Instructor FAQ

I am apprehensive about teaching in-person given current COVID infection rates, and would like to teach remotely for the first two weeks. Is this permitted?

The campus has not declared a public health emergency and remote teaching is not permitted, except for classes with enrollments of over 200 students and in some specific and limited instances (described below).

My class usually enrolls 225 students. Can I change the maximum enrollment to 199 so that I can teach in person rather than remotely in the fall?

Changing the maximum enrollment is at the discretion of the department, in consultation with the instructor.

Is the 199 student maximum based on the capacity of my class, the actual enrollment for my class, or the number of students who typically attend in person?

The 199 student maximum is based on the enrollment capacity as listed in the schedule of classes.

What are the criteria for determining who will teach remotely in the fall?

Only three major categories of classes will be offered remotely (in addition to those approved by COCI as online courses). (1) Classes with 200 or more students; (2) Classes where the instructor requires a medical or disability accommodation (see https://ofew.berkeley.edu/equity/disability); (3) A small number of additional courses which circumstances require to be taught remotely were also approved. Requests were submitted using ...

How was enrollment of 200 determined to be the cutoff for in-person vs. remote instruction?

200 was chosen because it was the maximum gathering size permitted on campus under “yellow tier” under the public safety tiers as they applied in January 2021, when this planning began. Although this cap was lifed on June 15, 2021, we are keeping the 200 enrollment cut-off because many people have already oriented themselves to it and made plans based on it.

Important additional resources

This document lists questions commonly encountered by instructors. Instructors are also strongly encouraged to read through the Instruction FAQ for Students on the Office of the Registrar website, which also provides up-to-date information but focuses on the students’ perspective on instructional issues.

Helpful guides and strategies for remote teaching can be found on the ...

About this FAQ

The following answers reflect the most current planning on our campus for Academic Year 2020-2021 instruction. Although subsequent developments in public health guidance may necessitate changes, these answers are intended to provide the best and most up-to-date basis for instructional planning.

This document will be supplemented and updated as needed on an ongoing basis. If you would like to propose a question to include here, or any other additions or corrections, please submit them to ...

If I am teaching in person in Spring 2021, am I required to take attendance in class in order to facilitate contact tracing?

Yes. Please see the 02/12/21 CalMessage from Lisa Alvarez-Cohen.

"For the duration of the semester, all in-person instructional activities--regardless of whether they are held indoors or outdoors, routinely or on an occasional basis--must take and maintain an attendance record. The instructor, GSI, or staff responsible for any in-person instructional activity must take attendance and maintain it so that if necessary the attendance list can be provided to a...

Can I require that students attending synchronous class meetings via Zoom do so with their video turned on?

Encourage your students to keep their video turned on. If you want to require it, you must provide a no-penalty alternative for those who cannot turn their video on. You cannot impose a penalty on those who don't comply. It's important to remember the reasons some participants keep their video off. Some participants may have privacy issues and/or may have personal reasons for not turning on their video. Some computers don’t have sufficient bandwidth to manage a meeting in which everyone’s video is on, especially if several people in a household are sharing a single internet...

Are field trips allowed for Spring 2021 courses?

If you are planning group field trips for Spring 2021 for your approved in-person course, please be sure that these are amenable to social distancing and other public health guidelines and that you have consulted with your department chair and/or the University’s Risk Management to ensure that these meet university regulations.

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