Public Safety is tracking a significant snowfall that will be arriving in our area late Sunday morning (Jan. 25). It will snow heavily throughout the day and evening eventually tapering off Monday (Jan. 26) with 10-14 inches expected statewide. A sleet and freezing rain mix is also possible along the shore. Temperatures will be in the teens and twenties.
Due to this significant winter storm and the extensive campus clean-up operations that will need to take place, all in-person day and evening classes scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2026 have been cancelled. All scheduled in-person classes will transition to being held online or remotely. Additional information on the virtual format for each class will be provided by your instructor.
Faculty have been asked to prepare for Online or Remote sessions in the event of in-person meeting cancellations. These options will be determined by the Faculty member and all questions should be directed to the Faculty teaching each course section. Faculty also have been asked to be very understanding and accommodating of the individual situations of their students who may have difficulty managing these alternative online or remote class meetings on short notice.
Please note that only essential employees, as previously determined by their respective department leaders, should report to campus. All other employees should fulfill the requirements of their role remotely.
Campus operations for residential students, unless otherwise noted, will operate as scheduled, though hours may be modified or changed based on the conditions. Separate messages will be sent from the Peterson Library, the Beckerman Recreation Center, and Dining Services regarding any changes to their normal hours of operation. The Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation will remain open for residential students to use for study space and to participate in online classes.
Off-campus students that live in the City of West Haven should abide by the city’s parking ban during inclement weather to avoid having their vehicle tagged and towed. Please check the City of West Haven’s website for further information on their snow parking ban.
The Charger Blog
In a recent virtual panel discussion, several of the University of New Haven’s best professors came together to discuss how they use student feedback to enhance their teaching while continuing their own learning.
November 18, 2020
Mary Isbell, Ph.D., is passionate about education, and she endeavors to learn as much from her students as she teaches them. This approach has been particularly important as many classes, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, now include an online component.
An English professor, Dr. Isbell regularly adjusts and adapts her courses each semester as she gets to know her students to ensure she is meeting their needs. She recently shared with her fellow faculty members what she has learned while teaching remotely.
“I want feedback from my students and I want to meet them where they are,” she said. “I want to push my students to become the kind of learners I want them to be.”
Dr. Isbell, who received the Bucknall Excellence in Teaching Award last year, is one of three faculty members and, coincidentally, three of the most recent Bucknall Award recipients, who shared their wisdom and lessons as part of a recent virtual panel. Titled “Using Student Input to Shape Your Course,” the discussion was part of a series of virtual conversations presented by the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence.
The panelists discussed meaningful ways, including regular check-ins and mid-semester evaluations, for faculty members to collaborate with students to learn what is working well in a course and what students would like to change. These opportunities enable students to provide meaningful feedback on everything from the pace of a course to the workload. Professors also emphasized the importance of regularly checking in on students’ well-being.
“I like to close the loop – I always share the data I gather with my students,” said Jenna Sheffield, Ph.D., interim director of the Center for Teaching Excellence who moderated the discussion. “I tell students what I’ve found and what I’m going to do with their feedback.”
Matthew Schmidt, Ph.D., a professor of national security and political science, discussed his approach to cultivating engagement in the classroom. Encouraging students to use feedback to learn from each other, he often does “public grading,” using humor and games to help students feel comfortable while evaluating themselves. He encourages self-reflection and hopes to go beyond the course content to promote social and emotional learning.
“What we’re doing is creating self-reflective practitioners,” he explained. “The goal is to get students to pay attention to themselves, to look at what they are learning and why.”
Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Ph.D., has found her students’ feedback to be especially crucial as she has taught hybrid classes this semester. A mechanical engineering professor, she conducted an exercise with students in multiple sections of a course in which they downloaded an educational app to their phones. She then followed up with them to learn what they thought of the approach, using their feedback to continue to shape the course.
“Just because something works for me and I figure it out doesn’t mean it is working for the students,” she said. “Feedback is key, and I make it a priority to incorporate having students reflect on what is working for them.”
University News
New University-wide council will advance strategic partnerships, immersive student opportunities, and innovative research, supporting the University’s strategic plan the development of its pioneering Center for Innovation and Applied Technology.
The Charger Blog
Entrepreneur David Sussman, Pompea College of Business Advisory Board Member and chief visionary officer of The Family Security Plan®, is collaborating with University of New Haven students, faculty, and staff to create a program and app that helps Chargers support each other to achieve academic, personal, and professional goals. It’s called Uccountability.
University News
Vice President for Innovation and Applied Technology Paul Lavoie will serve on the Board of Directors and as America’s Chief Manufacturing Officer for the newly launched American Manufacturing Futures Institute.