Graduate and Undergraduate Councils
To: All Faculty
Dear Colleagues:
As Fall quarter begins, we look forward to the new academic year and the opportunity to engage with our community of scholars to discover and advance knowledge and practice in pursuit of our educational mission.
The Academic Senate is committed to preserving academic continuity as an integral part of UCLA’s mission. That said, we recognize that campus emergencies or disruptions may affect regular instructional activities, requiring adjustments to course plans. The following guidance and resources are intended to support continuity of teaching and learning and equitable access to education during times of disruption.
Instructional Flexibility
Academic Senate regulations require instructors to announce their methods of evaluation at the beginning of the quarter in the course syllabus. However, instructors maintain customary discretion and autonomy to adapt learning activities to extenuating circumstances, as appropriate for their classes, while honoring Senate regulations and departmental policies as well as ensuring equitable access for all students. Clear and proactive communication about changes to course expectations or procedures can help minimize any negative impacts.
The UCLA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) has developed updated Teaching Strategies to Support Academic Continuity Through Difficult Times, including guidance for offering flexibility in equitable and transparent ways.
General UCLA guidance for handling classroom disruptions and navigating classroom emergencies provides additional information for responding to urgent situations.
Alternative Learning Spaces
In the event of a disruption that impacts discrete buildings/areas or broader campus locations, we anticipate that Department Chairs will work with faculty to find alternative classroom spaces to preserve continuity of instruction and exams, when possible. We encourage instructors to proactively coordinate anticipated requests for alternative spaces with Department Chairs and schedulers.
Emergency Remote Instruction
Departments may invoke short-term emergency remote authorization as provided in the appendices of the Undergraduate Distance Education Policy and Graduate Distance Education Policy. Individual instructors who wish to extend emergency remote instruction beyond one week must seek Departmental authorization and report such cases to the Registrar’s Office. We encourage departments to develop clear internal procedures for considering requests for emergency remote instruction.
Instructors are encouraged to consult TLC’s best practices for remote instruction.
Additional Resources
Instructors may direct students to Counseling and Psychological Services for individual support.
Anyone experiencing harassment can report it through the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. If you feel unsafe or threatened, immediately contact UCPD or call 911.
Finally, recognizing that these challenging times impact faculty as well, instructors can contact the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center for additional support if needed.
We appreciate your continued efforts to support UCLA’s academic mission, and we wish all of you a productive and rewarding year ahead.
Jeff Maloy
Chair, Undergraduate Council
Deepak Rajagopal
Chair, Graduate Council
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