6-4-20

Dear Colleagues

On 6-2-20, the ASUO Executive began circulating an “Open Letter to the University of Oregon” that expressed great concern about fellow students, especially students of color, and the unprecedented stress they are experiencing as a result of the local and national unrest over George Floyd’s murder, combined with the pandemic. In that letter, they call upon professors and course instructors to make finals “optional and non-grade diminishing” as a show of empathy and support for students. You may already be aware of this as we’ve been hearing from faculty, and we know faculty are hearing from students about this so we wanted to offer guidance on academic options available to you.

Below, we outline the tools available to both faculty and students that provide flexibility for academic coursework during these particularly trying circumstances.

First, we want to acknowledge the extraordinary time we are in, and that this is undoubtedly affecting many students’ abilities to cope with the varying demands in their lives. We also know that this particular moment is having a disproportionately negative effect on Black students, and students of color in ways that few can truly comprehend.

And we know the same is true for faculty and GEs. In pivoting to remote instruction for Winter term finals and all of Spring term, you accomplished a feat that seemed impossible at the time. To accomplish that while dealing with your own challenges from working at home, caring for children or relatives, continuing your own schoolwork, or dealing with loss and uncertainty is nothing short of remarkable. On top of all of that, this national crisis is affecting many of you in ways many of us can’t truly know. As representatives of the Academic Council and as your colleagues, we stand with you and are eager to support you however we can.

With all of this, we aren’t quite done. We know we’ve asked a great deal from you and put boundaries around instruction that some of you disagree with. We are committed to balancing the many competing needs of faculty, GEs, and students. Today, we are coming to you again to ask for your help in supporting our students. For many of our students, you represent a safe space, a tether to some kind of normalcy, a sane voice of leadership or just someone to see and hear them. We are asking that you continue being that pillar of support for your students, and that you find ways in the closing days of this term to respond with empathy and flexibility. In that, we are echoing Provost Phillips’ recent plea for us all to provide comfort and care for our students and for each other. We’d also like to offer some specific guidance in response to the open letter from the ASUO.

While we are not asking at this late date for you to completely rethink how you approach the end of the term for projects or finals, we want to remind you of changes we’ve already made that allow all of us  the flexibility in closing out the term successfully.

The first specific ask is simply to hear your students. In many cases, they just need someone, you, to really hear what they are going through and offer a way through it. If they come to you for help, assume the best in them and listen. And then try to help them find solutions to get through the next thing. For many of your students, you will be the one that gets them through the next tough moment. This recent post from the Teaching Engagement Program provides some helpful ways to engage with students around the recent national events. Know that we ask this of you in the context of what is possible for you, given your situation – we do not mean to ignore the challenges and constraints you face, nor the important role you play in students’ lives.

Next, offer flexibility where it is possible and makes sense in your class. Again, assume the best intentions of your students and find ways to help where possible. To that end, here are some reminders of policies already in place, and suggestions for other ways to offer flexibility:

• The Academic Continuity expectations in place state the following: “instructors may modify course expectations such that required work is reduced or grading schemes are adjusted provided they can still meet course learning objectives.” This gives latitude for instructors to make changes to the syllabus for the advantage of students even this late in the term.

• Related to the point above, you can modify the final in terms of points, duration, format, or other ways that would ease stress on students. Consider the purpose of the final and how that might be accomplished in different ways.

• You can make the final optional and allow students to accept their grade to date.

• You can reopen closed assignments or extend assignment deadlines to provide opportunities for students.

• You can waive late penalties or waive lowest grades for some assignments.

• You can relax grading criteria, e.g., by lowering grade cutoffs.

• Remind students that they have the P/N option available to them for all courses and have until July 16, 2020 to change from graded to P/N. This option can prevent a negative effect on their GPA.

• As a last resort, you can grant an “Incomplete”. We note it as a last resort because it can create delayed work for faculty and students, and potentially delay students from moving on to higher level classes. We do want to clarify here that the incomplete policy says the following:

“An incomplete may be issued when the quality of work is satisfactory, but some minor yet essential requirement has not been completed, for reasons acceptable to the instructor. Faculty and students should develop a contract outlining the requirements and specific deadlines for making up the incomplete. Contracts should be filed in the departmental office through which the course is taught.”

We interpret this to mean that the granting of an incomplete is at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors and GEs might consult with their heads if they offer the incomplete option and clarify who will grade the work when it is submitted.

These represent options for you to respond with empathy and flexibility. We encourage you to let your students know that you have received these messages and how you intend to respond.

We regret coming to you late in the term with this. But as with so much lately, the situation changes daily. Thank you for all you are doing to support our students. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Academic Council at any time with your thoughts, concerns or questions.

