When the Coastal Carolina University Fall 2020 semester begins on Aug. 19, many faculty members will be using new iPads to deliver their digital learning courses. The University recently purchased 1,000 10.5-inch Apple iPad Airs using a portion of its allotted CARES Act funds. They come with a Smart Keyboard and an Apple Pencil as part of the faculty mobile instructional package.

"This equipment allows us to respond to conditions as they change," said CCU Provost Dan Ennis. "In the classroom, we can stream to our students at a distance. Outside the classroom, it will allow faculty to interact with students who aren't able to come to campus. Our faculty members have been fantastic, rebuilding their courses to take advantage of this flexibility."

According to Sherri Restauri, senior executive director of the Coastal Office of Online Learning (COOL), the iPads are equipped with the core instructional software tools CCU's faculty members use most on campus including the Moodle Learning Management System, Zoom and Teams for web conferencing, Echo360 for lecture capture, and more. Faculty members will be able to livestream, grade assignments, and host and join meetings as needed from various locations to best meet their instructional needs during the Fall 2020 semester.

"Faculty may even personalize their iPads with discipline-specific apps and software to help teach their students in ways we did not have available prior to the Fall 2020 semester," said Restauri. "Getting these devices into the hands of our faculty has been an important step for the University. They help to ensure that faculty who adopt these instructional mobile packages all have the necessary hardware and software they need to successfully serve our students."

Dan Abel, a professor of marine science in the Gupta College of Science, says, "The iPads have all the software loaded on them already, which will be useful for me as I deliver distance learning opportunities to my students. It's nice for everyone to be on the same system."

The University's Fall 2020 instructional plan has been developed to protect the health, safety, and well-being of faculty, staff, and students as on-campus instruction resumes. The plan includes provisions for physical distancing in classrooms, multiple teaching approaches to accommodate faculty and student health risks, as well as potential periods of quarantine, and an altered semester calendar to minimize the impact of student exposure during Thanksgiving break.

The fall semester begins with online instruction on Aug. 19 followed by in-person learning, which includes the option of live streaming, on Sept. 8. Students can also choose to continue with online learning for the duration of the semester. On-campus instruction will continue through Friday, Nov. 20, and will resume in the online environment from Monday, Nov. 30, through Friday, Dec. 4.

The iPads were purchased with funds from Section 18004(c) of the CARES Act, which allows institutions to use up to one-half of the total funds they received under Section 18004(a)(1) to cover any costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus.