Fall Teaching Preparations and Syllabus Reminders

Dear CMU Faculty Members and Course Instructors:

As we prepare for the upcoming semester, I hope you are feeling the excitement of our return to campus and to an in-person posture this fall. I want to acknowledge the incredible effort you put into ensuring our students had a safe and productive learning experience over the past few semesters and the course of the pandemic. I know you put a great deal of thought into how you delivered your course materials, all while keeping our community’s safety at the forefront of your planning.

Despite these challenges, we accomplished a great deal for our teaching and learning community. We expanded holistic support to our doctoral students, grew the Tartan Scholars program to meet the unique needs of high-achieving student leaders from limited resource backgrounds, and connected the university’s sustainability efforts to our curriculum. All of these successes are an excellent foundation for a new academic year with new initiatives that I look forward to sharing with you as the year unfolds.

In preparation for the Fall 2022 semester, I would like to share a few updates and reminders as you prepare your course materials and syllabi.

COVID-19 Guidelines and Considerations

The university’s current guidance on COVID-19 will continue to be updated as the semester approaches, including information about masking, testing and vaccination requirements.
 
Broadly, we intend to continue an in-person mode as the semester begins. Students are expected to attend courses in-person unless they are instructed to isolate due to their own positive COVID-19 status. Per CDC and CMU guidance, close contacts do not need to quarantine so long as they are up to date on their vaccines, but should wear a well-fitting facial covering for 10 days from their last exposure and test on day six. Providing that students are up to date on their vaccines, they should come to class even if they have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19. Detailed guidance on symptoms and reporting is available here.

As instructors, you are expected to help students in isolation due to COVID-19 or who are dealing with other illnesses to continue to make progress on their courses, which may include providing some flexibility. The Eberly Center offers resources on building flexibility into your course design. If you have a concern about a student's illness or absence beyond the seven-day isolation, you may submit a CMU Cares referral or call the Office of the Dean of Students at 412-268-2075.

As was the case last year, facial coverings are not required in the classroom or on campus. This is based on data showing little or no transmission occurring in classrooms and other factors. If desired, you may request — but may not require — that students wear facial coverings in your classroom, theater, lab or common space. Past experience suggests that students have generally been respectful of such requests.

Tenets from A Tartan’s Responsibility have been incorporated into The Word, our student handbook, and will no longer be a branded reference point. Please remove any remaining references from your syllabi.

We will continue to communicate and update you on our COVID-19 guidelines as needed. The most up-to-date information and resources are available at www.cmu.edu/coronavirus for your continued reference, including FAQs for faculty.

Fall 2022 Syllabi

As you prepare your syllabi for Fall courses, keep the following in mind:

• Add your course syllabi to the syllabus registry by the first day of class.
• Visit the Eberly Center’s Syllabus Updates Page for useful strategies for updating your syllabi. It was recently updated to include new syllabus elements, highlights on best practices, and notes on tone and flexibility. Also, see these strategies for creating an inclusive learning environment.
• Review the Office of Disability Resources website for information about students obtaining accommodations.
• When planning mandatory activities, consider important dates and religious observances and consult the full 2022-23 Academic Calendar for other key dates and deadlines, including the week-long Fall Break from Oct. 17 - 21.
• Utilize NameCoach, a tool that allows students to record the pronunciation and phonetic spelling of their name and store their pronoun identification.
• Observe Tartan Community Day on October 28 by not scheduling academic activities so our community can use the day for its intended purpose of connection and restoration.
• Limit undergraduate course activities during the moratorium hours of 4:30 - 6:50 p.m. ET each weekday to allow our students time to interact in intellectual, cultural, social and recreational campus-affiliated activities. Exception requests must be made to the University Registrar via cmuregistrar@andrew.cmu.edu for explicit approval.

Engagement Opportunities

Throughout this year, we will have many opportunities to connect with one another, which is important for a healthy academic community. For example, I have and will continue to regularly attend Faculty Senate meetings to hear from your representatives, as well as to share updates and resources with this group. I hope to see many of you at upcoming professorship celebrations and the University Lecture Series. I also encourage you to attend my Provost Office Hours, which are open to all faculty, staff and students. Please stop by in person to share your ideas and aspirations with me.

Continuation of the 14-Week Semester Pilot

Last month, we shared an update on Fall Planning Preparations, including information and resources on the continuation of the 14-week semester pilot, and the opportunities it can afford for our community in relation to health and well-being. With the help of the Eberly Center, we have made available several tools and resources to support our faculty as the pilot continues, including a set of recommended strategies, faculty consultation opportunities and FAQs.

As a reminder, I will also host two listening sessions for faculty to attend to discuss the 7x1x7 calendar pilot on Wednesday, August 24, from 4 - 5 p.m., and Thursday, August 25, from 9 - 10 a.m. These sessions are intended for you to ask questions about and share feedback on the pilot continuation and its implementation. Register here to attend.

Please continue to share your feedback and insights on the pilot so we can continue to refine and improve its effectiveness.

Thank you again for all your efforts to ensure that our students receive the best educational experience possible during their time at Carnegie Mellon. I wish each of you a safe, successful semester and look forward to seeing you soon on campus as we kick off a new academic year.

Sincerely,

Jim Garrett
Provost and Chief Academic Officer