Dec. 10, 2020
Dear instructional faculty and academic advisors:
Earlier today, Chancellor DiStefano announced that our spring 2021 semester, which begins on Thursday, Jan. 14, will begin in a fully remote instruction mode. Campus leadership will approve the resumption of in-person courses no earlier than Monday, Feb. 15. We made these decisions based on the current COVID-19 projections for January 2021.Â
We will follow up with the campus community by Jan. 14 to confirm the start date for in-person instruction. Until then, we will be reviewing the COVID-19 projections for January and February, and we will be continually watching the projected case trends through the end of the spring semester.
For an opportunity to hear more about spring planning and ask your questions, please join us for a virtual campus community Q&A session at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Academic Instruction Updates and Resources
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There are no anticipated changes to the previously announced spring 2021 academic calendar. The first and last day of classes, the scheduled wellness days on Feb. 17 and March 25 and dates of the final exam period are unchanged.
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There will be no exceptions to remote courses at the start of the spring semester. Remote teaching applies to all classes including lab, performance and studio classes, all colleges and schools and all levels of instruction.
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If campus returns to in-person instruction on Feb. 15, each course should be taught in the instruction mode designated at the time of student registration (in person, remote, online, or hybrid). We will maintain that mode of operation through the end of the semester, as appropriate, based on the status of COVID-19 in the community and in consultation with public health officials.
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For detailed information on planning and support for spring 2021, refer to the Academic Instruction Guidance edition No. 8 (PDF) distributed this week to deans, chairs and directors.Â
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Academic advising and coaching support for undergraduate students will continue remotely through spring 2021, and most staff will continue to work from home. Some units may have limited advising staff on campus. Check with your advising team for details.
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Contact the Center for Teaching & Learning for resources, group workshops and confidential consultations on a range of topics, such as creating inclusive syllabi as well as remote and online assessments, fostering community on Zoom and implementing effective practices for remote teaching.Â
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Contact .ÌýÌý
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Visit this set of frequently asked questions for instructional faculty for the remote return to spring 2021.
Research
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Beginning the spring semester remotely will not impact researchers and research-related activities. Existing in-person research and innovation activities—as well as related graduate student research—will continue via the existing protocols our campus has established. No requests are necessary related to previous return-to-research approvals.
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The Research and Innovation Office hold on approvals for new return-to-campus requests will extend through January.
Testing and Public Health GuidanceÂ
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Those living in on-campus housing will continue to be required to get tested weekly.Â
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Additionally, we will have the capacity to test all of our campus community members, and we recommend that all students, faculty and staff participate in our monitoring testing program.
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See the campus COVID-19 Symptoms and Testing webpage for availability and locations of campus COVID-19 testing for faculty, staff and students.
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To support the broader community, please continue to participate in public health guidance. We are currently in Level Red of the , which limits gatherings, events and in-person options.
Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we continue to work out many of the finer details for starting the spring semester in the remote/online instruction mode. I truly appreciate your continued dedication and commitment to our teaching and research mission.
Sincerely,
Russ
Russell Moore
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs