What to Do If You Lose Power (For Students)

This document covers what to do if a Penn LPS Online student loses power but still has internet or cellular service. 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU LOSE POWER AND IT IS AN EMERGENCY 

IMPORTANT – SAFETY FIRST 

If you have lost power due to a severe weather event or other emergency, please prioritize your safety above all else. The Penn LPS Online team will work with you and your instructor on helping you resume your coursework once you are safe and have access to power. 

Contact Your Instructor & Advisor 

If you lose power, and it is an emergency (e.g., power in your area is down indefinitely), we recommend the following if you have access to a battery-operated device (laptop, phone, or tablet): contact your instructor and advisor and let them know about the outage and how it has disrupted progress in your coursework. Ask your instructor and advisor for guidance on what they want you to do once your power is restored.

BEFORE CONTACTING YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND ADVISOR:

• Make sure you have a high-charge percentage on your device; if not, wait to contact your instructor and advisor until you can safely charge your device, and only use your device for emergency communication.
• If you have a high-charge percentage, make sure you have completed all emergency communications (911, family, friends, etc.) before contacting your instructor and advisor.
• If you still have a high-charge percentage on your device after finishing emergency communications, contact your instructor and advisor. If your instructor has provided their phone number, call or text them. Ask your instructor and advisor for guidance on what they want you to do once your power is restored. Then, conserve your device’s battery for necessary communication only.

WHAT DO TO IF YOU LOSE POWER BUT IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY 

If you lose power temporarily but is it not an emergency (e.g., you know power will be restored soon), we recommend the following if you have access to a battery-operated device (laptop, phone, or tablet). 

Contact Your Instructor & Advisor 

Email your instructor and advisor. Let them know approximately how long the outage will last and how it has disrupted progress in your coursework. Ask your instructor and advisor for guidance on what they want you to do once your power is restored. If you plan to try re-accessing course content during the power outage on your battery-operated device via Canvas or Zoom, please let them know.  

Canvas 

If you choose to use your device for your online course while your power is down, you will need to do the following to use Canvas: 

• If you are on a laptop, continue access Canvas through your web browser.  
• If you are on a phone or tablet,
• Download the Canvas Student App on your device if you have not already: Android or iOS
• Log into the Canvas Student App. Please make sure you type “University of Pennsylvania” (no quotation marks) in its entirety when looking up your school: Android or iOS
• Access the Canvas site for your course: Android or iOS 

Please note: Using the Canvas Student app is not recommended under normal circumstances and should only be used if absolutely necessary. Also, you should not take a quiz, test, or exam in the app; if you lose power in the middle of a quiz, test, or exam, contact your instructor ASAP to explain the situation and ask for guidance, and do not attempt to resume in the app.  

Zoom 

If you lost power during a class meeting in Zoom and want to rejoin with your device, please do the following:  

• Download the Zoom app to your device if you have not already.
• Try rejoining the meeting through the Zoom app on your phone or tablet. If you can rejoin through the app, follow up with your instructor after class to let them know about the outage, and be sure to mention the approximate duration your time away from the meeting (e.g., 30 minutes), including the time at which you lost power (e.g., 6:30pm EST) and the time you were able to rejoin the meeting through the Zoom app. If you cannot rejoin the meeting, proceed to the recommendation below.
• Contact your instructor ASAP to let them know you are having trouble accessing Zoom. Ask you instructor for guidance on what they want you to do once your power is restored.