OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR

January 21, 2022

ALL ACADEMICS, STAFF AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO (including Health Sciences)

Spring 2022 Course Modality Change Guidance

Dear Colleagues,

While the public health data look promising, we are still in the midst of uncertain times. We are looking forward to primarily in-person instruction in Spring 2022, yet also recognize that there remain certain situations where remote delivery of instruction continues to be a necessity and we want to make appropriate provision for these cases.

As mentioned in a previous communication sent during the fall quarter, the Academic Senate’s Educational Policy Committee (EPC) has approved a limited-term exception to the Policy on Distance Education Courses for Spring 2022 courses to be offered remotely without an R-course designation. This notice provides guidelines for how instructors and academic programs may request to switch the teaching modality of a course that is not an R-course for Spring term.

As detailed below, the instructor consults with their department chair regarding the request, consults the Disability Counseling and Consulting Office if appropriate, and completes a brief web form with the assistance of their department scheduler. The form is sent for endorsement from their department chair and dean, and is then reviewed by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation (AVC-EI) and by the Graduate or Undergraduate Council of the Academic Senate. Please note that the term “instructor” applies to faculty and lecturers in all appointment series, as well as teaching and instructional assistants.

Only courses approved through this process may be taught fully remotely for the Spring 2022 term without an official R-course designation. At the same time, we’d like instructors to remain aware that Senate policy always accords them extensive flexibility to mix in-person and remote instruction, as long as the percentage of remote instruction does not exceed 50% of the contact hours in a given course. Questions regarding the percentage of remote instruction in a course should be directed to the Academic Senate.

Please understand that once a course section has been shifted to remote instruction, it cannot be shifted back to in-person delivery. However, new in-person sections may be added as required to address the needs of students.

Please also be aware that a shift in modality is solely a change in the format of instruction, not in the days or times a course is offered. We need to retain the set of days/times that the programs have already arranged with the Registrar’s office in order to ensure that students have access to the sections they need, without undue overlap.

A detailed description of the criteria, process, and timeline for instructors to use in requesting remote modality for their Spring 2022 courses is posted on the Academic Personnel Services webpage addressing COVID-19 Academic Affairs FAQs and Resources.

In closing, I’d like to say once again how deeply we all appreciate the exceptional efforts that instructors have continued to make throughout the pandemic to support their students. We hope this modality guidance will, in turn, provide the clarity and support that instructors themselves need in these challenging times.

With best regards,

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor

Spring 2022 Course Modality Change Guidance

Timeline
The Academic Senate and Administration have been working carefully through established shared governance mechanisms to update the process used in Fall 2021 and Winter 2022, so that Spring 2022 scheduling and registration can be smoother. In particular, the inclusion of Senate review, provision for an appeal of initial decisions, and establishment of course schedules and modalities before student registration begins are significant gains. Please review the timeline below for your reference:

Wednesday, January 26, 2022: Deadline for submitting course modality changes to AVC-EI
Thursday, January 27, 2022: AVC-EI submits modality change requests to GC and UGC for review
Friday, January 28, 2022: UGC and GC return approvals to AVC-EI, who passes list back to Registrar
Friday, January 28, 2022: Deadline for submitting appeals to Senate or Graduate Division
Monday, January 31, 2022: Appeal cases reviewed and decisions passed to AVC-EI, who passes them to the Registrar
Friday, February 4, 2022: Schedule of classes goes live, so students can plan for Spring 2022 courses
Friday, February 11, 2022: Registration opens up for students to select Winter 2022 courses

Overview and Criteria

The Academic Senate's Educational Policy Committee (EPC) has approved a limited-term exception to the Policy on Distance Education Courses for Spring 2022 courses to be offered remotely without an R-course designation. Please note that the term “instructor” applies to faculty and lecturers in all appointment series, as well as teaching and instructional assistants.

A change in the modality of instruction from in-person to remote is appropriate in the following three situations:

1. Documented student need
Requests under this category will need to document why hybrid delivery or other accommodation would be inappropriate or impossible. In addition, evening/flex/part-time graduate professional programs may provide justification under this category, to be reviewed on an individual basis. We expect few accommodations to be granted on these grounds.