Sincerely,

Members of the Academic Council

Jagdeep Bala
Senior Instructor, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Psychology,
Chair of Scholastic Review Committee

Ali Emami
Senior II Instructor of Finance, LCB-Finance Department,
Chair of Senate Budget Committee 

Dorothee Ostmeier
Professor, German and Scandinavian, Folklore and Public Culture,
Chair of Graduate Council

Mike Price
Senior Instructor, Assistant Department Head, Mathematics,
Chair of Academic Requirements Committee

Jana Prikryl
Instructor/Advisor/Director, Biology and General Science,
Chair of Undergraduate Council

Margaret Sereno
Associate Professor, Psychology,
Chair of University Library Committee

Carol Silverman
Professor, Anthropology,
Chair of Faculty Personnel Committee

Emily Simnitt
Senior Instructor I, English,
Co-Chair of Core Ed Council

Christopher Sinclair
Associate Professor, Math,
Co-Chair of Core Ed Council

Elizabeth Skowron
Professor, Psychology,
Senate President

Frances White
Professor and Dept Head, Anthropology,
Chair of Committee on Courses
Chair of Academic Council

Janet Woodruff-Borden
Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs,
Office of the Provost

Ron Bramhall
Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost,
Provost designee

The Academic Council met 4-22-20 to discuss academic continuity planning for the duration of the COVID-19 disruption. The Academic Continuity Plan approved by the Academic Council on March 4, 2020 (https://senate.uoregon.edu/2020/03/05/academic-continuity-plan-for-the-coronavirus-health-emergency/) remains in effect until the academic disruption is declared over by the Academic Council except as modified below. The modifications and new expectations below are in effect beginning Summer 2020 and until the Academic Council declares the end of the Academic Disruption or approves new modifications.

(Note: “Instructor” is used in this document to indicate “Instructor of Record”, which may be instructors or GEs.)

Assumptions Guiding These Changes

• Changes made to Winter and Spring had to consider the fact that we had less time to plan, and were changing expectations for students and instructors that they had not accounted for
• We know how summer term will operate and have time to plan for that
• We will know more about how fall term will operate and will have time to plan for that
• We have policies governing student engagement and contact hours and should follow those as closely as possible
• Students will be able to make choices about summer and fall courses that account for their specific situation, so we need fewer accommodations and we will insist on our high expectations for courses
• Some students will still be in less than ideal situations for summer and beyond, and Instructors should try to accommodate them  where reasonable
• In a non-pandemic scenario, instructors of courses would have been expected to deliver content and engage with students during scheduled class times
• In a scenario where all or some courses are remote, some instructors will be in less than ideal situations in terms of workspaces, teaching materials, and technology.

Modifications to Current Expectations

The following expectation from the March 4^th Academic Continuity Plan is modified by the Academic Council as indicated below:

• March 4, 2020 language: Requires instructors with attendance or participation polices to modify those such that attendance is not counted in grades and participation points could be made up or waived.
• April 29, 2020 update: Instructors may count attendance and participation as part of the grade provided they have reasonable ways for students to complete make-up assignments for missed class sessions or participation points without loss of credit. Instructors must communicate these policies in their syllabi. Instructors who are unsure whether they are making reasonable accommodations should confer with their unit heads for guidance.

Continuation of Grading Policy Adjustments

The following grading policy adjustments approved by the Academic Council on March 25, 2020 for Spring term are continued by the Academic Council until modified or disruption is declared over. These adjustments are in effect for undergraduate and graduate courses except for graduate courses offered in the JD and LLM programs in the Law School, which are under a different policy passed by the Law School.

• The deadline to change grade-optional courses from graded to P/N (pass/no pass) will be extended 30 days after the date that final grades are posted for that term.
• The option to change from graded to P/N will be available for all courses that are designated as graded only and for grade optional courses.

• Courses that are designated as P/N only will remain as they are. There will be no additional options for these courses.
• Any course grade of P will be counted as a P* grade for the purposes of the policies below. This means that courses taken as P/N can count toward graduation requirements. Credits earned in courses offered only as P/N will use the P* designation.

• • Undergraduate: “Students must earn 168 transfer or University of Oregon credits with grades of A, B, C, D, or P*.”
  • Graduate Master’s degrees: “A minimum of 24 credits must be University of Oregon graded (not pass/no pass) credits.”

• Instructors of record shall maintain letter grades throughout the term and record final course grades for students in all courses).

• If a student chooses P/N by the deadline, grades will be recorded as follows:
  • Undergraduate: a P grade for a C- or above, and an N grade for a D+ or below.
  • Graduate: a P grade for a B- or above, and an N grade for a C+ or below.
  • Law: a P grade for a D- or above, and an N grade for an F.
• Departments are asked to waive any requirements that (a) limit how P/N courses count toward the major; that (b) require specific grades for courses that count toward the major; or that (c) serve as prerequisites for other courses. This is especially important for cases where the lack of such a waiver will require students to enroll in an additional term or delay graduation for students. Departments are to report how they want P/N grades from any term during the disruption to count toward requirements to the Registrar’s Office by May 6, 2020. The Registrar’s Office will send a link to a webform for reporting this information. The Registrar’s Office will reach out to departments directly regarding prerequisites.

