This message was sent on Jan. 28 from Steve Cramer, vice provost for instructional continuity to all faculty and instructors teaching in spring 2021.
Dear Instructional Colleagues (please share with your TAs),
Welcome to the start of another semester. I hope you all were able to take some time away over these last few weeks to relax and recharge.
Campus Goals for Instruction This Spring
As the chancellor and provost stated in their recent blog post, “relationships with instructors and classroom peers motivate and make learning more engaging and meaningful,” and these are areas of emphasis for spring instruction. As an early indicator of progress, we plan to offer a very short, check-in survey to students in mid-February to gather their feedback about their interactions with instructors and peers in their courses. The results will also be made available to you.
Instructional Resources
As a reminder, we have a number of resources to support your instruction:
- Resources and examples for remote course activities
- Resources and examples for in-person, physically distanced course activities
- Guidelines for supporting academic progress when students quarantine or isolate – including a sample template for how to respond to students who choose to disclose positive COVID-19 test results
- Ongoing instructional support opportunities and resources
- On-campus spaces for virtual learning and test-taking for students
Campus COVID-19 Testing and Safety Requirements
Finally, I want to remind you of campus’ updated COVID-19 testing requirements for you and your students.
- Faculty, staff and students need to use the Safer Badgers App to participate in testing, and to access campus facilities and services.
- Trained employees, called Badger Wellness Ambassadors, are stationed at many building entrances to check your Badger Badge. However, enforcement of the building access restrictions based on your Badger Badge has been delayed from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8.
- Face coverings and physically distancing are still required on campus.
We recognize these new testing protocols, particularly early in the semester, may cause additional stress and inconvenience for you and your students. We ask you to be patient and flexible. Please see this guide to common questions about COVID-19 testing and safety measures.
For ongoing updates related to instruction, please visit our Instructional Continuity website. If you have questions related to instruction or are seeking support no matter how minor, please contact us at instructionalcontinuity@provost.wisc.edu.
Steve Cramer – Vice Provost for Instructional Continuity and Academic Affairs