The library will be open the following schedule during spring semester:

Due to a snow and ice storm that impacted the region, all in-person and remote (synchronous) classes will begin on Monday, February 2, unless further closings or delays are announced. Asynchronous online classes will occur as scheduled, and instructors are encouraged to consider asynchronous learning to make up for missed class time during the first week of the SP2026 semester. This updated article from last winter provides helpful tips for preparing and maintaining your courses.

With Mother Nature bringing heavy winter weather for the start of the spring 2026 semester, the first day of class may look somewhat different than planned. Preparing a Go Online (GO) Kit can help launch a smooth transition to a virtual classroom when in-person classes aren't an option. Here are five steps to help you stay on track.

1. Stay connected and up-to-date on issues impacting whether your class is canceled or postponed.

• Sign up for UMBC Emergency Alerts to receive text notifications about closures, delays, or campus-wide emergencies.
• Follow Campus Announcements on myUMBC to stay up to date on any university-wide decisions affecting classes.

2. Identify instructional technologies you can use to support course content distribution, active learning, and assessment.

Familiarize yourself with instructional technologies that support academic continuity using online teaching strategies and tools -- three tools may be very helpful starting points:

• Blackboard for content distribution, assessments, and asynchronous discussions.
• Copy content from any Blackboard course or organization
• Create rich Documents with text and visual elements and knowledge check questions
• Control how content is displayed with robust release conditions 
• Interact with students using Discussions
• Create assignments, tests, or forms
• Quickly generate rubrics and test banks using your own course content with Blackboard's AI Design Assistant
• YuJa for asynchronous video updates/mini-lectures.
• Record (or upload) and edit videos with a variety of quizzing options 
• Share media with your students
• Ensure accessibility with captioning or language translation
• Web conferencing tools for live class sessions. 
• UMBC currently offers Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex
• Consider making synchronous optional in the event of network difficulties due to weather conditions. 

3. When classes are canceled or postponed, communicate expectations and next steps with students.

• Notify students as soon as possible about schedule changes and how instruction will continue.
• Use Blackboard Announcements, Messages, or your PeopleSoft roster to send UMBC communication to your class.
• Keep TAs and graders informed about any adjustments.

4. Provide clear instructions for coursework and assignments.

• Ensure students know how to access learning materials and submit their work:
• Will you upload files to Blackboard, send files via email or share documents through Box or Google Drive? 
• TIP: Using Blackboard lets you scan for accessibility via Ally.
• Set expectations for deadlines, participation, and communication while remote.
• Do you want students to email their work to you?
• Will students use Blackboard or another type of tool to submit their work?

5. Keep students updated on grading and feedback

• Let students know how they will receive their grades, whether through:
• Blackboard gradebook for assignment scores and feedback.
• Integrated third-party tools, which may offer grade synchronization back to Blackboard.
• Spreadsheets or alternative tools for tracking progress need to keep FERPA and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) confidentiality in mind.
• Ensure that students have access to feedback even when in-person meetings aren't possible. You can embed feedback in Blackboard assignments, including audio & video (up to 5 minutes).

Week 1 Tips

Keep Week 1 expectations manageable and focused on getting started.

• Share essential materials first: Get your syllabus and Week 1 content to students via Blackboard or email. 
• Focus on orientation activities that help students understand your course without requiring complex technology:
• Will you post a welcome announcement or video introduction?
• Will students complete a brief introductory discussion board or survey?
• Should students review the syllabus and complete a syllabus quiz?

• Set realistic expectations for Week 1 participation and deadlines. Winter weather might interrupt access to power or internet for some students.

A GO Kit can be a handy addition to your teaching and technology portfolio, no matter how classes might be postponed (or canceled) in the future. Taking time to prepare a plan now means you'll be ready to launch your course with confidence, whatever comes your way.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection | What's new in Ultra?
• Open a ticket via RT | Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• PIVOT | Academic Continuity | FDC's Keep On Teaching | Student Technology Resources

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) is thrilled to announce that the Client Services and Networking Student​​​​ Teams have been awarded the Fall 2025 DoIT Gritty Award! This recognition celebrates their exceptional teamwork, adaptability, and commitment to ensuring seamless technology transitions across campus during ongoing renovations to Sherman Hall. 

A Seamless Transition

Over the course of only two months, these teams successfully supported the relocation of 17 departments to new work locations across UMBC's campus. These moves were driven by the reopening of Sherman Hall's west wing, coinciding with Phase 1 of Renovations being completed after 18 months, and the preparation for the closure of Phase 2, requiring precise coordination and flexibility.

Departments were relocated to 900 Walker, Biology, Fine Arts, Sondheim, and Sherman Hall, with each move presenting its own logistical obstacles. Through careful planning and hands-on execution, the teams ensured that faculty and staff experienced minimal disruption and could continue their work without interruption.

