Dear Colleagues,
As President Eighmy shared in his email earlier today, in light of the continued coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, all Summer 2020 terms will be conducted online with course instruction and learning occurring through virtual modalities.
Our overarching consideration is the ability of our students to continue successfully on their path toward graduation. We are making this decision now to provide certainty in support of effective planning for the summer term so we may offer a consistent academic experience in the summer. The COVID-19 pandemic remains dynamic, where prediction of when we will be able to safely return our campuses to normal operations is not currently possible. Prudence thus dictates continued online instruction for the summer.
The resilience and collaboration demonstrated by our faculty and the entire Roadrunner community over the past few weeks supports our belief that we can deliver a high-quality education despite these challenging circumstances. In fact, many of our summer courses were already scheduled for online or hybrid delivery, as online enrollment has accounted for an increasingly larger share of our summer enrollment in recent years. Approximately 5,700 UTSA students took online classes in summer 2019 — accounting for 37 percent of our summer enrollment, compared to 9 percent just a few short years ago in summer 2015. Online courses are a popular choice with our students for the flexibility in schedule and location.
To support you in online and other virtual instruction, starting immediately and in the weeks ahead, our Academic Innovation team will be working even more closely with individual faculty, as well as faculty champions and points of contacts in the colleges, to comprehensively transition the rest of the courses online. As part of their strategy, they will create a step-by-step checklist as the foundation for faculty to build their online courses, incorporating good practices for pedagogy, technology, and support to enhance student engagement and success. Additionally, Academic Innovation will continue to provide training and resources focused on instructional design and student engagement, and they will collect feedback from colleges on Spring 2020 classes to tailor their training for Summer 2020 accordingly. Faculty can expect to hear more details about these resources soon. Please keep an eye out for emails from your college points of contact and faculty champions, and watch the Faculty Center weekly email for information on upcoming trainings.
Students will be receiving this news today along with more details about summer enrollment. If a student comes to you with questions about summer registration, please direct them to contact the One Stop Enrollment Center.
My colleagues and I are so thankful for your efforts to deliver your curriculum in a virtual format and for your tremendous support of our students. Collectively, you have moved mountains to make this transition not only possible but successful. We are Roadrunner Strong.
I hope you and your families are safe and well – and my wishes to all for continued health and wellbeing. Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D. |