Instructor FAQ

If I record a class lecture or discussion, and it includes student participation (identifying information such as name, image, or voice), can I share the recording with individuals who are not enrolled in the course?

To share recordings of class sessions that include student participation with individuals not enrolled in the course (e.g., future courses, prospective students, audiences outside of Berkeley), instructors must provide notice in the syllabus prior to semester start regarding the recording and sharing of classroom lectures and discussion sections and receive written consent from students via a form/survey sent to all class enrollments asking them to opt in/opt out. In accordance with FERPA requirements, students must be provided with the opportunity to consent or to withhold...

My course is approved as a course with a final exam, but I would instead like to have students do a final project or paper. Do I need anyone’s permission in order to make that change?

Senate Regulation 772 stipulates that a final examination that may take up to three hours to complete is required in all undergraduate classes. Permanent exceptions to that requirement require COCI approval. Your department chair has the authority to make a one-time exception to the final exam requirement.

What policies will be in effect for Spring 2022 final examinations?

Guidelines for Spring 2022 final examinations will be the same as those for final examinations in Spring 2020—alternate means of final assessment will be permitted with the approval of the department chair, but without need for COCI approval. See also ...

For final exams administered in-person are instructors allowed to check students for green badges or require that students have a green badge to take the final exam?

All students HAVE to complete the Daily Symptom Screener and be cleared with a green badge to access UC Berkeley campus. If an exam is scheduled in person in a campus building, the students are required to have a green badge valid for the day of the exam.

While it certainly may be good practice to remind students of that requirement, faculty are not authorized to verify compliance with that mandate. Currently, no one is authorized to ask to see someone else’s badge status except in health care settings and...

When is it permitted to pivot to remote instruction?

Campus may issue a directive to shift to remote instruction based on public health conditions, fire-related poor air quality, or some other emergency. A temporary shift to remote instruction is also appropriate if an instructor is ill. For short illnesses faculty should do what they would have done before the pandemic, whether cancelling a class, offering the class remotely, or giving a small assignment to substitute for the class session. For longer illnesses, or if a faculty member (or their young children) are instructed by public health to quarantine/isolate for ~10...

I am scheduled to teach in person. Is there any information about remote instruction that should be in my syllabus?

There are a number of circumstances under which you may need to pivot to remote instruction. To name a few: public health guidance, wildfire and smoke, having a substantial share of your students unable to attend class due to illness or quarantine, being ill or exposed to covid yourself, being unable to pass the symptom screener and receive your green badge. You should include information in your syllabus about remote instruction and ensure that all of your students have access to the necessary technology.

I am concerned about the safety of all my students in my in-person class. If a student shows up to my in-person class unmasked, what do I do?

I am concerned about the safety of all my students in my in-person class. If a student shows up to my in-person class unmasked, what do I do? If I ask the unmasked student to put on a mask and they refuse, can I have them disenrolled from the course? Can I ask them to leave the room?

Please consult UC Berkeley’s Coronavirus Instructor Guidance for up-to-date guidance on this question.

If a student in my in-person class tests positive, will I be informed? Will I and the other students need to isolate or quarantine for a time? Will my class need to pivot to remote instruction? If so, for how long?

Please consult UC Berkeley’s Coronavirus Instructor Guidance for up-to-date guidance on this question.

I would like to do a mix of in-person and online teaching for my Spring 2022 class, with some sessions in person and some via Zoom. Do I need permission to hold some of my class sessions in an online format?

COCI approval is required for changes to courses that plan to include regular online components (a component is a lecture, discussion, lab, etc.) in current or future semesters.

COCI approval is not required for occasional remote sessions in response to a campus wide emergency arising from public health conditions; in response to an instructor's inability to come to campus due to, e.g., quarantine (see item below); fire-related poor air quality, power outages, earthquakes, or other unforeseeable events.

If I am only teaching COCI-approved online courses in Spring 2022, am I required to be in residence in the Spring? Does “in residence” mean I must work from my office, or can I continue to teach from home or other off-campus location?

In-person engagement is part of a vibrant campus experience that fosters discovery and education. Reflecting that, University policy (APM 730) states, "Academic personnel appointed on an academic-year basis are expected to be in residence from the day designated in the University Calendar as the opening of the Fall term through the end of the Spring term." Senate faculty are expected, therefore, to maintain a presence on campus with most activities, in addition to their teaching, being done in-person (including some of their office hours). Those faculty who seek an exception...