Summer Semester Startup, Instructional Guidance on HB261, and More
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The team at the Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence is here to support you as you get your courses up and running for Summer Term 2024. Please read below for updated syllabus information, course policies, instructional guidance regarding HB261, and more.
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SYLLABUS AND COURSE SETUP |
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MBECTE has several Syllabus Design resources, including a Syllabus Template that indicate required and recommended content and University policy statements.
PPM 6-100 requires the following for ALL U of U courses:
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Syllabi must be posted at least one week prior to the beginning of the semester. These instructions will guide you in creating a hyperlink to your syllabus from the course schedule.
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Faculty should provide reasonable accommodations to students who cannot attend classes due to sanctioned University activities, University closures, or sudden illness or emergencies.
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Reading Days are protected time for students to prepare for the final exam and assessment period. Instructors shall not require any course-related activity, assessment, or submission of work on Reading Days. Instructors may use Reading Days for optional activities, such as office hours. While an instructor cannot initiate required course-related activity, assessments, or submission of work on Reading Days, instructors have the option to accommodate student requests for required work and/or examinations to be rescheduled for a Reading Day. Reading Days restrictions do not include responsibilities with external placements, such as clinical positions and internships.
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The Office of the Registrar and PPM 6-100 state that final exams should be held according to the Final Exam Schedule developed by the Scheduling Office.
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GEN AI INSTRUCTIONAL UPDATE |
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If you are thinking about how to integrate generative AI into your course this semester, please review our gen AI site, which contains a sample syllabus statement, assignment ideas, and resources for learning more.
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ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS |
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LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT? |
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Contact Information for Reporting Concerns |
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2024 Utah Legislation Implications for Pedagogy at the U of U |
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During the 2024 General Legislature, Utah lawmakers adopted HB 261, “Equal Opportunity Initiatives,” prohibiting state higher education institutions from relying on certain individual characteristics in decisions regarding aspects of employment or education.
Within the law, lawmakers carved out protections for classroom instruction and research. Federally-funded grants approved by the Board of Trustees or the Board of Higher Education that include certain diversity expectations are allowed. Lawmakers also created an exception for an institution to establish or maintain eligibility for a federal program and to meet accreditation requirements.
The legislation goes into effect on July 1, 2024. Through the Utah System of Higher Education, colleges and universities must report their compliance in 2025, and every other year after 2026.
On May 1, 2024, the President issued guidance on the application of HB 261 to the University and its community: https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/new-edi-guidance-for-campus/. We recommend you familiarize yourself with this guidance.
The Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence has also consulted with university leaders to provide you with updated guidance on how this bill will affect classrooms and pedagogy. This includes:
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Please note that all University course syllabi are required to list statements regarding the American Disabilities Act, University Safety, Sexual Misconduct, and Academic Misconduct. These statements can be found on MBECTE’s Syllabus Design page.
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Syllabi may also contain recommended statements with information for student support or additional course policies. More information can be found on MBECTE’s Syllabus Design page.
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In syllabi and other documents, per the EDI guidance issued by the University, instructors should avoid using the terms “diversity,” “equity,” or “inclusion”. Instead, the University should use descriptive phrases that emphasize the goals and priorities of the programs. The University encourages personnel to focus on framing programs in terms of success—student success, faculty success, staff success, and community success. Specific examples of words that might be appropriate based on the context include: “equal opportunity,” “all backgrounds,” “social mobility,” “student wellbeing,” “differing viewpoints,” and “belonging.”
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Instructors who believe that course materials may conflict with students' deeply held core beliefs may include a statement in the syllabus for the course that advises students that some of the writings, lectures, films or presentations, or other requirements in the course include materials that may present such conflicts. However, Policy 6-100 recognizes that Faculty will not always be able to predict in advance which if any materials may conflict with the beliefs of a given student or group of students.
- Guidelines for course content and delivery:
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Courses that cover content related to equity, diversity, and inclusion issues are protected in the legislation. It is important to ensure that any content or assignments within a course are tied to the learning objectives of the course.
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Sensitive issues often result in disagreements over course content. Freedom of expression in the classroom means that discussion and expression of all views relevant to course content are important and necessary to the educational process. However, students do not have the right to impinge upon the freedom of instructors to teach or the right of their peers to learn. Persistent disruptions may be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students.
- Support for ensuring strong pedagogy and student belonging:
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MBECTE will continue to provide optional trainings and consultations for instructors who seek support in ensuring high quality pedagogy and a sense of belonging for all students at the University of Utah. Departments may request workshops, or faculty may request individual consultations related to their course objectives and content.
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MBECTE workshops and communities of practice, training institutes, and certificate programs, all of which are optional sources of pedagogy development for instructors, will continue to provide training on critical issues in higher education pedagogy in the effort to support the exceptional educational experience for every student at the University of Utah.
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2024-25 Martha Bradley Evans Teaching Fellows Funding Opportunity |
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Summer 2024 Faculty Intensive Teaching Institute |
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Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education |
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Faculty Health and Wellness |
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If you’ve read this far, we appreciate your attention to our newsletter and to your teaching, and we think you should reward yourself with some of the Faculty Wellness opportunities on campus. The Employee Wellness site provides several resources for faculty and staff on campus. Or you can sign up for a fitness class through Peak Health and Fitness or through Campus Recreation.
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295 S 1500 E | Salt Lake City , UT 84112 US
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