FAQs: Information for Penn Faculty

If you develop influenza-like illness, you should stay home until you are fever free for more than 24 hours. If you wish to seek medical treatment or have medical questions, you should contact your healthcare provider. If you feel well enough to work, you should do so remotely using email, telephone, and other communication technologies.

Consider what steps you can take now to limit the disruption if you develop influenza-like illness.

• Develop plans to manage your laboratory or office if you or your staff becomes ill.

• Plan for disruptions to your courses, including informing your students about:

  • policies and expectations regarding class attendance;

  • procedures for making up in-class assignments and exams for students who are absent due to illness;

  • procedures to notify students if you need to cancel class unexpectedly.

• Talk to your family and household members about what would happen if you or they develop influenza-like illness and remain at home.

• Purchase flu prevention supplies such as alcohol-based hand sanitizers, tissues, disinfectants, and disposable wipes for your laboratory or office through established procedures for obtaining office supplies. Frequently clean high touch surfaces such as desks, door knobs, keyboards, and counters.

Q: What are students being told to do if they develop influenza-like illness?

A: Students who develop influenza-like illness will be told by Student Health Service to not attend class or exams and to contact their instructors to make arrangements to make up assignments or exams. Students who miss class for more than a week will be told to contact their school or program advising office.

Q: I am teaching a course at Penn. Where can I get information about instructional technology available to me to help prepare if my course is disrupted by flu?

A: There are a number of instructional technologies that may be useful to manage disruptions to a course, two of which are available to all Penn instructors:

• Courses In Touch-Class List allows instructors to generate email notices to all students enrolled in a class.

• Blackboard and Wharton’s WebCafé provide online tools for conducting class discussions, posting lecture or discussion notes, submitting student assignments, and other tasks.

There may be additional technologies and support available through your school. Here is a list of school-specific pages to support instructors:

• Arts and Sciences
  
• Nursing
  
• Wharton
• Engineering