Dear HASP Members,
We hope that you are all faring well during this current situation. We also hope you have truly taken some time to rest, read, relax and enjoy a slower pace and have taken care of yourselves and stayed healthy!
We want to highlight a few suggestions for engaging with HASP courses and monthly programs in our online format as we approach the fall semester. We will be holding HASP courses at our normally scheduled time (Mondays–Thursdays, 9:30–11:00 a.m. and 1:00–2:30 p.m. and Fridays, 9:30–11:00 am only). HASP courses will be recorded ONLY when we have the permission of the presenter and will not be available until January 2021 on our YouTube channel. This is different from the summer. So if you want to participate in a class, it will be important to register and show up online at the scheduled time or you will miss it!
Many of our presenters will teach their class from their own personal home or office, but several will be teaching from the HASP classroom in order to receive tech support. We are not allowed to have any additional people in the office or classroom at this time – this is for presenters only. You will continue to sign into the HASP Virtual Classroom to participate at www.hope.edu/virtualhasp. You can use this same link for all of our courses and monthly programs, so be sure to copy the link or bookmark it on your personal device for easy access.
Late in the fall the HASP Board of Directors, in conjunction with Hope College Health and Safety Committees will revisit our online decision to determine if we MIGHT have some courses in person AFTER Thanksgiving when students have left campus. Because your safety is of utmost importance we will not make this decision lightly and/or without all the proper approvals and safety procedures in place.
During our summer classes we have learned a few things about Zoom and the best practices for learning (i.e., muting your mic unless you want to speak, using the CHAT option to make comments and ask questions, adjusting sound and volume balance on presenters, etc.). As a reminder, we ask that you sign-on in appropriate attire, ready to engage and listen to our presenters, and if you have to do other things while listening in – PLEASE turn off your camera so your activities are not a distraction to other learners and our presenters. We also strongly encourage you to consider selecting “Speaker View” while attending class. This allows your screen to primarily display just the speaker and any PowerPoint slides they are sharing and helps you feel more engaged with the presenter.
A few additional technical notes before we start fall courses:
1.) HASP will continue to use Zoom. Zoom works best if you download and install the client from their website onto your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Then, when you click on a Zoom link in any web browser, the client will open automatically and get you connected to the call. If you can’t (or don’t want to) install Zoom on your computer, then the website version is an okay substitute. When you click a link to join a meeting, there’s small text at the bottom that says “join via web browser”. If you’re going that route, we’d recommend a modern, up-to-date browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple’s Safari, or Microsoft Edge (Apple friends out there: Download Zoom onto your laptops and use Chrome as your search engine instead of Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer). There is a link on our website page under “Virtual HASP” to download Zoom, at (www.hope.edu/hasp).
Also, if you prefer to use your smartphone, you can go to your app store and download the Zoom app to your phone. If you need assistance installing, call the HASP office and one of us will walk you through the process (395.7919).
2.) When you sign-on, you will need “permission” from the host (HASP staff) to join the Zoom classroom. Please be patient as you wait until staff admits you shortly before the class start. Fall courses WILL require registration and payment, so they will not be open to the general public, and we will be admitting people based on registration lists.
3.) Please think about, and find, the best place to take your online class in your home/location. Rooms with good lighting (perhaps outside if you are somewhere warm) and little or no distractions would be appreciated.
4.) You will automatically be muted when you sign-on. Please leave yourself muted unless asking a question or making a comment. After you ask your question, please be sure to mute yourself again as keeping your microphone on will create feedback for everyone on the video.
5.) Different presenters handle questions differently! We will ask their preference at the beginning of class so everyone is informed if the presenter is willing to take questions as we go, only at the end, or at scheduled breaks in their presentation. Please try to keep your questions and comments related to the subject matter AND USE THE CHAT option to type them in.
ZOOM Help Sessions: We will offer two times you can enter the HASP virtual classroom (www.hope.edu/virtualhasp) to get help with questions, adjust your settings, learn how to use the chat option, etc.…before fall classes start:
Monday, September 14, 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon OR Wednesday, September 16, 1:00-3:00pm.
We are very much looking forward to the fall semester of classes! Please contact us if you have any questions/concerns. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Kim Mendels, HASP Director
Sharon Arendshorst, Curriculum Chair
Judy Parr, Chair of Humanities
Sarah Briggs, Chair of Fine Arts
Mike Economos, Chair of Social Sciences
Bruce Bassett, Chair of Science, Medicine, and Technology