As head of the Fall Academic and Course Planning Task Force, I am writing today to share updates on what your colleagues have accomplished and what we plan to implement in the coming months as we prepare for the start of the fall semester.

While the challenge is immense, our aim is simple: Develop an academic plan for our students, faculty and staff to safely return to UTA in a limited form for the fall 2020 semester.

I am proud to lead an effort that is collaborative, cross-functional and representative of the diversity, strength and experience that UTA can bring to bear on large challenges. Since the end of the spring semester, a group of faculty and staff from across our schools, colleges and units has been developing plans encompassing both online and in-person classes, all while accounting for appropriate health, safety and social distancing.

We have approximately 80 faculty and staff members across five subgroups tackling different aspects of these complex problems. Those subgroups are:

This group is developing a course schedule for fall in partnership with the Office of the Registrar and Facilities Management that accounts for social distancing, disinfection procedures, traffic flow, scheduling and technology recommendations.

The Class Modality, Logistics and Training group is developing definitions and guidelines on instructional modality. This team partners with the Classroom Scheduling subgroup as it collects data from the colleges and schools as they determine the modality of courses that responds to student needs, pedagogy and disciplinary requirements. The Training subgroup is soliciting feedback from faculty and departments as it shares training programs on both use of technology tools as well as sharing best practices for teaching in online and hybrid modalities. More information is available in the Faculty Affairs Newsletter.

The International Students group is developing a plan to safely welcome and provide services and programs for international students on campus while creating new opportunities for international students who are unable to come to the United States to study online. For study abroad students, the task force is exploring alternate options for intercultural and global experiences should travel not be viable.

This group has already surveyed UTA faculty about their needs, challenges and ideas to adjust to and accommodate new modes of teaching in fall 2020, with a similar survey in the works for UTA staff. The team is also reviewing the COVID-19 website for faculty, COVID-related communications and teaching-related training to make recommendations on additional resources and information to support faculty.

This team has communication representatives embedded in each subgroup, and is developing a project website, communications plan FAQs and timelines to ensure transparent and timely communication with the UTA community.

Working together, these subgroups are making recommendations to the Fall Academic and Course Planning Task Force. This task force, in turn, will work in concert with the Repopulation Executive Planning Team to outline what the “new normal” looks like for UTA.

What’s next

In the coming weeks, I plan to provide regular updates and share with you a project website where you can view the Task Force’s work and see plans as they develop. Please also continue to check your email, MavWire, and UTA’s COVID-19 and Faculty and Staff Resources pages for new information.

In the meantime, let me share what are by now familiar caveats: Our plans depend on factors outside our control, such as the prevalence of the pandemic later this summer, as well as future guidance from the UT System and local, state and federal authorities. Meanwhile, our responsibilities remain the same: to prioritize the health, safety and wellbeing of our students, and of one another.

We are committed to making the best decisions for UTA and appreciate the flexibility and ingenuity you are bringing to the challenges we face. We will continue, as Mavericks, to meet the moment.