Fall Instruction Planning Update

Since mid-March of 2020, UC San Diego has relied on the expertise of our world-renowned faculty and medical teams to thoughtfully plan for returning to in-person teaching and research on campus in the safest way possible. We took the necessary time to develop our flexible Return to Learn plan to do so prudently.

Our campus has had tremendous success with in-person instruction and in-person research activities throughout last summer and fall and this winter and spring. As the public health situation degraded in the winter, we transitioned to remote and outdoor in-person instruction. As it improved in the spring, we moved outdoor classes indoors and offered more in-person courses.

Because of our diligence, there has been zero transmission of the virus in the classroom (indoor and outdoor) or in the research laboratory environment.

Based on guidance from the UC Office of the President and detailed modeling from our public health experts, we are planning for fall 2021 teaching to be primarily in-person with normal classroom occupancy. We will support the health and well-being of students, staff, and faculty in fall 2021 in accordance with the public health guidelines from the county and the state. The appropriate services and support mechanisms (e.g., vaccination, symptom screening, on-arrival testing, asymptomatic testing, contact tracing, isolation/quarantine housing, wastewater monitoring, outdoor classrooms, compliance protocols, and cleaning services) will continue to be provided as necessary. Our decisions will continue to be guided by the science, the data, and the modeling. We will also be prepared for any contingencies that may arise.

Instruction Preparation

To support preparations for primarily in-person teaching, all classes (except those with a Senate-approved ‘R-course’ designation) are currently being scheduled as in-person for Fall 2021. This ensures that every class is assigned appropriate space from the start of the process.

Beginning July 1, 2021, academic departments, working with the Registrar, will be able to change classroom requests and/or instruction modality for specific courses, as needed to support students impacted by visa or travel restrictions, handle any county/state/CDC restrictions on classroom occupancy, and accommodate specific faculty needs. Additional information about the student population impacted by visa or travel restrictions, updates on the national vaccination campaign, and further public health guidance will be available and considered. This inflection point is late enough to ensure we have meaningful, data-supported insights into public health conditions, yet early enough to afford flexibility for adjusting academic plans.

Vaccination Expectations

The national expectation is that 90 percent of adults will be vaccinated before the end of August. All campus employees (including most graduate students) have already been offered vaccination appointments, with great uptake. The State of California has announced that all adults (age 16 and above) will be eligible for vaccination beginning April 15, 2021. Additionally, the federal government has announced that all adults in the US (age 16 and above) will be eligible for vaccination no later than May 1, 2021; hence, all university students within the U.S. will become eligible by that date. 

Re-engaging with Academic Spaces

As of Spring Quarter 2021, faculty and researchers are eligible to use their on-campus research and academic spaces again, subject to density limitations designed to ensure adherence to county/state/CDC social distancing requirements. We anticipate this will continue and accelerate through Spring and Summer 2021. The processes for gaining access to research and academic spaces are noted on the Research Ramp-up Guidance page.

We are planning to have academic spaces (e.g. libraries, Teaching + Learning Commons, computer labs) open for the Fall Quarter 2021 in line with our plan for teaching. These spaces will operate in accordance with county/state/CDC guidelines, and we presently anticipate that they will be open at ordinary occupancy along with classrooms. If you have a need to use these spaces as part of your course we encourage you to reach out to the appropriate unit so they can plan accordingly.

Expectations for In-Person Presence

The usual expectations for being in residence during the academic year will apply again as of fall 2021 for students and academics; student residence halls will go back to design capacity (doubles, singles). These decisions have been made based on extensive modeling by our public health experts, accounting for our continuation of measures to promote public health, and in concert with our extensive early detection framework.

Additional Teaching Considerations

Classes where masking is infeasible. While we expect that fall 2021 teaching will be primarily in-person using indoor classrooms and will require masking, there will be a set of fall 2021 classes that will need to be taught outdoors or remotely, because course participants cannot be masked (e.g., language classes, certain music classes). We will keep the outdoor classrooms available for such uses.

Students impacted by visa or travel restrictions. For fall 2021, some students may be unable to join us from abroad due to visa or travel restrictions. We are committed to the success of all students and are planning to offer remote instances of key gateway courses so that these students can make progress on their academic journey. In some cases, students impacted by visa or travel restrictions may need to make adjustments to their academic plans in consultation with their academic advisor (e.g., they may need to change the sequence in which they take certain courses). We ask departments and faculty to help us ensure that students are not disproportionately impacted by situations outside their control.

Students or faculty needing health or ADA accommodations. We will follow the usual accommodation processes for health and/or ADA accommodations.  Students should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities. Employees should contact the Disability Counseling and Consulting division of Human Resources.

In-Person Events

In-person events supporting fall transition programs, new student orientation and welcome week activities will be allowed again in fall 2021 if conditions permit, in accordance with county/state/CDC guidelines. We will likely adopt a phased approach to the resumption of such activities to safeguard public health in our community. Please email the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with questions about the approval process for in-person events.

Thank You

For more than a year, our Triton community has risen to the challenge of our times and performed exceedingly well under complex and difficult circumstances. Together we have continued to deliver our education, research and public service mission and have become a model for other universities and school systems. Thank you to our students, staff and faculty for your resilience, creativity and adaptability. We will continue to keep you updated as plans evolve via campus notice and on the Return to Learn website.

We have much to look forward to this fall and beyond. We will reconnect and reacquaint ourselves with our dynamic campus. New academic buildings, housing, restaurants and retail, and the long-awaited UC San Diego Blue Line trolley extension will open. Over the next two years, new and updated public spaces will continue to open, providing expanded opportunities to connect and enjoy all that UC San Diego offers.

UC San Diego’s transformation has continued over the past year. For those of you returning to campus, there is much to see and explore. We look forward to reconnecting with you in person, on campus in the fall.

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor

Steven Constable
Chair, San Diego Divisional Academic Senate

Tara Javidi
Vice Chair, San Diego Divisional Academic Senate