Academic Planning Resources

During May and June 2020 a set of committees and task forces involving more than 100 faculty, students, and staff in the FAS developed plans for a range of possible scenarios for undergraduate teaching and learning in the Fall 2020 semester.  Below are reports and resources developed by and in consultation with these groups. Thank you to all who participated in this collaborative process of planning, consultation, and resource-creation.

In addition, during July and August 2020, a committee chaired by FAS Dean of Diversity and Faculty Development Larry Gladney consulted with hundreds of Yale students and faculty to develop Guiding Principles for our Teaching and Learning Community. These principles are an expression of common commitment to respect, community, and care. They outline the steps we can all take, as students and instructors, to make sure that everyone in our classes is respected, included, and able to do their best work.


Reports

Report of the Academic Policy Committee

Report of the Instructional Support Committee


Resources for Fall 2020 Course Planning

Guiding Principles for our Teaching and Learning Community

Lecture courses

Lecture course builder manual

Lecture course models and case studies

Seminar courses

Laboratory courses

Language courses

Writing courses

Studio, performing arts, and collection-based courses

Recommendations on assessment

Recommendations on engagement

Training and support from the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning


FAS Academic Planning Committees and Task Forces

Academic policy committee

Focuses on questions of policy and practice including course matrix; inter-departmental coordination; calendar issues; grading policy; assessment policy; accommodations; equity and inclusion, and will provide recommendations to the FAS Steering Committee and relevant campus offices.

Committee members

  • Chair: Stephen Darwall (Professor of Philosophy)
  • Ryan Brasseaux (Lecturer in American Studies; Residential College Dean, Davenport College)
  • Richard Deming (Senior Lecturer in English; Director, Creative Writing Program)
  • Jennifer Frederick  (Executive Director, Poorvu Center)
  • Larry Gladney (Professor of Physics; FAS Dean of Diversity and Faculty Development)
  • John Hall (Senior Lecturer in Mathematics)
  • Daniel Harrison (Professor of Music)
  • Steve Pitti (Professor of History,  American Studies, and Ethnicity, Race and Migration; Head (outgoing) of Ezra Stiles College; Director, Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration)
  • Frances Rosenbluth (Professor of Political Science)
  • Mark Saltzman (Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Head of Jonathan Edwards College)
  • Mark Schenker (Senior Associate Dean, Yale College Dean’s Office)
  • Christian Schlieker (Associate Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry)
  • Emily Shandley (University Registrar)
  • Staff: Pam Schirmeister (Senior Associate Dean, Yale College and Deputy Dean & Dean of Strategic Initiatives, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences)

Instructional support committee

Focuses on questions of best practice and the infrastructure needed to support it, including team teaching models; remote teaching models; teaching evaluations; resources, equipment and support; faculty training; TF training; assessments, exams, and academic integrity; senior essays; equity and inclusion, and will provide recommendations to the FAS Steering Committee and the Poorvu Center and offer sets of best practice guidelines, where relevant.

Committee members

  • Chair: Ian Quinn (Professor of Music)
  • Jane Edwards (Senior Associate Dean, Yale College Dean’s Office)
  • Emily Erikson (Associate Professor of Sociology)
  • Michael Faison (Lecturer in Astronomy)
  • Milette Gaifmann (Associate Professor of History of Art)
  • Jacqueline Goldsby (Professor of English and African American Studies)
  • Nilay Hazari (Professor of Chemistry)
  • Burgwell Howard (Senior Associate Dean, Yale College Dean’s Office)
  • Susan Olson (Associate Director for Accommodations, Student Accessibility Services)
  • Yair Minsky (Professor of Mathematics)
  • Ben Polak (Professor of Economics)
  • Theresa Schenker (Senior Lector II in Germanic Languages and Literature)
  • Lloyd Suttle (Vice Provost for Academic Resources)
  • Lucas Swineford (Executive Director of Digital Education, Poorvu Center)
  • Julie Zimmerman (Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering)
  • Staff: Bob Burger (Senior Associate Dean, FAS)

Task forces

Focus on the specific concerns that arise in their designated area, identifying challenges, and gathering and disseminating ideas

First-year advising task force

  • Chair: Charles Bailyn (Professor of Astronomy and Physics)
  • Jessica Brantley (Professor of English)
  • Sandy Chang (Yale College Associate Dean for Science & Quantitative Reasoning Education, Professor of Laboratory Medicine, Pathology and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry)
  • Margaret Clark (Professor of Psychology, Head of Trumbull College)
  • Angela Gleason (Dean of Morse College)
  • Samuel Kortum (Professor of Economics)
  • Shonna Marshal (Deputy University Registrar)
  • Simon Mochrie (Professor of Physics and Applied Science)
  • Maria Piñango (Associate Professor of Linguistics)
  • David Watts (Professor of Anthropology)
  • Staff: George Levesque (Associate Dean of Yale College, Dean of Academic Programs)

Lab-based course task force

  • Chair: Kurt Zilm (Professor of Chemistry)
  • Bhart-Anjan Bhullar (Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences)
  • Surjit Chandoke (Lecturer in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Residential College Dean, Trumbull College)
  • Mac Crite (Graduate Student Representative)
  • Anjelica Gonzalez (Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering)
  • Stephen Irons (Lecturer in Physics)
  • Maria Moreno (Senior Lecturer in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology)
  • Jonathan Parr (Senior Lecturer in Chemistry)
  • Sarah Pitafi (Undergraduate Student Representative)
  • Rona Ramos (Graduate Program Coordinator in Physics)
  • Patrick Vaccaro (Professor of Chemistry)
  • Madhu Venkadesan (Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science)
  • Joe Wolenski (Senior Lecturer in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology)
  • Staff: Vince Wilczynski (Deputy Dean, SEAS)

Language and writing course task force

  • Chair: Ame Cividanes (Director of Language Programs for Spanish and Portuguese and Senior Lector I of Spanish)
  • Sybil Alexandrov (Senior Lector II in Spanish and Portuguese)
  • Aliesa Bahri (Undergraduate Student Representative)
  • Felisa Baynes-Ross (Lecturer in English)
  • Maria del Mar Galindo (Graduate Student in English)
  • Marion Gehlker (Senior Lector II in Germanic Languages and Literature)
  • Shiri Goren (Senior Lector II in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations)
  • Emily Greenwood (Professor of Classics and African American Studies)
  • Heather Kleman (Lecturer in English)
  • Ruth Koizim (Senior Lector in French)
  • Ninghui Liang (Senior Lector I in East Asian Languages and Literature)
  • Shawkat Toorawa (Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations)
  • Nelleke van Deusen-Scholl (Director, Center for Language Study)
  • Staff: Jason Zentz (Assistant Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs, FAS)

Lecture course task force

  • Chair: Giuseppe Moscarini (Professor of Economics)
  • Woo-Kyoung Ahn (Professor of Psychology)
  • Dana Angluin (Professor of Computer Science)
  • Tim Barringer (Professor of History of Art)
  • Bayan Galal (Undergraduate Student Representative)
  • Supriya Gandhi (Assistant Professor of Religious Studies)
  • Miki Havlickova (Senior Lecturer in Mathematics)
  • Daniel Magaziner (Professor of History)
  • CJ Rice (Graduate Student in Classics)
  • David Simon (Senior Lecturer in Political Science)
  • Adriane Steinecker (Lecturer in Physics)
  • Claudia Valeggia (Professor of Anthropology)
  • Staff: Sarah Miller (Assistant Dean of Science & Engineering, FAS)

Operation of departments task force

  • Chair/Staff: Cathy Vellucci (Senior Director of Business Operations, FAS)
  • Alexander Bozzi (Registrar/Financial Assistant, Applied Physics)
  • Lani Colianna (Senior Administrative Assistant, Political Science)
  • Ann DeLauro (Administrative Coordinator, Italian)
  • Lauren Gonzalez (Operations Manager, Sociology)
  • Marcy Kaufman (Registrar, History)
  • Kelly Kellerman (Operations Manager, Chemistry)
  • Erica Sayers (Registrar, English)
  • Stacey Watts (Registrar, Physics)
  • Jasmine Williams (Finance and Administrative Manager, Philosophy)

Seminar task force

  • Chair: Bryan Garsten (Professor of Political Science and Humanities)
  • Claire Bowern (Professor of Linguistics)
  • Sarah Demers (Associate Professor of Physics)
  • David Engerman (Professor of History)
  • Alexander Gordon (Undergraduate Student Representative)
  • Valerie Hansen (Professor of History)
  • Jacqueline Jung (Associate Professor of History of Art)
  • Lisa Messeri (Assistant Professor of Anthropology)
  • Ayesha Ramachandran (Associate Professor of Comparative Literature)
  • Alicia Schmidt Camacho (Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration; Head of College (incoming), Ezra Stiles College)
  • Ebonya Washington (Professor of Economics)
  • Ruth Yeazell (Professor of English)
  • Staff: Alexandra Apolloni (Project Specialist, FAS)

Studio, performing arts, and collection-based courses task force

  • Chair: Shilarna Stokes (Lecturer in Theater and Performance Studies)
  • Toni Dorfman (Professor Adjunct in Theater and Performance Studies)
  • Konrad Kaczmarek (Assistant Professor Adjunct in Music)
  • Lisa Kereszi (Senior Critic, Yale School of Art)
  • Kate Krier (Assistant Dean for the Arts, Yale College Dean’s Office)
  • Richard Prum (Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
  • Marc Robinson (Professor of English and Theater and Performance Studies)
  • Christophe Schuwey (Assistant Professor of French)
  • Salveya Zaharieva (Undergraduate Student Representative)
  • Staff: John Mangan (Senior Associate Dean and Dean of Faculty Affairs, FAS)