Greetings!
Welcome to the Academic Affairs newsletter. Browse updates and announcements, connect to tips and resources, and check out stories from around campus.
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Given all the effort everyone has spent responding to the global pandemic, societal manifestations of structural racism, and widespread wildfires over the last several months, looking ahead to the new academic year brings a welcome opportunity for change and renewal. As Chancellor Khosla noted in the recent campus announcement about fall operations, the university has been planning, testing, and adapting for months in preparation for the 2020-21 academic year. The campus Fall Plan is an important milestone in support of the university’s mission as we establish what our “new normal” will encompass. By bringing a limited number of people back to campus in a controlled manner and implementing key safety requirements, we can provide our students with many of the benefits of a campus experience while reducing public health risks.
It is important to note that campus is not reopening at full capacity: Activity on campus must remain below 25% of normal occupancy per San Diego County orders. All employees who have been working remotely should continue to do so until further notice. If a staff member’s supervisor or an academic appointee’s department chair does approve their doing some work on campus through the Return-to-Campus process, the employee is expected to follow the latest public health guidelines and adhere to campus safety regulations. The health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, will depend on the full cooperation of our entire campus community.
Since Fall Quarter begins in a few weeks, this newsletter focuses on guidance about the current status of the university’s plans for the year ahead, emphasizing the Academic Affairs context. Of course, UC San Diego will continue to monitor public health data and follow government agencies’ orders as they develop -- and campus operations will need to adapt in real-time as the situation evolves. Please remember to be flexible, patient, and compassionate with your fellow Tritons.
Finally, as we plan for the educational and scholarly aspects of Fall Quarter, I echo recent messages from our VC-EDI and VCSA asking that we also sustain this summer’s focus on combating racism and anti-blackness on our campus. The EDI Office has developed an accessible toolkit to assist. Each of us has the responsibility to be active advocates and allies in our collective approach to making our campus community safe and welcoming for all.
Wishing you all the best,
-Elizabeth H. Simmons
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Outdoor classrooms
We are presently setting up a total of four (4) outdoor classrooms in Revelle Plaza and Warren Mall to allow instructors and TA’s who want to teach courses outdoors to do so, while enabling others to explore this option for future terms.
The classrooms will be located in 80’x 60’ tents with the capacity to fit up to 50 people with distanced seating; each space features lighting, audio, large-screen LCD displays, wifi, and recording and streaming capabilities. When not in use for course instruction, the spaces will be available for student support activities, including advising. Additional smaller tents will be set up around campus to provide study spaces for students.
We envision growing the number of outdoor classrooms, conditions permitting, if demand increases. Faculty interested in exploring the use of outdoor classrooms for their courses should contact Carlos Jensen, Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation (avcei@ucsd.edu), for more information.
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Fall teaching: Keep it simple. Be flexible. Focus on learning goals
Following Spring Quarter, the university convened a Remote Student Experience Task Force to examine our students’ experience navigating the remote learning environment. Among other things, the task force reviewed data from the University of California Undergraduate Experiences Survey (UCUES), which revealed that many of our students struggle with remote instruction due to opportunity gaps. Some challenges our students reported include the following:
- Limited access to computers and reliable WiFi: While the campus does have a program to lend laptops and hotspots, some students may still struggle with technical difficulties at home.
- Restrictions on internet platforms: International students may have limited access to some websites or apps, such as YouTube, because of government restrictions.
- Competing demands and inadequate workspace: Students reported that they do not have access to quiet or private space when joining remote class sessions, and many must juggle competing responsibilities at home.
- Time zone differences: Synchronous instruction and group work can be challenging for international and non-resident students in various time zones.
- Controversial course content: Some course content may make classroom participation uncomfortable or unsafe for international students if the topic is controversial in their home country.
We urge instructors to bear such challenges in mind to help improve the student experience moving forward. For example, avoid specific hardware or software requirements, and be compassionate with students who may be dealing with technical difficulties or other distractions at home.
Instructors are encouraged to review guidance and resources provided by the Teaching + Learning Commons to help improve accessibility and equity in remote instruction. Links to additional teaching resources can be found below under Remote @ UC San Diego.
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Supporting student success and academic achievement
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Research development: Boosting research-funding success
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Details about face covering requirement
Protective face coverings are simple, effective solutions that help slow the spread of COVID-19. Anyone coming to UC San Diego is required to wear a face covering while on campus in all spaces, where people are in proximity to one another, per the campus safety requirements and PPM 516-30. All faculty and students will be required to wear face coverings for the duration of each in-person class session.
Face coverings must be form-fitting and cover both the mouth and nose. According to the CDC, face coverings with exhalation valves or vents should not be worn as they do not prevent the dispersion of respiratory droplets that can reach others. Medical grade surgical face coverings and N95-respirators are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare and emergency workers.
To determine if your face covering is protective, put your hand in front of your mouth when
you have the face covering on and forcibly exhale: You should not feel the air on your hand.
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Engagement and intervention
Our behavior as individuals can have a major impact on virus transmission and the likelihood of community outbreaks. So please follow the guidelines and regulations for your own health as well as the health and safety of others. If you are in a leadership role, encourage colleagues to follow the requirements by clearly communicating expectations, posting reminders, or sharing tips. Please do so in a manner that is consistent with maintaining an inclusive and welcoming campus environment.
Inevitably, people will make mistakes. So the university has developed a few simple steps to follow if you encounter someone on campus who is not wearing a protective face covering. Please follow the link below to view the suggestions. You can also find the poster on the Return to Learn website.
Individuals who repeatedly violate safety regulations will face serious consequences. The links below provide details about how campus leaders will progressively engage with faculty, researchers, and staff, who are ignoring health and safety directives.
