Course Modality (Draft)

Purpose

To define the conditions, processes and considerations relating to when an established Course Modality can be modified within the current offering.

Scope

All academic units

Authority

Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Background

The University is committed to teaching excellence, including instructional delivery that optimizes student learning and interaction. A college, school, or unit is responsible for course design and content delivery, which varies based on a variety of factors, including the contours and desired learning outcomes of academic programs, as well as regulatory and accreditation considerations.

Policy

Course Modality changes are permissible but should be made only in limited circumstances with respect to student scheduling needs and decisions, consideration of tuition and fee rates, technology access, and diverse learning styles.

As referenced in the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), the Chancellor, or a designated representative, is authorized to act during the hazards listed under the EOP. These actions include temporarily suspending, altering, cancelling, rescheduling, or relocating classes, academic and administrative activities, and other operations of the university. These actions may prevent in person instruction from occurring and necessitate Course Modality changes.

For other circumstances, the appropriate College has authority over course modality changes. Each College (using processes that reflect appropriate shared governance) must have clear, enforceable policies in place that provide for and govern reasonably necessary temporary changes in Course Modality and address exigent circumstances when the Chancellor has not acted pursuant to the EOP. Such circumstances include but are not limited to:

• weather and other natural hazards that make previously scheduled face-to-face instruction infeasible, even if campus remains open;
• personal or professional situations, both foreseeable and unexpected, that make previously scheduled instruction infeasible;
• technological circumstances that cause previously scheduled virtual instruction infeasible.

Processes/Procedures/Guidelines

Each College (using processes that reflect appropriate shared governance) is responsible for developing, publishing, and enforcing a policy that addresses how the College will react when the Chancellor acts pursuant to the EOP and how it will handle other circumstances warranting temporary course modality changes. Policies should be published in a manner consistent with other unit-level academic and classroom-related policies such that the content is readily accessible for students, faculty, and staff. Units are responsible for reviewing and updating appropriate policies on an annual basis.

Each College policy should address the following:

• Acceptable reasons for temporary modality changes;
• Permitted length of such modality changes;
• Decision making authority for modality changes;
• Circumstances when approval or authorization is needed from the next or higher levels of leadership;
• The specific length of time in advance of instructional events students are to be notified of any modality changes;
• By whom students are to be notified of any modality changes;
• By what means (email, Learning Management System, other) students will be notified of the precise temporary modality change;
• How, if applicable, exams are to be handled during periods of modality change;
• How, if applicable, laboratory sessions are to be handled during periods of modality changes;
• Guidance on how instructors should consider and address potential impacts to ensure fair treatment of students for whom modality changes may pose particular challenges (for example, students who have two or more classes in a row for whom finding a place to attend a class session whose modality has switched to online might make it hard to attend the other, far away, in-person class right before or after; students with classes offered by multiple academic units, each of which may have different policies on modality changes, etc.);
• If online class sessions during periods of modality change be recorded as a matter of course and available for non-synchronous viewing or not, and if so, how students may access such recordings;
• Suggested syllabus and Learning Management System (LMS) language about policies concerning modality changes;
• How Instructors should access current class rosters outside of the LMS so that they are able to communicate with students in the event of an LMS outage.

A request to teach remotely because of a medical condition should be submitted through the reasonable accommodation process to the Office for Access and Equity. Students needing a disability- or religious observance-related accommodation resulting from a temporary modality change should make such a request to their instructor(s). An instructor’s denial of a religious accommodation request may be appealed to the dean or dean’s designee of the academic unit offering the course. Appeal of an instructor’s denial of a disability accommodation request may be directed to the student’s Access Specialist in Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES).

Definitions

Course Modality

Course instructional delivery designated in the published Class Schedule.

Hazards

The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) lists Hazards according to probability of occurrence and severity of impact. They include, but are not limited to, (natural) tornado/severe weather, infectious disease, earthquake, winter storms/extreme cold, drought, extreme heat, floods; (human-caused) terrorist/active shooter, fire, hazmat, civil disturbance, aviation; (technological) power outage, and hacking and other online activity.

Instructor

Instructor of record for a credit-bearing course.

Exceptions

A dean may approve or delegate authority for exceptions to established guidelines.

https://oae.illinois.edu/our-services/accessibility-and-accommodations/

Contact

Questions about these principles and policies may be referred to the Office of the Provost (217) 333-6677.