2. Inability to deliver course content with current in-person restrictions
Alongside the university’s vaccine mandate, symptom screening, and testing protocols, masking is required for indoor classrooms and all but two of the outdoor classrooms. We understand that some classes are difficult to conduct while masked [e.g., some language or music instruction]. An academic program impacted in this way will need to assess the alternatives for delivering instruction for each course offered (remote, in-person with masking, outdoor with masking, or outdoor without masking). Instructors need to explain why remote instruction is the only feasible solution for supporting students’ learning appropriately. Examples might include inability to use instruments, operate equipment, or wear necessary PPE with masks.

Please note that each request submitted should be for an individual class (not an entire academic program).

Also, note that challenges associated with bringing in outside speakers or collaborators is rarely a reason for moving an entire class online; having a speaker join an in-person class via Zoom on the classroom screen has been found to work very well.

3. Documented instructor health or caregiving needs
Some instructors may have health or caregiving situations that cause them to request to teach a course remotely. We have asked the office of Disability Counseling and Consulting (DCC) to assess requests when there are personal health concerns. They are a confidential office, and they will not share any personal information about why instructors request a workplace adjustment. If an instructor has received DCC approval for a previous term, they don’t need to request a new consultation and can resubmit the older paperwork.

Requests based on non-personal medical exemptions (such as caregiving needs) cannot be assessed by DCC and should instead be reviewed and approved by the relevant department chair. If an instructor feels uncomfortable discussing caregiving needs with their department chair, they may reach out to their Associate Dean for an endorsement. Caregivers with children in school concerned with potential isolation requirements should bear in mind that they have the flexibility to shift their class from in-person to remote modality temporarily (up to 50% of the total class contact hours). Departments should do their best to support instructors in such circumstances.

Please note that an unwillingness to comply with the UC vaccine mandate is not an acceptable reason for requesting remote teaching. Similarly, requests for remote teaching modality may not be based on housing or commuting concerns, or external commitments.

Regardless of course modality, faculty members still need to maintain a significant presence on campus, meet classes, keep office hours, hold examinations as scheduled, be accessible to students and staff, be available to interact with University colleagues, and share service responsibilities throughout every quarter or semester of active service.

Process for Modality Change Request:
An instructor should submit a request to their department chair (or delegate) via the web form provided here. All forms must be submitted as soon as possible to allow a review by the chair and dean no later than Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

a. If the request is made due to documented student need or inability to deliver the course content with current in-person restrictions, the necessary justification must be forwarded to the chairperson to review along-side the output from the web request form.

b. If the request is made as a work modification with endorsement from the DCC, the endorsement should be forwarded to the chair along with the output from the web request form. To request a consultation with the DCC, please fill out the form linked on their website. (DCC approvals from Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 will be accepted for Spring 2022)

2. The chairperson should review the request and if appropriate the request should be forwarded with all necessary documentation to the dean for their review by no later than Wednesday, January 26, 2022. If the chair does not endorse the request they must promptly inform the instructor.

3. The dean reviews and forwards their approval and accompanying documentation to the AVC-EI no later than Wednesday, January 26, 2022. If the dean does not endorse the request they must promptly inform the instructor.

4. The AVC-EI reviews requests and forwards approval to the Academic Senate for review and approval.

Appeals of Modality Change Decisions: faculty and lecturers in all appointment series
A denied request may be appealed directly to the appropriate Senate body [Undergraduate Council for undergraduate courses, Graduate Council for graduate courses, University of Faculty Welfare for caregiving requests].

Senate Associate Director Ashley Welch (awelch@ucsd.edu) will route the requests to the correct committee as long as requests are received by no later than January 28, 2022. Requests should include the following:

Course Information: Subject Code, Course Number, and Instructor of Record
A statement from the instructor or program documenting how the remote course will maintain course quality in a remote modality.
The required documentation for the modality change request.

Note: The Academic Senate is not authorized to consider appeals of DCC’s recommendation.

Appeals of Modality Change Decisions: teaching assistants and instructional assistants
A denied request may be appealed directly to the Graduate Division. The Dean of the Graduate Division will consider appeals based on a justification from the instructor or program explaining how the educational quality of a course will not be adversely impacted if offered remotely.

Appeals for both undergraduate and graduate courses may be submitted by email to Dean James Antony (graduatedean@ucsd.edu) by no later than Friday, January 28, 2022, and should include the following:

Course Information: Subject Code, Course Number, and Instructor of Record
A statement from the instructor or program documenting how the course will maintain course quality if the teaching assistant or instructional assistant works in a remote modality.
The required documentation for the modality change request.

Note: The Graduate Division is not authorized to consider appeals of DCC’s recommendation.