New Expectations

The following new expectations are approved by the Academic Council as of April 29, 2020 and effective beginning Summer 2020. These expectations follow two principles: first, that we have policies on student engagement and contact hours that instructors should follow, and, second, that we have time for students and instructors to plan for new expectations that will improve remote education in Summer 2020 and beyond.

• Courses that were originally scheduled for online and coded with “V” (for virtual) shall be taught as planned.
• It is expected that non-WEB courses shall provide live engagement during the scheduled meeting times as defined by the Student Engagement Inventory for the course. Instructors may make the following adjustments for courses that have to be offered remotely or partially remotely (some face-to-face and some remote):
  • Live engagement can take many different forms. For example, it might include a mix of content delivery, facilitated discussions on Zoom, facilitated discussion board discussions, breakout sessions for students on Zoom, group project time with the instructor available for guidance. The following are not suitable replacements for contact under current policy:
    • Posting of supplemental content materials
    • Announcements
    • Assignments
    • Office hours, online or otherwise
  • Whatever the mix, at least 50% of the live engagement should include planned and structured content delivery or discussion.
  • Where appropriate and possible, instructors should create opportunities for student-student interaction.
  • Whatever the mix, instructors should be available to students during each scheduled class period. If instructors are not going to be available during a scheduled class period, they should treat that as a “cancelled” class meeting and handle that as they would during a regular, non-remote term with appropriate notifications to students and anyone else as required by the department, and appropriate replacement of that instructional time.
• Instructors should schedule and be available to meet during office hours outside the scheduled class time in accordance with department and/or school/college policies on office hours.

Technology Tools and Software
It is required that Canvas be used for all courses during the academic disruption. Instructors shall publish their Canvas sites and use them to post materials, collect assignments, provide alternatives to lectures/discussions for students who are absent from class, and post grades. Students and Instructors are required by university policy to use their Uoregon accounts for university business including instruction, and must not share their credentials with anyone.

Instructors may use other FERPA-compliant software to supplement Canvas use. These include the UO licensed versions of Office 365, which includes One Drive and Teams, Zoom and Dropbox. You can find out more about acceptable technology tools and software here: https://is.uoregon.edu/remote.

Dear UO Senators,

We are facing unprecedented times created by the novel COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, the University of Oregon is closely monitoring the global outbreak and is working in close coordination with local, state, and federal health officials to guide decisions about university operations. We encourage you to visit the UO COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information website often for information, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to important resources.

Senate leadership is working with the Administration, to ensure that solutions and supports provided to faculty and students reflect the input of broad representation across campus.

We thank our Academic Council for its extraordinary efforts to create guidance on academic continuity planning, and the Office of the Provost for developing resources to facilitate high-quality remote instruction even in these difficult times (e.g., Academic Continuity Resources and Guidance for Faculty and Instructors). The Senate will do its best to support these efforts and the work of other administrators and faculty who are working to ensure operations are running as smoothly as possible for our students.

Within the University Senate, we are preparing behind the scenes to transition upcoming Senate meetings from in-person meetings in the EMU to a remote format for the foreseeable future. Thus, beginning in April, 2020 and until further notice, we will (1) hold senate meetings via remote teleconferencing using Zoom, and (2) reserve 30 minutes at the outset of each meeting for Open Discussions, after which we will proceed to other scheduled senate business. Please contact us to add a topic to the open discussion section and we will add it and invite relevant members of the administration to participate and/or field queries. Topics may include discussion about how instructors and students are dealing with remote instructional approaches, impacts on research and scholarship, supporting members of our university community, and so forth, and provide additional opportunities for information sharing, for example. As always, we welcome your suggestions for discussion topics.

Please feel free to reach out to us directly as well. We will continue holding weekly drop-in office hours on Wednesdays 10:00 to 11:30 AM, however effectively immediately, these will occur via zoom meetings through Winter term finals week, and resume during Spring term week 1:

• Weekly Senate Office Hours: Join URL: https://zoom.us/j/480455396

You may also contact us directly as well at the email addresses below. Thank you for your participation in shared governance here at the University of Oregon.

Elizabeth Skowron, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychology President, University Senate eskowron@uoregon.edu

Elliot Berkman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology Vice-President/President-Elect, University Senate berkman@uoregon.edu

Academic Council 2020

The Academic Council was convened on March 4, 2020 after the declaration of emergency on February 27, 2020 following the procedures described in the Academic Continuity Policy. The policy guides planning and decision-making in the event that a significant disruption to campus operations impedes academic activity. The goal of the policy is “to continue academic activities as much as possible and to mitigate the effects of a significant academic disruption, which include particularly grave academic and financial consequences for graduating students, international students, and students receiving financial aid.” The policy balances the principles of academic integrity, transparency for students, instructors, and staff, and fairness for students.

