April 8, 2020

This message is distributed to SBFACU-L, SBNSF-L, SBNSOTHER-L, and SBADM-L.  (Click here to view description of distribution groups.)  

To:       UC Santa Barbara Faculty, Instructors, and Academic Staff 

From:   David Marshall, Executive Vice Chancellor 

Now that we are in the second week of Spring Quarter instruction, I want to thank everyone for their contributions to the heroic effort to continue our academic mission and deliver our curriculum remotely. 

The numbers are impressive. Last week, there were more than 8,000 instructional sessions delivered by Zoom, out of almost 10,000 Zoom meetings held across our virtual campus. There were 561,560 visits to GauchoSpace. 7,538,792 pages were viewed during 91,112 hours on GauchoSpace. Across 1,726 active Spring Quarter course sites, there were 5,990 forums set up for class interaction and communication; 4,437 assignments, and 1,807 quizzes created for assessment; and 2,209 Zoom activities on GauchoSpace for synchronous class participation.  

The launching of our virtual classrooms and remote environment for teaching and learning wouldn’t have been possible without the technological, human, and intellectual infrastructures created in countless hours of planning, organization, and support. We can take great pride in the resourcefulness and determination of our students, faculty, and staff throughout this remarkable transition. 

Although we cannot thank everyone who has made it possible for us to begin Spring Quarter instruction, I do want to single out our colleagues in Undergraduate Education (especially Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean Jeff Stopple and Associate Dean and CITRAL Faculty Director Linda Adler-Kassner) and Instructional Development (especially George Michaels), as well as the dedicated IT staff working on campus-wide strategies and solutions led by Associate Vice Chancellor and CIO Matt Hall, LSIT Executive Director Hector Villicana, Director of Instructional Technology Services Bret Brinkman, and SIS&T Executive Director Joe Sabado. 

As expected, although we have successfully completed a sort of “stress test,” not everything worked perfectly, and adjustments will be made, as more classes are launched during the second week of instruction. You all have received information and advice about Zoom security. We will continue to reach out to those students who may have challenges engaging in remote instruction to ensure that they are connected to our academic community. We remain concerned about students who still need to obtain the minimum number of credit units (and some who still need Winter Quarter grades) in order to be in good standing and be eligible for financial aid, student athlete status, and visas. Thank you for your efforts to accommodate these students. 

I have been impressed by how many faculty have shared pedagogical ideas and tips with each other, as well as strategies to ensure student engagement, informed by their innovation, resourcefulness, and commitment to their students. As always, we are grateful for everyone’s good will, patience, and cooperation. We will continue to work closely with the Academic Senate to review policies and practices that might need to be adjusted during this (non-precedent setting) emergency situation, and provide regular updates about technical and instructional support for faculty and students. 

Here are some recent developments:

  • Departments have been asked to review grading options for Spring Quarter, following a decision by Undergraduate Council to allow flexibility.
  • Academic Personnel and Graduate Council have provided guidance about faculty and graduate students whose research progress may be interrupted or impeded by the COVID-19 emergency.
  • UC President Napolitano and the UC Chancellors announced that there would be no COVID-related layoffs of career staff, including academic and student employees, through the 2019-20 academic year. 

Other communications will follow soon:

  • Information about exam options and best practices for remote courses will be forthcoming soon, with guidance about alternative forms of assessment.
  • Along with the other UC campuses, Summer Sessions is making contingency plans for a remote version of its June and July curriculum.

As challenging and frightening as these times are, it is important to look forward and to look beyond the current crisis. The social distancing and other precautions that we have instituted on campus and in Santa Barbara appear to be effective in reducing the spread of the virus in our area, but we will continue to exercise an abundance of caution as we plan for what may be a gradual or staggered return to campus facilities. We are working with the Academic Senate and other colleagues on contingency planning for the Fall. 

We will be grateful to return to our campus and renew our bonds of community, but further challenges will await us. We must assess the financial impacts of the pandemic on international, national, state, and local economies, and the University of California budget. Although we should not underestimate these serious challenges, the bonds of our community are strong. As we are forced to reassess our priorities, it is important to reassert our core values and principles as a public research university dedicated to excellence and accessibility; to discovery, innovation, creativity, and the transmission of knowledge; and to the cultivation of an educated workforce, including teachers, researchers, and civic leaders, in California and beyond. Indeed, as we face an uncertain economy, we need to reaffirm the significance of the University of California to the State’s economic and social recovery, and the need to reinvest in the University. 

Thank you again for your dedication and resilience. Keep Teaching and Keep Learning.   

 

For past communications and other resources, see COVID-19 Information & Resources.