Fall semester academic contingency planning now

Dear Faculty Colleagues:

We want to acknowledge, once again, how grateful we are to all of you for the efforts you have given to the task of moving the last half of your spring 2020 coursework into a remote learning format. That so many of you are doing this remote instruction so very well is a tribute to your dedication and commitment.

We have heard from a number of faculty that you are concerned about the fall semester. So even as we plan with the expectation of seated sessions, we must do so with a contingency plan for on-going remote instruction. We know, because many of the faculty are asking, that preparing for remote instructional models now is an appealing choice for some of you.

In keeping with the above and in an effort to support faculty and students, we have made the following decision. We will suspend the requirement for online/hybrid certification as a prerequisite for offering online or hybrid courses through the Fall.

Expedited training will be available, but not required, over the summer for all faculty who have not already been certified to offer online courses. Please look for more guidance about training, course formats and platforms.

Thank you for your cooperation in planning for the greatest possible support and success of our students.

Sincerely,

Barbara G. Lyman, Interim Provost
Shala Mills, Assistant Vice President for Graduate & Extended Learning
John Reina, Chief Information Officer
Kate Bohan, Senior Instructional Technologist / EIT Accessibility Officer