The Academic Council voted to approve the following guidelines for the duration of the coronavirus health emergency. These guidelines should be followed by course instructors in consultation with the Academic Continuity Team in their unit. The Academic Continuity Policy is clear that instructors of record (hereafter referred to as “instructors” which includes faculty and GEs) shall retain primary authority over how to manage their courses, assignments, instruction and grades, subject to the conditions described below.

During this time, Academic Council encourages us to come together to support our students and each other. During an emergency situation, it is important to be flexible, empathetic, and prepared to do a bit extra in the short run.

Academic principles to be followed:

In order to receive credit, the learning outcomes and goals of the course, as detailed in the approved course, must be met. The Instructor of Record (including any active additional Instructor(s) of Record) makes the determination about whether the learning outcomes have been met. The Academic Continuity plan allows for changes in various aspects in the way that course content is delivered, and the learning outcomes are achieved. If the instructor determines that the learning outcomes can be met with adjustments to the organization of the course, including reasonable modifications to the modality, delivery, and assessment practices, the instructor should make these changes under this emergency. Specific guidance on modifications is provided below.

Modality changes might include replacing lectures with video lecture replacements, changing methods of assessment (changing short-answer questions to multiple choice) and similar methods including those used as examples below during the duration of this emergency. The feasibility of such modality changes will be highly dependent on best pedagogical practices within the discipline concerned. Instructors should discuss such possibilities with their unit heads for guidance. If a unit head is unavailable, a unit head from a closely-aligned unit will be assigned. If the instructor determines that the learning outcomes cannot be met even with such adjustments, and the unit head concurs, then the completion of the course may be delayed until the missing instructional or grading work is completed.

Academic credit, and grades awarded to students for that credit, are based on delivery of course content in accordance with the learning objectives of the course and the assessment of the quality of student work in that course. As stated in the Academic Continuity Policy, as in any disruption, Instructors should endeavor to mitigate the effects of a significant academic disruption to ensure that the approved course content is delivered, and the appropriate assessment of student performance is undertaken.

The approved amount of student work for each course is listed in the approved Student Engagement Inventory (SEI). On average, for a 4-credit class, this totals 12 hours a week and includes 4 hours of lecture including discussion section or lab time for a lower level class and at least 3 hours for an upper level class. The remaining time is taken with other coursework such as readings and assignments.

Both delivery of content and assessment of student work can be impacted in an academic disruption. During any disruption, instructors should endeavor to ensure that the approved course content is delivered, and the appropriate assessment of student performance is undertaken by changes to the components of the SEI without significant increase or decrease in workload on the students enrolled in the course. Instructors may, for instance, reduce the number of assessed assignments by increasing work needed per assignment if they can still ensure sufficient assessment of learning outcomes. Instructors may also replace class time with out of class assignments that can meet the same learning outcomes. Finally, it may be possible for some class time and assignments to be missed, and still be able to fully assess learning outcomes by altering other assignments to include the missed class time or work.

During this coronavirus health emergency, the goals for academic continuity are:

• To protect instructors, staff, students
• To accommodate individual students and instructors who are ill or worried about contracting illness
• To continue courses in the event of instructor absence or partial/complete campus closure

Therefore, the Academic Council has approved the following specific expectations for instructors.

During any term, including the current Winter term, the Academic Council:

• Reminds instructors to work with their department head or supervisor as they normally would if they will need to miss class.
• Reminds instructors to communicate to students in advance if class meetings are cancelled and let them know what work they should complete. The goal should be to continue instruction even if that has to be done by a replacement instructor and/or remotely.
• Directs instructors that they cannot cancel courses. At present, campus is continuing courses as scheduled. Any decision to cancel courses will be made centrally.
• Reminds instructors that they shall not ask students for doctor’s notes or other documentation to verify absences. Instructors shall have clear communication and make-up protocols in place for students to follow if they are going to be or have been absent. If a student is missing enough class that make-ups will be difficult and they are at risk of not passing, they should communicate with those students, and enlist advisors for help.
• Requires instructors with attendance or participation polices to modify those such that attendance is not counted in grades and participation points could be made up or waived.
• Informs instructors that they may modify course expectations such that required work is reduced or grading schemes are adjusted provided they can still meet course learning objectives.
• Requires that instructors shall have make ups or alternatives to exams. If instructors will need support to manage an increased volume of make-ups, they should work with their department head, who will take guidance from the school/college Academic Continuity Team. In some cases, a grade of Incomplete may be used for make-ups that will take place after grades are due.
• Requires instructors to provide clear, consistent, and specific communication to students about any modifications to the course and changes to assignments and deadlines. Instructors, as a matter of good practice, should provide clear and consistent expectations of course graders for timely grading and assessment of materials and recording of grades to the Canvas gradebook for students to see. Academic Council requires the use of the course Canvas site for all this communication.

