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As I shared in December, each of you has been invaluable to The University of Texas at Arlington as we navigate challenges in continued pursuit of our academic and research missions. Further, you have remained dedicated to the goals and needs of our students and have constructed new opportunities and avenues for them to succeed.
In the interest of maintaining and building on our momentum and spirit of resiliency in the impending new semester, I want to take the opportunity to remind you all of the resources available to support your work in both physical and virtual classrooms in the spring 2021 term.
Each of the plans and documents linked below can also be found on our webpage for protocols, processes, and FAQs.
- Faculty FAQs: Constructed specifically for the needs of faculty, these FAQs cover course planning and organization, support for online and on-campus teaching, health and safety protocols, and more.
- Classroom Use Procedures: This outlines safety procedures defining how you and your students should enter and exit classrooms to maintain social distancing.
- Protocols for Faculty Who Have a Student Test COVID-Positive & Classroom Issues: Protocols on what to do if a student in your class tests positive for COVID-19 and other questions and answers about classroom issues you may face.
- Positive Test and Close Contact Protocols: These infographics can help you and your students understand when to report COVID-19 exposure and the steps to take should you come in contact with a student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19.
- Scripts and Flow Chart for Mask Compliance: Though issues with student noncompliance with the University’s face-covering protocol in the fall semester were minimal, we’re still providing suggested scripts and a flow chart to guide you through discussions with students who don’t comply with mask-wearing.
- Protocol for Students Without Face Covering: This infographic has useful information on how to discuss the mask protocol with students and how to report individuals who are refusing to comply.
- Support for Teaching: UTA’s Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence and Center for Distance Education have instituted robust training to help faculty learn new tools, techniques, and best practices to improve their online and hybrid courses and effectiveness in teaching.
- Cleaning Supplies and PPE: The Office of Facilities Management will ensure there are adequate cleaning supplies in all classrooms scheduled for use this semester. Employees can request additional supplies, like disinfectant and plexiglass barriers, for their department by submitting an online request form or calling 817-272-2000. Reusable cloth masks for departments and disposable masks for research laboratory groups can be requested through the Face Mask Request Form.
There’s also a handful of resources we encourage you to have at the ready to share with students in your first-week discussions.
- Close Contact and Personal Diagnosis Form: All UTA employees and students are required to complete this form and follow any subsequent guidelines from UTA Health Services should they test positive for COVID-19 or come in close contact with a COVID-positive individual.
- Coronavirus Information: This website remains the go-to site for information about UTA’s response to the pandemic.
- COVID-19 Training: All new students have been asked to complete this training as part of their orientation, but you should feel comfortable encouraging all students to complete it if they have not done so already, regardless of whether or not their courses are on campus. This is so all of our students are aware of the standards that will protect our classroom environments.
- UTA Mobile App: This app provides a convenient, confidential tool to assist employees and students with their daily self-assessment. You and your students can use this downloadable daily self-monitoring checklist.
We will continue to work with the leadership in your college or school to provide a safe, productive working environment for this semester. We also ask that you continue being nimble as the University continues to monitor the evolving pandemic situation to uphold the health and safety of our faculty, staff, and students.
I look forward to what we can accomplish this semester, both in the classroom and out, as a result of all of our best efforts. Thank you.
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