January 9, 2022

This message is distributed to All-Instructors, Dept-Chairs, Academic-Assistant-Deans, and Academic-Department-Managers. (Click here to view description of distribution groups.)

The following is being sent on behalf of Academic Senate Chair Susannah Scott and Executive Vice Chancellor David Marshall
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Guidance for All Instructors for the Period January 10-28, 2022

As previously announced, all instruction offered between January 10th and January 15th must be conducted remotely, with the exception of some laboratory, performance, studio, and practicum courses that were approved to be offered in person from either the Undergraduate Dean or the Graduate Dean.

Instructors may continue to teach in fully remote mode through January 28th, and indeed we expect that most courses will continue to be taught remotely for the remainder of the month. Instructors should confirm their plans with their students at their next class meeting. We acknowledge that this communication is an extra burden for instructors on short notice, necessitated by the fast-moving situation.

This policy aims to accommodate the pedagogical needs of those instructors who feel that their courses are especially difficult to offer remotely. Although no instructor will be obliged or expected to offer in-person instruction during this period, faculty have the option to do so, without seeking special permission, provided they can comply with the conditions described below. The challenges are considerable, and should not be taken lightly. Instructors who decide to offer any in-person instructional components in their courses between January 18th and January 28th must:

  1. notify enrolled students and their department chair of the plan to offer any in-person course components by Tuesday, January 11th;
  2. discuss plans with any teaching assistants, who (like all instructors) may choose to teach remotely;
  3. verify that any necessary classroom equipment and technology are available in the assigned classroom; we note that technical support will be limited, subject to staff availability;
  4. abide by and enforce classroom COVID-19 mitigation protocols, including universal masking, symptom screening, and green clearance badge checking;
  5. ensure that reasonable arrangements are made to facilitate the participation of any enrolled student unable to participate in-person, whether due to illness, mandatory isolation, or delayed return to campus;
  6. communicate information about remote participation expectations to all enrolled students clearly, e.g., on the course webpage.

Reasonable arrangements for remote participation in courses may include, for instance, teaching in hybrid mode (i.e. simultaneously on Zoom and in the physical classroom) or posting lectures and lecture materials to GauchoSpace.

Instructors who wish to teach in person must contact help@id.ucsb.edu to ensure that appropriate technology is available to accommodate the class. Instructors who require assistance with instructional technologies also can contact help@id.ucsb.edu. Faculty who wish to consult about teaching (in-person, hybrid, or remote) should complete the form here.

All instructors should be prepared to return to the mode of instruction published in the Schedule of Classes for their course on January 31st, unless further guidance is given. As explained in the Chancellor’s January 8th memo, based on public health guidance, modeling, vaccine booster requirements, and expanded testing for returning students, faculty, and staff, we expect to be able return to classroom teaching by the end of the month.