In preparation for Spring and potentially Summer terms, the Academic Council:

• Requires use of Canvas for courses starting in Spring term and for the duration of the academic disruption, as it will make adjusting for absences/campus closures easier. Instructors shall publish their Canvas sites and use them to post materials, collect assignments, provide alternatives to lectures/discussions for students who are absent from class, and post grades.
• Asks instructors to explore options and tools to deliver their course content for an extended period on Canvas with either synchronous and/or asynchronous options. The Office of the Provost has created a resource page to help instructors (https://provost.uoregon.edu/academic-continuity-preparations). This page will be continually updated.

Absence of Instructor of Record:

If an Instructor of Record is unable to continue as instructor, unit heads may appoint an additional Instructor of Record who will continue to deliver course content and follow the course structure and content as laid out in the syllabus and any other additional resources such as the Canvas site to the best of their ability. The original Instructor of Record remains on the course and when they return, the additional Instructor of Record is removed after the appropriate transition between instructors has been affected. The Instructor of Record will then complete the course and submit grades.

The additional Instructor of Record will follow the established syllabus, including delivery of course content in accordance with the learning objectives of the course and such assessment that falls within the timeline of the course. The additional instructor will not require additional work of the enrolled students beyond the level specified in the SEI or syllabus or change the methods of assessment.

Whenever possible, submission of final grades will be done by the original Instructor of Record. If the original Instructor of Record does not return before the end of the class, course grades should not be submitted by the additional Instructor of Record until Finals Week and all assignments and scheduled exams are due and have been graded.

When the original Instructor of Record returns, they will accept the work done by the students under the additional Instructor of Record and not require additional work of the enrolled students for the time the original Instructor of Record was absent. The returning Instructor of Record will assess, in coordination with the unit head, the degree to which the learning outcomes were achieved, and the student work was correctly assessed given this disruption. If the conclusion of the Instructor of Record and the unit head is that the additional Instructor of Record was unable to deliver course content or conduct assessment as specified, or an additional Instructor of Record was unavailable, the Instructor of Record and unit head may conclude that the course has not been completed. In this case, emergency grades, if available, may be used, or incompletes if appropriate, until such time as the course can be completed.

The instructional work required to complete the course will be conducted and compensated according to appropriate labor agreements and requirements. Upon completion, students will then receive regular (non-emergency) grades.

Absence of GEs that support a faculty instructor:

The impact of loss of GEs from a faculty-taught class will vary with the number of GEs, the amount of GE FTE, and duties of those GEs. Instructors of Record may be able to complete a course with minor losses of GE support, but it is expected that major losses of GE support will require some form of replacement. The amount of loss of GE support will be reflected in the total FTE and associated total of hours of work lost.

The Academic Council recommends that Instructors of Record impacted by the academic disruption through the loss of GEs who run discussion sections, labs, etc., consider modifying the modes of delivery of the course content, activities, and assessments that are required to meet the learning outcomes and goals of the course. It is good pedagogical practice to maintain a set of alternative assignments that can be used as “make-ups” if students have valid reasons for missing class. These make-up assignments may be an acceptable method of delivering course material in accordance with course outcomes that can be deployed if planned course activities cannot be completed for any reason.

The assessment of any assignments used to replace planned course activity should be equivalent to the originally planned assessment for the missing activity. For example, a discussion section normally run by a GE could be replaced with a worksheet if the GE is ill. This worksheet covers the same material and the grading of that worksheet should be equivalent to the grading of the discussion section exercise.

Graded assignments should not generally be replaced by non-graded assignments unless completion of an assignment can be seen as having learning value. For instance, students might be asked to complete a module in Canvas that automatically records a completion grade as a replacement for attending a discussion section. Instructor should consult with their unit heads for guidance. If replacement assignments need to be graded, this must be done by a qualified person, following all applicable labor laws and negotiated contracts. Graders must be appropriately qualified. If GEs are unavailable to hold labs or sections, students should be held harmless so that any student credit for attendance to labs or sections should be waived.

Grading

The Council will continue to meet to provide guidance about grading procedures (e.g., whether to enable emergency grades) should the disruption continue.

Personnel considerations

Additional and Replacement Instructors of Record must be qualified to teach the course. Departments should follow their criteria for level qualification to teach classes, such as in replacement teaching pools, that should be followed. Departments should also follow their normal criteria for graduate students to be instructors of record such as advancement to candidacy or seniority, etc. Work associated with a course that does not involve any instruction or assessment, such as taking attendance, proctoring exams, distributing materials, supervising room occupancy, etc., may be done by individuals not qualified to instruct and following all applicable labor laws and negotiated contracts.

Unit Heads must consider whether the workload required to meet the course learning outcomes is reasonable with respect to the job description of additional instructors of record and their other obligations.

