Charge letter
January 12, 2023
- Casey Self, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences and member, Faculty Council on Teaching and Learning; Co-chair
- Bryan Blakeley, Assistant Vice Provost for Digital Learning Innovation, Continuum College, Co-chair
- Jon Bakker, Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment
- A.J. Balatico, GPSS President
- Andrea Carroll, Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences
- John Danneker, Director of Learning Services and Strategic Projects Librarian, UW Libraries
- Stephen Groening, Associate Professor, Cinema & Media Studies, College of Arts & Sciences and member, Faculty Council on Academic Standards
- Erik Hofer, Affiliate Assistant Professor and Associate Vice President for Academic Services, Information School
- Lisa Hoffman, Professor and Interim Campus Dean, School of Urban Studies, UW Tacoma
- Michaelann Jundt, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs
- Stephanie Kerschbaum, Associate Professor and Director, Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Department of English, College of Arts & Sciences
- Jennifer Mankoff, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering and Adjunct Professor, Human Centered Design and Engineering, College of Engineering
- Kevin Mihata, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education, College of Arts & Sciences
- Lori Robins, Professor and Division Chair, Physical Sciences Division of STEM, UW Bothell
- Matthew Saxton, Associate Dean and Associate Teaching Professor, Information School
- Thomas Sefair-López, Assistant Director, Student Disability Commission, ASUW
Dear Colleagues,
As we emerge from the pandemic, we are energized by the fact that in an incredibly short period of time, our faculty have learned so much about using instructional technologies, and about the importance of equitable learning outcomes in the face of great societal upheaval. Our experience reflects national trends that point to the growing need for higher education to rethink the future of learning as the higher education landscape changes at a faster pace than that to which universities are accustomed.
In Spring 2022, the president and I convened a group of faculty, staff and students to informally and collectively identify key questions regarding the future of teaching and learning at UW, and related issues that we should address on behalf of our students as we emerge from the pandemic. Faculty Senate Chair and Astronomy Teaching Professor Chris Laws and Vice Provost and Chemistry Professor Phil Reid co-led this group of innovative thinkers who care deeply about the future of education at UW. They explored and then prioritized multiple dimensions impacting the future of teaching and learning, and recommended three broad areas for us to consider going forward: access, quality, and the overall culture of teaching and learning at UW. Based on their recommendations I have decided to launch two working groups in the coming year:
- to address providing better access to courses and programs, including more flexible options for students (this group) and
- to enhance the quality of instruction at UW (a separate group)
At the UW currently, many students experience issues accessing courses and degree programs. Difficulty accessing courses and degree programs can increase both anxiety and time to degree, and diminish overall student success. There is also an increased need to provide greater access to course and research materials. Limited or inflexible access to course materials can make it challenging for students to keep up with their
coursework and maintain academic progress. Finally, there is an increased need for spaces and Universal Design that allow students to participate in courses or conduct research, or to balance their studies with other responsibilities – all of which impact student success.
While work is ongoing to address aspects of these problems – better matching of incoming students with available majors, adding sections for bottleneck courses, and rethinking spaces in UW Libraries, for example – the full spectrum of ways in which teaching and learning can contribute to solutions remain unaddressed. By re-imagining how learning practices at the UW can better support access to courses and programs and include more flexible academic options and support structures, we aim to decrease time to degree, offer greater access to degrees, foster more equitable outcomes across our diverse student body, and better support accessibility and Universal Design. Doing so should improve the overall student experience and enhance student well-being while reducing stress and anxiety.
As you meet, we ask you to address this key question:
“How should our teaching and learning practices evolve to promote greater access to courses and materials, labs, clinical settings, and/or high-demand degree programs?”
There are several topics, tactics and implications the initial working group identified for you to explore as you answer this question:
- Defining capacity and the extent to which demand for course and program access is currently met
- How new course modalities might address capacity vs. demand issues and access to bottleneck courses
- How to address policy implications with regards to degree requirements, curricular approval processes, and other intersections with policy
- How to promote access for students with disabilities through Universal Design
- How to use our physical space to accommodate students as multimodal learners
- What short- and long- term culture changes at UW would support access
While we ask that you consider these topic areas, you need not be limited by them. Your work may uncover additional areas for consideration, exploration and action.
As you undertake this work, we ask that you:
- Take a broad view – the good of the UW community as a whole across our three campuses – rather than that of a particular group, school, college, or unit.
- Represent the groups of which you are a member, gathering their feedback as needed and taking responsibility for communicating back with them, as and when appropriate.
- Be prepared to implement and act on the recommendations the group puts forward. This is not merely a recommending body. We will need your leadership going forward.
- Adopt a bias toward action and continuous improvement, both for this committee’s work and resulting recommendations and actions. It is preferable to recommend an idea that can be piloted and refined as we go than to get bogged down in perfecting it.
- Keep UW’s diversity and equity goals in mind when making recommendations.
We ask that you update us on your group’s progress at the end of autumn and winter quarters, and engage stakeholder groups for vetting and discussion along the way. Related deadlines and deliverables are as follows:
Deadline |
Deliverables |
|
January 27, 2023 |
A preliminary report on likely recommendations and resulting actions for initial feedback from sponsors |
|
Mar 24, 2023 |
An updated preliminary report based on initial feedback A plan for eliciting feedback through wider stakeholder vetting and discussion |
|
May 31, 2023 |
A final report that incorporates stakeholder feedback and includes prioritized action items and proposals for implementing |
Thank you for your willingness to join this group and engage in this important work.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Richards
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor, Earth and Space Sciences
cc: Phil Reid, Vice Provost, Academic and Student Affairs