-up work can be scheduled within the remaining weeks of the semester.
An additional email will be sent tomorrow containing instructions regarding the download of the Zoom Education application and login information, and information regarding tutorials will follow. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SIGN UP FOR A ZOOM ACCOUNT, PRIOR TO RECEIVING AND FOLLOWING OUR INSTRUCTIONS, AS YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO TEACH NYFA CLASSES USING YOUR NYFA-ISSUED ZOOM ACCOUNT. Specific information is coming soon on how to properly register for the NYFA Zoom Education platform.
All guidance regarding any scheduled film production or project execution should come from the department or the instructor. Students have been advised to communicate any questions regarding classwork to their instructor(s). In addition to the move to remote instruction, we are immediately limiting on-campus and offsite large gatherings. Also, if you are a person who is particularly vulnerable or susceptible to COVID-19, contact your supervisor to see what kind of accommodation can be made prior to March 23. Please Note: Administrative staff will be contacted separately by Human Resources and/or their department heads about continued work on campus and/or the possibility of working remotely, if necessary.
Thank you for your cooperation during this challenging time.
For questions, please email your chair or supervisor, or email remoteteachingLA@nyfa.edu.
Regards,
Dan Mackler
Dean of NYFA LA
