Joint Statement: Reminder of Spring 2022 Instructional Delivery Method
Dear Colleagues,
Who would have thought at the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester that our lives, personal and professional, would take such a turn? Yet, Kent State University has managed to not only survive, but to thrive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And that is because of you, our faculty, and the care and concern you have shown our students and each other throughout this time.
Thankfully, we have tools at our disposal today that we didn’t in Spring of 2020 and that toolkit keeps getting bigger. We have vaccinations, with more options for boosters and vaccinations for children on the horizon, and the systems in place to test easily and quickly and quarantine if necessary.
We know you are busy in the middle of your fall semester, but it is time to also give serious thought and planning to the upcoming spring semester. Spring is a time of renewal and Kent State looks forward to renewing its commitment to the in-person learning experience that has brought us distinction and student success.
This past August, the leadership in Faculty Senate, the AAUP-KSU TT and FTNTT Units, and the Provost Office sent you an email stating that unilateral faculty choice of instructional delivery method would no longer be available beginning Spring 2022. Instead, we expect that the online and in-person delivery of courses and sections of courses will reflect the schedules of pre-pandemic spring semesters.
- Only courses approved through standard curricular processes for online delivery (V1, V2, or V3) can be scheduled as we move forward. The fact that a course was delivered via remote during the pandemic does not automatically mean that it has been approved for online delivery. If you are unsure as to whether a course has been reviewed and approved for online delivery by the appropriate curricular body, please consult your School Director/Department Chair.
- The number of sections offered online in an academic program must reflect the numbers offered prior to the pandemic.
- Campus Deans, Department Chairs/School Directors, in consultation with FACs and Curriculum Committees, have the responsibility and authority for determining whether courses approved for online delivery are offered in that mode for a particular semester.
- State and accreditation regulations regarding the proportion of courses/sections offered in a major must always be considered when planning delivery methods.
- Online course delivery does not negate the need for faculty presence on campus. We have a responsibility to our students and our colleagues to be present for them and the collective work we do together.
As we prepare for the spring semester, consider using the many techniques and approaches learned during the pandemic that will make instruction even more accessible and engaging for students. We have heard from so many of you who have found positive ways to enhance and innovate classroom instruction even as you adjusted and readjusted your classroom practices during the past 20 months. Thank you for all you have done to lift up our students.
We are excited to continue on this path to recovery and know that our Spring 2022 semester will bring with it the most robust opportunities we have had since March 2020. Please be assured that the safety of our students, staff, and faculty will continue to be our top priority and we will respond quickly and transparently should the need arise.
It is so good to be headed in the right direction! Thank you for all that you continue to do to make Kent State such an amazing place to learn, create, discover, and connect!
Have a great week!
Pamela Grimm
Chair, Faculty Senate
Tracy Laux
FTNTT Unit President, AAUP-KSU
Deborah C. Smith
AAUP-KSU Chapter President
Melody Tankersley
Senior Vice President and Provost