January 17, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
As we begin the spring 2024 semester, I want to call your attention to the four topics below: Instruction During Campus Closures, Course Syllabi, AccessAbility Resource Center, and Instructional Resources.
Instruction During Campus Closures
UT Dallas is open for normal business operations and instructional activities unless indicated otherwise on the UTD homepage. Employees and students are expected to exercise judgment regarding their ability to travel safely to campus when inclement weather is in the area. They are not expected to place travel for work or class attendance above considerations for individual health and safety.
In most cases, classes will not be canceled for inclement weather. Students and faculty of in-person classes are expected to make use of eLearning and other means to continue academic progress during the weather event, including, but not limited to, synchronous online instruction via Microsoft Teams, recorded lectures to be viewed asynchronously via eLearning, or an additional assignment in eLearning. Please establish a plan for your course(s). The eLearning team is available for consultation and training on synchronous and asynchronous tools for teaching in the remote modality (see Instructional Resources below).
Course Syllabi
Students appreciate timely posting of syllabi. Updated syllabi templates and information on state law requirements can be found on the Provost Office’s webpage. Syllabi review should not delay posting, so please send an email to wat@utdallas.edu if your syllabus is not posted within one business day after you upload it to CourseBook or if you need other technical assistance for uploading.
State law requires that syllabi for undergraduate courses be made publicly available within seven days of the first day of classes, so please post your syllabi to CourseBook even if you also post it in eLearning. The University also requires that syllabi be posted for organized graduate courses in accordance with the University’s Syllabus Policy, UTDPP1111. Compliance with these requirements is always important to ensure students make fully-informed decisions about their courses. In addition, compliance is critical this semester as the University completes the Fifth-Year Interim Report due to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in March 2024.
AccessAbility Resource Center
UT Dallas is strongly committed to ensuring and maintaining an environment that guarantees students with disabilities full access to educational programs, activities, communication systems and facilities. The AccessAbility Resource Center (ARC) has been delegated the authority to prescribe types of reasonable accommodations each student is eligible to receive with the support and understanding of our committed faculty. Students who have registered and are eligible to receive accommodations will provide an accommodation letter on official letterhead to their course instructor. Only students who provide such a letter should be accommodated. Please remember that a student’s disability and accommodations are considered confidential information and should not be disclosed except in the case of imminent harm to the student or others.
The ARC is located in the Administration Building (AD 2.224), and the personnel can be reached at (972) 883-2098 or via email at studentaccess@utdallas.edu. For additional information, please visit the ARC website or read more about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 on the U.S. Department of Education’s Disability Discrimination: Overview of the Laws website.
Instructional Resources
The eLearning webpage continues to list resources to support faculty. Training and open labs are also available from the eLearning Team, and individual consultations can be scheduled by emailing elearning@utdallas.edu.
The UT Dallas 24/7 eLearning Helpdesk is available on the eLearning web site.
Additional information can be found on the Office of Information Technology’s How-To Guides resource page.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) faculty are available to share resources and guidance regarding eLearning and pedagogical best practices. They can be reached at (972) 883-2247 or in-person at the Eugene McDermott Library (MC 2.402). Information is also available on the CTL website.
Please let me know if you have questions or if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Dr. Inga H. Musselman
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