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What should I do if a student refuses to wear a face covering in class?
Please follow the three steps described here; the first is to simply remind the student of the requirement to wear a face-covering and the last would be to call Environmental Health & Safety (858-534-3660) to send a representative to speak with the student.
Here are a few suggestions for what instructors might do while waiting for an EH&S representative to reach the classroom:
- Ask the student to step outside the classroom/away from the area and wait for the EH&S representative to arrive
- Dismiss the in-person session for the day, thereby putting social pressure on the student who has inconvenienced their classmates
- Have the class take a brief break while waiting for the EH&S representative with the student
If the student leaves before EH&S arrives, please give the student’s name to EH&S for reporting to student conduct. UC San Diego’s student code of conduct (PPM 160) has been revised to take into account the COVID-19 pandemic and recent changes to the Sexual Violence Sexual Harassment policy per the Department of Education. The Interim Student COVID-19 Code of Conduct is available on the Return to Learn website.
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Self-Cleaning guidance
- Faculty – In your labs and classrooms, including lab bench spaces and podium areas
- Students – In your classroom and study spaces, including your desktop, chair and arm rests
- Staff – In your workspace, including your desk, computer keyboard and mouse, chair and phone
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Testing dashboard
A Novel Coronavirus Testing Dashboard is available on the Return to Learn website to provide information about COVID-19 testing and prevalence in the UC San Diego community. The dashboard is updated weekly and the data is based on tests conducted by UC San Diego Health and UC San Diego Student Health Services. For more information on UC San Diego’s testing and contact tracing strategy, visit the Return to Learn testing page. For information on COVID-19 in the San Diego region, visit the San Diego County coronavirus page.
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UC Flu vaccination requirement
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Healthcare Help Desk
The Health Care Facilitator (HCF) Help Desk is a new resource intended to provide UC San Diego employees with information and support related to their UC-sponsored medical, dental and vision plan benefits. Ronisha Martin and Debra Wells will be live on Zoom to answer questions, troubleshoot problems and facilitate solutions to known problems. This is not a presentation: It’s your opportunity to ask us questions about your benefits. Register to join the session Tuesday, September 15.
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COVID-19 fundraising efforts
Visit the new university campaign website for information about how you can join the fight against COVID-19 and help people affected by it.
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Remote vs. in-person instruction
Currently, about 90% of Fall Quarter undergraduate and graduate courses will be conducted remotely. The Fall 2020 plan is designed to be flexible and offers the university the ability to respond quickly to the evolving public health crisis. In-person courses may need to pivot to remote instruction if health issues arise or state/county orders change.
Instructors and TAs have the ability to choose to teach remotely if they prefer to do so. Instructors who wish to change course modalities should contact their department chair and department scheduler. The department scheduler will work with the Registrar to make the change. TA’s who are uncomfortable teaching in person should discuss their concerns with the instructor of record and devise an alternate plan.
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Resources to support instructors
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The Digital Learning Hub in the Teaching + Learning Commons supports departments, faculty, and instructors to re/design engaging remote or hybrid courses. Visit their website to learn more about what services the Commons offers or check out some of the highlights of their work with faculty and more. Of particular interest may be their pages on accessibility, integrity and privacy in remote instruction or on designing online courses.
There are many additional guidelines and services available to support instructors from ETS, ITS, and the Library. Follow the links below for more information.
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Instructional tool directory provides a summary of the technological tools that have been reviewed and approved for use by ETS and the Privacy Office. If you would like to use a tool that has not been reviewed, contact ETS or the Privacy Office, to let them know what tools you are interested in using or what types of functionality you need.
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CloudLabs is a portfolio of remote-access tools that lets instructors and their students use campus-licensed Windows, Mac and Linux software from their own computer’s web browser. With over 200 software packages available, courses that traditionally require student access to specialized software on campus can use CloudLabs to allow students to complete their coursework remotely. For more information, contact cloudlabs-teaching@ucsd.edu
As a reminder, the university will provide a personal lapel-style microphone for each instructor teaching in person. Instructors will be able to better project their voice for both in-person students and those tuning in remotely without having to worry about sharing the mic with others.
Here is a quick summary of some of the RTL instructional technology enhancements now available to support remote teaching and learning. Please review the Academics page on the Return to Learn website for additional information related to fall instruction, including expectations for in-person instructors and classroom logistics.
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Maintaining momentum through challenging times
UC Learning Center offers a bundle of activities on business continuity topics such as resilience, effective virtual teams, successful communication and collaboration, and maintaining health work/life balance. View the Maintaining Momentum Through Challenging Times to register and get details about each course
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Tritoncast - Adam Klie, Men's Basketball
Tritoncast podcast 08 features a conversation with Adam Klie '17 of men's basketball. Not only is Adam the all-time top scorer in our Division II history and a former conference player of the year, but he also was named the nation's top-scholar athlete as a junior. He graduated with a 4.0 in bioengineering and after playing professionally for a couple of years, Adam is now back at UC San Diego pursuing a PhD. In this episode, Adam discusses how he got to UC San Diego from his native Alaska and how he maintained a perfect grade point average while becoming one of the most prolific scorers in program history.
You can listen to Tritoncast on the Athletics website or major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. New episodes premiere each Wednesday.
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Triton Tools and Tidbits: Interview with Two Provosts
In the special, final episode of Triton Tools and Tidbits, we interview Provosts, K. Wayne Yang of Muir College and Kate Antonovics of Seventh College, which has accepted its first class of first-year students for this Fall quarter. Join us as we learn about what a provost does, what makes their colleges unique, and how you can get yourself a scholarship from the Office of the Provost. Watch now.
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