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.    Call to order

3:05 PM Introductory Remarks; Senate President Bill Harbaugh

3:20 PM    Presentation on Teaching Evaluation reform; Ginger Clark, USC Associate Professor of Clinical Education and former Academic Senate President

3:50 PM      Business/ Reports:

• Teaching Evaluation Warning Language; Bill Harbaugh (See below for draft language. Discussion, possible vote)
• Vote: US18/19-02: Approval of Curriculum Report, Fall term 2018; Frances White (Vote)
• Policy for faculty membership on committees, task forces and advisory groups; Bill Harbaugh (Presentation and discussion)

4:20 PM    UO’s legislative agenda; Libby Batlan & Hans Bernard, UO State and Community Affairs (Presentation and discussion)

4:40 PM.    UO’s new approach to Dual Career Support; Rhonda Smith & Melanie Muenzer, Provost’s Office (Presentation and discussion)

4:56 PM    Open Discussion
4:57 PM    Reports
4:58 PM    Notice(s) of Motion
4:59 PM    Other Business
5:00 PM    Adjourn

Draft: For discussion for Senate adoption per https://senate.uoregon.edu/entry/?Motions=US17/18-19

Warning: Bias in Student Course Evaluations

Research has shown that student evaluations, particularly numerical ratings, are marred by bias against women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other groups, and are generally unrelated to teaching effectiveness. Despite these problems, numerical ratings using our current instrument may still be collected, and past numerical ratings may still be used in teaching evaluation. The UO Senate, in cooperation with the Office of the Provost, is revising UO’s teaching evaluation instruments and practices in response to this research. During this transition, numerical student evaluations of teaching should not be used as a standalone measure of teaching quality for any university purpose. Instead, teaching should be evaluated primarily using instructor self-reflection, peer reviews, and substantive written student comments, in alignment with the academic unit’s definition of teaching excellence as that is developed.

(Note: See Uttl et al. (2017), Meta-analysis of faculty’s teaching effectiveness: Student evaluation of teaching ratings and student learning are not related, Studies in Education Evaluation, at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191491X16300323)

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks: Senate President Bill Harbaugh
• Remarks:  Provost Banavar

3:30 P.M.   Approval of Minutes, October 17, 2018 and October 31, 2018

3:30 P.M.   Business/Reports

• Retreat Debrief (Presentation slides)
  
• A policy for selecting faculty members for committees that are established by the administration
• Undergraduate Council review of admissions policies
• Consent Calendar
• Discussion: Intimate Relationships Policy (with Town Halls input)
• Brief presentation on UO Leadership Academy; Chris Ruiz de Esparza and Jennifer Espinola
• Academic Council: Emergency and/or Contingency Planning
• Discussion: Conflict of Interest/Conflict of Commitment Policy draft; Cass Moseley and Elizabeth Skowron

4:50 P.M.    Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports
4:55 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion
4:55 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks : Senate President Bill Harbaugh

3:15 P.M.  New Business

• US18/19-01: Approval of Online Sports Product Management; Graduate Council
• Facilitated Discussion with Carol Cartwright: UO Senate goals, culture, levers, barriers
  Presentation slides

4:50 P.M.    Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports
4:55 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion
4:55 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks and retreat plans: Senate President Bill Harbaugh
• Remarks: President Mike Schill
• Remarks: ASUO President Maria Gallegos-Chacon

3:30 P.M.  New Business

• Sports Product Management (Online degree program); Roger Best, Robin Clement, Denita Strietelmeier. (Discussion, not vote. )
• Course Evaluation Disclaimer Language; Harbaugh. Harbaugh. (Discussion, not vote. Link coming soon).
• Admissions Policies; Harbaugh. (Intro, send to committee.)
  • Guidelines for new Instructional Programs
  • Admissions Requirements (OUS)
  • Admissions Requirements (IMD)
  • Academic Degree Program Planning and Implementation
  • Admissions Policy – 2nd Language Requirement
• TPM free speech restrictions – intro to issue and policies
• Update on HECC;

4:45 P.M.    Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports
4:55 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion
4:55 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks; Senate President Bill Harbaugh
• Remarks; Senate Vice President Elizabeth Skowron
• Remarks; Provost Banavar
• Remarks; Bob Guldberg (Knight Campus)

3:40 P.M.  Votes

• Approval of Minutes, May 23, 2018 & June 6, 2018
• Summer 2018 Curriculum Report; Frances White
• Approval of Spring 2018 CoC Committee appointments

3:45 P.M.   New Business

Discussion of upcoming policies, discussions and issues for fall quarter

• Sexual and Romantic Relationships Policy (Draft)
• Conflict of Interest and Commitment Policy
• Discrimination under Title VII policy
•  US17/18-19: Implementing A System for Continuous Improvement and Evaluation of Teaching
• Time, Place and Manner restrictions on free-speech and academic freedom
• Senate retreat planning

