Texas Tech University

Catherine Buscemi

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Distinguished Staff Awards 2020: Catherine Buscemi-eLearning and Academic PartnershipsCatherine Buscemi
Instructional Designer
eLearning and Academic Partnerships

The emergency transition to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 required a massive pivot of more than 6500 course sections to an online delivery model. The eLearning and Academics team instantly mobilized to provide a strong foundation of support for University faculty. They quickly created web pages with resources for both teachers and students during the transition so that needed training materials, guides, and contact information were found in one place. They provided dozens of trainings in collaboration with the TLPDC to build needed skill sets for faculty members and to field questions/concerns that the faculty members shared. They held hands (virtually) and offered comfort, encouragement, and expertise until instructors felt comfortable completing their Spring 2020 courses. They attended online class sessions during major tests to provide instant support if students experienced technical problems. Once the Spring courses were on their way to completion, they moved on to collaboration with summer session instructors to plan for quality online activity more proactively. They were willing to work long hours, to reach out and provide valuable assistance to instructors across the campus, to assist with students needing accessibility features, and to reassure faculty and staff without hesitation. With their combined expertise, the eLearning and Academics team was largely responsible for the successful completion of the Texas Tech spring courses, which was a huge undertaking considering the short timeline for implementation and the vast amount of courses.