One of the many changes in Fall 2021: course modality
This fall semester UW System President Thompson charged universities to have 75% of their class sections in-person, giving section modality more of a spotlight across the system and state than in any other term prior to the pandemic. UW–Madison surpassed this goal and currently has 90% of our class sections in-person.
As with previous COVID-effected terms, the RO was involved in requests to change class modality on class sections once student enrollment had occurred. Once the general modality changes have occurred the RO receives requests from individuals who wanted to change the modality of sections from what has been assigned. These requests are not individual instructor decisions and require School/College and departmental leadership approval. In total, the RO changed the modality of 135 class sections this semester. The majority of the changes were because of the changing circumstances surrounding the Chemistry building, but some were due to administrative errors. Chemistry Department Chair Clark Lanis has been quoted as saying, “Because of the extensive planning and high anticipation of educating students in a new state-of-the-art facility, to wait is deflating, But we have learned over the past 18 months that, through cooperation, flexibility, and dedication to our mission, we can surmount these challenges.”
While the majority of changes were because of these two reasons, accommodations were needed to find spaces, in conjunction with HR efforts, to provide spaces for accessibility and safety reasons. Class modalities were also changed, based on HR approvals.
Additionally, considerations and changes were made to aid international students when possible. In previous semesters the wider range of modality allowed international students greater flexibility. This semester, having 90% of class sections in-person made it difficult for international students to meet the criteria of their student visa and make progress in their degrees. Additional reviews were completed on sections that wanted to change modality to lessen the impact on international students.
As we look toward this coming spring and campus continues to work on the schedule of classes, about 94% of class sections are currently scheduled to be in-person, furthering UW–Madison’s commitment to establish the “new normal” and reflect class section modality distribution similar to previous, non-COVID semesters.