Increasing Consideration for In-person Instruction this Fall
Date: 3/18/2021
From: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Subject: Increasing Consideration for In-person Instruction this Fall
Dear Faculty Colleagues:
On Monday, Los Angeles County officially moved from the “purple tier” to the “red tier” as designated by the state’s COVID-19 reopening criteria and is on the verge of moving into the even less restrictive “orange tier.” Moving forward we will continue to plan for a safe phased approach to the return of in-person activities. I know this is challenging, and I am truly appreciative of the individual and collective efforts that have helped us navigate this changing and challenging year.
Considering the ongoing phased progress, I am writing to ask department chairs and faculty to increase the number of hybrid class sections with in-person components for Fall 2021. Specifically, faculty should consider the smaller class sections that could be taught using the hybrid mode of instruction. This approach allows us to adequately prepare for fall while retaining the flexibility to increase or decrease in-person activities as needed. By contrast, a fully on-line course must remain on-line throughout the semester.
Our campus approach during the pandemic has relied on two central touchstones: protecting the safety of the campus community and fostering student success. Throughout the pandemic, we have remained steadfast in following a public health and data-informed approach. We are optimistic that we will have a greater on-campus presence in Fall 2021. As the rollout of the vaccine increases, we can confidently move forward with increasing in-person capacity and do so safely.
Given how important success is in the first year of college, you should consider laboratory and activity classes, First-Year Experience classes, and other classes commonly taken by first- and second-year students. To address space requirements, the number of students concurrently present in any instructional space should not exceed 30 people or 50% of the room capacity, whichever is smaller. To achieve this, we have advised that large sections be offered fully on-line to redeploy the larger classrooms to meet social distancing guidelines.
Please work with your college leadership team in determining courses that could be taught as hybrid sections. Also note this is urgent. Priority registration opens on Monday, April 5th, and the final designation of class mode of instruction must be set beforehand.
Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your amazing work over the past year in response to unprecedented challenges and constantly changing conditions.
Sincerely,
Sylvia A. Alva, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs