Dear colleagues,

After two years of disruption, a period during which you stepped up and adapted to meet the demands brought about by multi-modality instructional delivery—while adapting at home to the personal weight of the pandemic—conditions now warrant an emphasis on in-person learning next fall. There’s a lot of information in this communication, so thanks in advance for taking the time to read it.

Vice Provost for Student Success Swager has conveyed the expectation that learning will be in-person next fall to current and incoming students via a communication sent Friday, April 22.

Below are guidelines for next academic year, as well as resources that are available for you and students. Please watch for updates via your UM email over the summer.

Accommodations for Faculty

As UM provides primarily face-to-face classes, it’s anticipated that most instructors will be teaching in person. Where necessary, telecommuting agreements must be updated using using the Telecommuting Procedure and Agreement form on the HRS website that requires annual evaluation and renewal. Please work with your dean to complete a new form if you anticipate needing to work remotely in the next academic year.

As has always been policy, instructors requesting to work remotely as a reasonable accommodation for a disability need to contact Michele Wheeler of Human Resource Services to confidentially discuss their request. Instructors who currently are telecommuting as a reasonable accommodation for a disability must contact Michele Wheeler for an annual evaluation and renewal of their accommodations.

Accommodations for Students

It’s anticipated that most students will be attending classes in person. Students who need a COVID-related accommodation should contact the Office of Disability Equity (ODE). ODE will work with students and their advisors on a case-by-case basis. Email ODE at ODE@umontana.edu.

Course Modalities

While we will teach face-to-face as much as possible, there will be more remote and online learning options than before. Updated distance learning guidelines, including list of course modalities and associated fees, are posted on the UMOnline website. Please note that the Remote modality will no longer be used; courses where students and faculty work together synchronously through web-based communication technology such as Zoom fall under the Video Conferencing modality.

Professional Development

The Summer Teaching Institute, taking place June 6-9, is a great way to prepare for teaching in the fall. Peer instructors and pedagogy experts will demonstrate methods for effectively engaging students in courses large and small, online and in-person. Learn and practice using evidenced-based teaching methods that can increase your students’ understanding and success in your classes. Space is limited; apply by April 30.

Support for Instruction

I strongly encourage you to consider using Learning Assistants in your classes to create a more collaborative and active learning environment. 

UM has multiple technologies available to help you create engaging online course content to complement or strengthen your in-person instruction:

• Panopto is UM’s video capture and management solution allowing easy video recording on your PC, Mac, or mobile device. Panopto is also fully integrated with Moodle which makes it possible for you to record, view, search and manage your videos without exiting Moodle.
• Camtasia is a full-featured video editor can help you create video tutorial and presentations via screencasts and also has a PowerPoint plug-in that allows direct recordings. You can request Camtasia from IT via the Solutions Center.

The Mansfield Library offers several studio spaces for use by the UM community. Studio spaces include the versatile One Button Studio, which also has a podcast creation station, and the Lightboard Studio where you can write on glass while facing your audience or overlay graphics as you film. You can contact the library’s studio support team at library.studiosupport@umontana.edu to arrange consultation and help. The library also offers a broad array of A/V equipment for checkout, ranging from cables to PA systems. A limited list is available on the reservation system.

Well-being

UM offers several programs and services to promote emotional and mental well-being.

• Employees enrolled in MUS Benefits plans have access many health and wellness options. Benefits enrollment is open through May 13; I encourage you to contact HRS for more information.
• Curry Health Center Wellness is offering its Stress Less event to employees next Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3-4, on the main floor of the University Center, with additional activities available all next week to those who register.
• UM’s Financial Education program offers private consultations to help improve employees’ present and long-term financial well-being.

Thank you for the outstanding work and service you have rendered over the course of this academic year, and over my time as Acting Provost. It’s been a privilege to work alongside you as we navigated a pretty extraordinary period in UM’s history. I couldn’t be prouder of UM faculty and staff. I’ve deeply appreciated your patience and collaborative spirit as we tackled new challenges and kept students in the center of our effort, and I look forward to re-engaging with you next year as Dean of the College of Health, as Provost Mahdavi arrives this summer to lead our academic enterprise. I hope that the rest of the spring semester goes well for you, and that you have a terrific summer!

Thank you.

Reed Humphrey
Acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

This message was sent by the Office of the Provost to all UM faculty.