In addition to their support of these extensive relocations, the teams also commissioned the newly renovated portion of Sherman Hall. Their efforts ensured that all incoming departments were operating at full capacity on day one, the moment doors opened. Learn more about the Sherman Hall Phase 1 completion on the "Sherman Hall's Phase 1 renovation is complete, creating space for creative collaboration" post. 

This level of readiness reflects not only technical skill, but exceptional coordination and responsibility that were needed to successfully execute such a massive undertaking.

All of these achievements would not have been possible without the dedication and collaboration of these talented student employees:

Networking Team:
Alina Aler, Wardan Kazzalbach, Joshua Garofalo, Kidus Solomon, Daeun Oh, Jake Thompson, Alexis Garcia, Ryan Cather, Kellee Palmer, Yazlin Moujalled, Abir Samad, Erin Shields

Client Services Team:
Aakriti Roka, Courtney Pelkey, Dongthi Nguyen, Jayven Quedit, Joshua Nguyen, Luke Ngo, Michael Marti, Timi Olayinka, Ryan Walton, Steven Zhang, Sean Adeyemo 

We are proud to recognize the Client Services and Networking student teams with the Fall 2025 DoIT Gritty Award. Congratulations to all of you, and thank you for the critical role you play! 

About the DoIT Gritty Award

The DoIT Community & The DoIT Gritty Committee

Erica D'Eramo
Ada Crutchfield
Andrew Shebest
Anthony Finneran
Carlos McKinney
Daniel Loftus
Dave Souder
David Toothe
Debbie Michaels
Dondre Hatef
Josh Abrams
Khalil Alston
Matt Baker
Nick Beech
Peter Ariev

Cervical cancer is preventable, and January is a time to learn, take action, and help spread awareness. The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) works year-round to promote cervical health through education, vaccination, and regular screening, in alignment with the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate cervical cancer.

New screening options, including HPV self-collection tests approved by the FDA, may allow some individuals to screen without a pelvic exam. These tests check for high-risk types of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer and have the potential to increase access to lifesaving screening.
Partners, families, and caregivers also play an important role. Learning how to support a loved one through abnormal screening results, follow-up testing, or a cervical cancer diagnosis can make a meaningful difference.

You can get involved by downloading NCCC's advocacy toolkit, connecting with a local NCCC chapter, or sharing cervical health prevention messages throughout the month. Resources include free educational materials, survivor stories, and downloadable posters to help spread awareness. 

Screening is easy to schedule at UMBC! You can make an appointment with Retriever Integrated Health (RIH) for cervical screenings and preventive care: UMBC Health Appointments. Learn more, get involved, and help promote cervical health and cervical cancer prevention.

The Center for Social Science Scholarship is pleased to continue our workshop series on generative AI, LLMs, and computational social science methods.

This series began with the basics of computing in R and how to use generative AI/LLMs in social science research workflows. Each session will be focused on getting faculty and students comfortable with deploying AI and generative AI models in their research, but with a deeper understanding of the ethical, equity, and environmental consequences of these models.

This series, which is supported through the Elkins Professorship, features several new speakers this spring. 

REGISTER

February 20 | 12-1:30pm | PUP 438 
Social Network Analysis: Building Web-Based Applications for Experiential Learning
Led by:  Dr. Steve McDonald, Professor of Sociology, NC State University

February 27 | 12- 1:30pm | PUP 438
A City in Motion: How Everyday Routines Channel and Control Crime in Baltimore
Led by: Dr. Brian Soller, Associate Professor of Sociology (SAPH), UMBC 

April 10 | 12-1:30pm | PUP 438
Geospatial Analysis: Integrating GIS, R, and GeoAI
Led by: Krishna Mummadi, CS3 Graduate Assistant & GES Graduate Student

April 14 | 2-4pm | Walker Avenue, Suite 130 & Webex (hybrid)
Foundations of Large Language Models
Led by:  Dr. Josephine Namayanja, Executive Director, iHARP, UMBC
Rhoda Nankabirwa, iHARP Research Assistant and PhD Student, UMBC

April 29 | 12-1:30pm | Webex
Evaluating LLMs for Credible and Rigorous Social Science Research
Led by:  Dr. Michael Overton, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Idaho

May 6 | 12-1:30pm | PUP 438
ML Models for Causal Inference Analysis + HPC Led by:  Dr. Eric Stokan, CS3 Director and Associate Professor of Political Science, UMBC
Roy Prouty, Assistant Director for Research Computing, DoIT; UMBC Ph.D. Candidate, Computer Science, CSEE
Sai Vikas Amaraneni, iHARP Research Assistant and UMBC Ph.D. Student

Hosted by the Center for Social Science Scholarship. Cosponsored by the Division of Information Technology, the Center for Scalable Data and Computational Science, and CGC-SCIPE.