The University’s reputation for excellence rests on the rich educational experience of in-person interaction between students and faculty. Nearly all of the courses in our residential programs are offered in person. The provost’s office provides the following set of guidelines to the schools regarding the mode of instruction for residential programs.

1. In person instruction. In-person classes are the core of our vibrant residential learning environment. Faculty should be available to teach and meet with students in person.
2. Online or hybrid instruction. In rare cases, there may be compelling pedagogical reasons to offer a course in an online or hybrid format. The dean of each school will review and approve proposals to offer courses in these formats. Decisions to approve a particular instructional mode for a particular course should be driven by considerations about pedagogy and how the instructional mode will affect the students. These considerations include how well a particular method achieves goals such as reaching the intended audience and promoting student learning, engagement, and well-being. The mode of instruction for each course is published in SIS before the enrollment period and should remain consistent throughout the semester barring unforeseen circumstances.
3. Requests to teach online for reasons unrelated to pedagogy. Faculty seeking a medical or disability-related accommodation should follow the Procedures for Employees with Disabilities to Request Workplace Accommodations. Faculty wishing to teach entirely online for reasons other than pedagogy or medical or disability accommodation should submit their request to their dean’s office. The student-centered considerations described above should weigh heavily in evaluating these requests. Any requests to teach online or in-person will be decided by the dean of each school.

For Provost policy on issues related to teaching, see PROV-008: Teaching Courses for Academic Credit.