Announced at the end of May, the CU Boulder community is making preparations for a COVID-19-ready campus for the fall semester, with classes beginning on Aug. 24. Three groups were established to assist in the implementation of the Road Map to Fall 2020:
- COVID-19-Ready Campus Team
- Academic Instruction Team
- Resource Alignment Team
These teams are hard at work building the infrastructure and procedures that will be necessary to mitigate risk and facilitate research and teaching this fall. As part of this iterative process, the teams are committed to sharing regular updates on their progress.
Health and Safety Policy, Updated Student Conduct Approved
Chancellor DiStefano approved the COVID-19 Health and Safety Policy, setting the expectations for all students, faculty, staff and visitors necessary to enable the Road Map to Fall 2020 plan. The policy includes measures on social distancing and campus density reductions; the use of appropriate personal protective equipment and enhanced cleaning protocols; and personal hygiene discipline.Ìý
The Student Code of Conduct (PDF) has been updated with health and safety expectations and requirements for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. This update will help hold students accountable and is one of many tools to help keep our community safe. Effective June 25, 2020, the Student Code of Conduct now includes specific guidelines for campus health and safety policies including following , meeting university expectations for social and physical distancing while on campus, wearing a face covering andÌýfollowing guidelines for events and social gatherings.
News from the COVID-19-Ready Campus Team
Facilities/infrastructure
A facilities task force with subgroups for HVAC, cleaning, social distancing, bus transit, transportation demand management/outdoor spaces and access control is making progress in multiple areas:Ìý
- Design of plexiglass barriers—with transactional service counter spaces being prioritized—are being coordinated with the HVAC subgroup to ensure installations don’t cause unforeseen issues. The first of these has been installed in the CASE building.ÌýÌý
- The cleaning subgroup has begun updating comprehensive cleaning protocols for the campus, including for classroom spaces.ÌýÌý
- The social distancing subgroup began identifying needs for special events in coordination with county and state guidelines, and is developing guidelines for elevators, masks and restrooms.Ìý
- The bus transit group will begin discussing route options and queueing options for stops as more information becomes clear around housing populations, classroom schedules and cohort designs.Ìý
- The task force is evaluating space for instructional use, first looking at centrally scheduled classrooms, followed by departmental classrooms, conference rooms, non-traditional academic spaces (recreation center, UMC, Athletics, etc.) and outdoor spaces, including the possibility of using open-air and climate-controlled tents as options for addressing classroom, dining, study and other space needs.ÌýÌýÌý
- The access control subgroup is discussing two options for building access: one where buildings are generally open during the academic day, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and a second where access is more restricted.Ìý
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On Friday, June 19, Residence Life sent out room assignments to about 4,500 students for Main Campus and Kittredge residence halls. Discussions continued around:Ìý
- Cohorting, in coordination with the colleges and schools.Ìý
- Protocols for policy/procedure changes to the visitor policy for the residence halls.Ìý
- Move-in dates have been updated and will now take place from Monday, Aug. 17, to Friday, Aug. 21, with students signing up online for check-in slots.Ìý
News from the Academic Instruction Team
- The Office of Information Technology fielded a survey of colleges and schools to learn about their needs and priorities for academic technology for fall 2020. The survey closed on Friday, June 19, and OIT is analyzing the responses to create a proposal from the Academic Instruction Team for shared campus purchasing. OIT will use the responses to help departments and programs devise plans for more individualized needs.Ìý
- Colleges and schools identified priority courses for first-year students, and those courses are now being considered for cohorted student enrollment.Ìý
- Groups from Facilities and the Office of the Registrar are working together to create solutions for class scheduling and classroom assignments that follow physical distancing guidelines and facilitate the full use of class meeting times across the entire day, Monday through Friday.Ìý
- The Academic Instruction Team published guidance to deans, chairs and directors on June 18 on the above topics, on how faculty should respond to students who request an online/remote option for an in-person course, and on faculty FAQs.Ìý
- The team is planning a new edition of guidance to deans, chairs and directors for the week of June 29. Topics will include academic technology, teaching support for faculty, student registration scheduling and campus preparations for COVID-19-ready classrooms.
News from the Resource Alignment Team
The Resource Alignment Team met on June 16 and team champions approved steps to support remote teaching, learning and collaboration, and classroom preparation for fall 2020. These steps include:
- The purchase and installment of portable HEPA filter units in more than 120 naturally ventilated classrooms around campus.Ìý
- The purchase of and/or support for several IT investments:Ìý
- Acquisition of a systemwide remote collaboration tool to enable remote teaching and learning. An RFP for all CU campuses will close on July 6 with recommendations to campus CIOs by July 31.Ìý
- Funding for new standard-performance Dell laptops for those in teaching roles with unmet personal technology needs. To have the greatest impact with limited resources, the project will prioritize people who have teaching responsibilities that affect the first-year experience and those who teach large numbers of students. OIT will procure, prepare and distribute the laptops before the start of the fall semester. An intake process to identify department needs will launch the first week of July to deans, chairs and directors.Ìý
- Acquisition of exam-proctoring software necessary to implement traditional online test-taking, excluding courses that previously used the software.Ìý
- MediaSite at-home recording capabilities, which allow instructors to create, record and manage their own content at home. It employs the same media player used in the on-campus classroom capture service. Availability is coming in mid-July for instructors and faculty.Ìý
- The Resource Alignment Team will discuss a matrix to prioritize resources.
Do you have a question or comment about implementation team work on the Road Map to Fall 2020? Submit a question or comment.
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