4:45 P.M.    Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports

• Status of committee reports and where to find them

4:55 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion

• Program Proposal: Online version of Sports Product Management Master’s Degree; Lundquist College of Business

4:56 P.M.   Other Business

• Senate Retreat: October 31, 2018

5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

UPDATE (Mon, Apr 16, 2018):

We still need several folks to sign up for committee service. The survey is still open. If you have trouble with the “submit” button, please email the following to senatecoordinator@uoregon.edu:

Name
Rank
Department

At this time, no one has indicated interest in the following vacancies:

Campus Planning Committee
1 faculty from College of Design
1 Classified Staff

Committee on Scholarships
1 teaching Faculty from Law
1 teaching faculty from  Soc Sci
1 teaching faculty from Education
1 teaching faculty from SOJC
1-3 at-large teaching faculty

CORE Ed Council
1 Soc Sci faculty

Faculty Advisory Council
1 career NTTF from the Professional Schools (no more than 1 from same school, college or administrative unit)

Faculty Personnel Committee
1 faculty from Law
1 faculty from SOJC

Grad Council
1 TTF faculty from Business

Nontenured-Track Faculty Committee
3 Tenure-Track faculty

Ombuds
All seats

Respect & Community Values
1 Research faculty

ROTC
2 faculty

Undergrad Council
1 faculty from College of Design

University Senate
1 faculty from SOJC
2 faculty from Soc Sci
1 faculty from Libraries

Dear Campus Community,

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the survey regarding university service opportunities. Between the University Senate and several university committees, there are myriad ways for you to be involved in shared governance at the UO.

We know there are countless demands on your time, but encourage you to take a look at the opportunities to serve the UO through a committee or senate position. This type of service is extraordinarily beneficial to the institution.

Please respond by Thursday, April 12. Filling out the survey does not automatically put you on a committee or the ballot – we’ll follow up with you before doing anything official.

If you have any questions, please contact Betina Lynn, the Senate’s executive coordinator, at senatecoordinator@uoregon.edu.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SURVEY.

Sincerely,

Chris Sinclair
University Senate President
Professor of Mathematics

Bill Harbaugh
University Senate Vice President and President-elect
Professor of Economics

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks: Senate President Chris Sinclair
• Remarks:  Melanie Muenzer, Associate Vice President and Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives

3:30 P.M.   Approval of Minutes, March 14, 2018

3:30 P.M.   Business/Reports

• Report: David Conover, VPRI (Power Point presentation)
• Report: Conflicts of Interest; Kevin Reed (General Counsel)
• Discussion: US17/18-17: Learning Goals for Methods of Inquiry; Chris Sinclair, Core Education Task Force
• Vote: US17/18-15: Revisions on Criteria for receiving Department Honors; Frances White (Anthropology), Chair of Academic Council

4:45 P.M.    Open Discussion
4:45 P.M.   Reports
4:50 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion

• Motion Intro: Multicultural Requirement; Lee Rumbarger
• Motion Intro: Revisions to Faculty Research Awards Committee; Bill Harbaugh

4:50 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

Dear Statutory Faculty:

It’s time to start the annual process of electing a new Senate VP & President Elect. This is one position, elected by the Senate at its last Spring meeting. Any statutory (i.e. teaching) faculty are eligible to run (not just Senators) excepting those serving in administrative positions “above” that of department head.

Neither Chris nor I plan to run for the VP/Pres Elect position. We both agree it’s time for new Senate leadership to step forward.

Three year commitment: Continue reading Nominations for a new Senate VP/President Elect →

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake Rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks: Core Ed: Goals, Areas and Methods of Inquiry; Senate President Chris Sinclair
• Update from Johnson Hall

3:30 P.M. Approval of Minutes, February 28, 2018

3:35 P.M.   Business

• US17/18-16: Approval of Curriculum Report, Winter 2018; Frances White, Chair of UOCC
• Discussion: Awards Intro & Elections Update; Kurt Willcox
• US17/18-08: Creation of Core Education Council; Chris Sinclair
• US17/18-15: Revisions on Criteria for receiving Department Honors; Frances White, Chair of Academic Council
• US17/18-14: Withdrawal of North Campus Conditional Use Permit; Bitty Roy (Biology) and Bart Johnson (Landscape Architecture)

4:50 P.M.   Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports
4:50 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion
4:50 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake Rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks; Senate President Chris Sinclair
• Update from Johnson Hall

3:20 P.M. Approval of Minutes, February 14, 2018 & Consent Calendar

3:25 P.M.   Business

• Clark Honors College; Karen Ford, Divisional Dean for CAS Humanities
• Discussion: Romantic Relationships; Sonja Boos
• Motion Intro: Learning Outcomes; Chris Sinclair
• Multicultural Requirement; Lee Rumbarger, Alison Gash, Avinnash Tiwari and Michael Hames-Garcia

4:50 P.M.   Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports
4:50 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion

• Department Honors

4:50 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

It’s that time of year when we hope faculty will begin thinking about serving in the Senate or on one of the many Senate committees next year. And it’s always time to sit down and talk with your dean about how things are going in your school or college. So, the Senate has decided to combine the two by offering a series of school- and college-centered nights at the Faculty Club. You’ll be able to talk with your dean and we’ll tell you about ways you can provide service to the university through the Senate.

