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Teaching Policy and Guidelines for Spring 2022

January 18, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Please see the following policy and related guidelines.  Let us know if you have questions as you prepare for classes.

Best wishes,
Dean of Faculty Office

Policy for Faculty Teaching during Spring 2022 at Trinity College

Our priority is to offer in-person learning as a liberal arts college while ensuring the health and safety of all members of our community.  These protocols are intended to provide guidance and flexibility to faculty teaching this spring.  They are based on the following assumptions:

  • Our teaching policies and practices must be consistent with college-wide COVID-related policies;
  • This semester is not “normal” as long as transmission rates remain high; and some faculty, particularly those with certain medical conditions and care-taking responsibilities, may require flexibility;
  • We value equity in students’ access to learning; this requires that all faculty follow similar guidelines and parameters;
  • No evidence exists of classroom transmission, and we continue to believe that classroom learning at Trinity is safe.

In view of these considerations, we would like to affirm that teaching in spring 2022 is in person, consistent with our mission as a residential liberal arts college.  Switching a course to a remote format is not permitted and not up to the discretion of individual faculty members, except under the following limited circumstances that are intended to accommodate exceptional circumstances and needs:

  • Any faculty member who wishes to request remote teaching as an accommodation for a health condition should contact the Director of Human Resources;
  • As detailed in the attached document, “Faculty Guidelines and Expectations for Classroom Technology,” faculty are not obligated to create a remote version of a course for students who cannot attend class in person; faculty should support student learning during a COVID-related absence in ways that make sense for their course, as they would during non-COVID times;
  • Students who need more significant support should contact Dr. Jody Goodman ([email protected]) or Dr. Ann Reuman ([email protected]);
  • Should a situation arise in which an instructor (or several students in a class) must be remote due to COVID, the faculty member will have the discretion of switching on a limited, temporary basis to remote learning; this period should not exceed 10 days;
  • When the need to switch to a remote format exceeds 10 days, the faculty member should request in writing a limited extension from both their chair/director and associate dean.  The request, which should specify the reason for and duration of the switch, will be approved only if both the department chair/program director and Dean of Faculty’s Office agree that the request is reasonable, exceptional, and prioritizes student learning.

Download the Faculty Guidelines and Expectations for Classroom Technology document.