Provost Campus Update: In early January, UC Office of the President announced that all UC campuses should plan for a return to mostly in-person instruction in fall 2021. Interim Provost Tom Smith shared a campus update shortly thereafter confirming that UCR’s Instructional Continuity committee would begin planning on a return in fall.

Survey Students & Faculty about Fall Return: In early February, the Provost’s Office released a survey on fall Instruction to faculty and students. The survey asked about preferences for teaching/learning in-person or remote, student housing, and other attitudes about a return to campus, such as concerns about health risks, financial difficulties, and confidence in health and safety protocols. The survey findings were compiled into dashboards and shared with deans, department chairs, and other campus leaders.

Making Decisions about Fall: In late February, Chancellor Wilcox shared updated guiding principles and announced five work groups to help plan the campus’s return to more in-person instruction and operations in the fall.

Message to Campus & Guidance to Deans & Chairs: At the beginning of March, the details of the fall instruction plan were shared in a campus-wide announcement. Department chairs and program directors received additional guidance, including program-specific remote targets to help UCR hit its goal of 75%-80% in-person classes.

FAQs Posted to Website & Provost Office Hours Q&A: In March, the Instructional Continuity Workgroup posted FAQ’s about fall instruction to their webpage* on the campusreturn.ucr.edu website. In the same month, Interim Provost Tom Smith held office hours focused on fall instruction and distributed a Q&A response to attendees which was subsequently added to the Provost Blog.

_{*The FAQs posted to the Instructional Continuity webpage in March have been removed and will be replaced shortly (August 2021)}

Department Decisions & Registrar Scheduling: Throughout the months of March and April, departments and programs made decisions about fall course delivery modes. The Registrar’s Office created the fall schedule which surpassed the in-person goal, landing at approximately 81% in-person classes for fall.

Instructional Continuity Workgroup Campus Briefing (YouTube): On April 30th, the Instructional Continuity Workgroup hosted and live-streamed an Instructional Continuity Return to Campus Briefing. The campus briefing addressed how UCR arrived at its fall instruction plan, some FAQs, updates from the Instructional Continuity subcommittees, and the work ahead for the Instructional Continuity Workgroup.

ITS & XCITE RISE Room Model Spaces & Roadshow: Over spring quarter, ITS and XCITE leadership visited and met with several academic departments to address questions and concerns and opportunities for support related to fall instruction.

ITS and XCITE also hosted open houses for their three model spaces for the RISE Rooms (Rooms for Increased Student Engagement). The open houses, which also include a department space equipped with suggested technology, give faculty members an opportunity to interact with and understand the new classroom equipment and technology.

Updates to Departments: Over the summer months, departments can expect to receive updates about classroom technology updates. 

Guidance for Fall Instructors: Before the start of the fall quarter, campus faculty, staff, and administration received an update from the Provost’s Office with guidance for fall instruction and helpful resources, including an updated FAQ.

1. Space for On-Campus Remote Learning: We have posted a list of spaces on campus that can be used for remote learning for students who have schedules that include both remote courses and in-person courses on campus.  
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Announcement about Winter Quarter Instructional Plan: An announcement about Winter Quarter instruction plans is expected soon.