In addition, we’ve arranged for Provost Jayanth Banavar and UO President Mike Schill to have their own nights at the Faculty Club. All faculty are invited to attend on those nights.

These events will be on Wednesdays and Thursdays through the rest of Winter Term from 5 – 6:30 pm in the Faculty Club at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Here’s the schedule so far:

Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Sarah Nutter, Lundquist College of Business

Thursday, February 22, 2018
Andrew Marcus, CAS
Hal Sadofsky, CAS Divisional Dean – Natural Sciences

Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Provost Banavar

Thursday, March 1, 2018
Bruce Blonigen, CAS Dean for Faculty & Operations
Phil Scher, CAS Divisional Dean – Social Sciences

Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Randy Kamphaus, College of Education

Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Juan-Carlos Molleda, School of Journalism & Communication
Christoph Lindner, College of Design

Thursday, March 15, 2018
President Schill

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks; Senate President Chris Sinclair
• Remarks from Johnson Hall
• College of Ed update: Dean Kamphaus

3:40 P.M. Approval of Minutes, November 1, 2017 and November 15, 2017

3:45 P.M.   Business

• Vote: US17/18-05: Approval of Curriculum Report, Fall 2017; Frances White (Anth), Chair of UOCC
• Discussion: US17/18-04: UO Senate Adoption of Consent Calendar; Chris Sinclair, Senate President
• Vote and discussion: US17/18-02: Resolution to Support the UO Student Collective; Arian Mobasser, Student Senator; President Schill response
• Vote: US17/18-01: Expedited Tenure Process; Boris Botvinnik, Chair of Faculty Personnel Committee
• Discussion: Teaching Evaluation Task Force: Bill Harbaugh, Sierra Dawson
• Discussion: CORE Ed; Scott Pratt, Ron Bramhall, Chris Sinclair

4:50 P.M.   Open Discussion
4:50 P.M.   Reports
4:50 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion
4:50 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn

Common Reading at the UO has been a campus-wide program in Undergraduate Studies since 2014.  Its goals are building community, enriching curriculum, and engaging research through the shared reading of an important book.

The selected book for 2017-18 is Louise Erdrich’s The Round House. Guest scholars and artists as well as UO faculty, staff, and students have been engaging with the book and its associated themes and contexts.  Curricular resources are available for faculty using the book in classrooms as well as discussion groups throughout campus (See https://commonreading.uoregon.edu/roundhouse/). A list of past, current, and upcoming public events for the academic year can be found at https://commonreading.uoregon.edu/events/.

The Common Reading Selection Committee for 2018-19 invites input from Senate members on the current shortlist of nominated books based on the theme of transborder/transnational. A call for book nominations on this theme was sent throughout campus networks in October, and 46 nominations were received. Reviewing the nominations through the lens of the selection criteria, the committee determined that 12 of the nominations should go forward for the next round of review. Committee members are currently learning more about each of these books.

As part of the committee’s review process, we invite all Senate members to share insights on the list provided below. Comments can be shared via commonreading@uoregon.edu by Monday, December 4. Selection criteria are available at https://commonreading.uoregon.edu/about-the-common-reading/.

Common Reading Book Nominations currently under review.

1)      Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

2)      The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

3)      Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

4)      This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror by Moustafa Bayoumi

5)      Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

6)      Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

7)      No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe

8)      A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

9)      Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran

10)   Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes

11)   They Leave their Kidneys in the Fields: Illness, Injury, and “Illegality” Among US Farmworkers by Sarah Bronwen Horton

12)   The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail by Jason De Leon

DRAFT

Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms)
3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

3:00 P.M.   Call to Order

• Introductory Remarks; Senate President Chris Sinclair
• Remarks: Mike Schill, University President
• Remarks: Scott Pratt, Executive Vice Provost – Presentation
• US17/18-02: Resolution to Support the UO Student Collective; Arian Mobasser, Student Senator

4:00 P.M.   Approval of Minutes, November 1, 2017

4:00 P.M.   New Business

• Vote: US17/18-01: Expedited Tenure Process; Boris Botvinnik (Math), Scott Pratt (Provost’s Office)
• US17/18-03: Confirmation of Committee on Committees members; Senate Executive Committee
• DAPs; VP Yvette Alex-Assensoh, Office of Equity & Inclusion – Presentation

4:45 P.M.    Open Discussion
4:45 P.M.   Reports
4:45 P.M.   Notice(s) of Motion
4:50 P.M.   Other Business
5:00 P.M.   Adjourn