It is customary for the the Provost & Vice-President, Academic to provide a report to each meeting of Senate outlining plans, priorities, issues and other news. As these reports are already public through the University Secretariat Office, they will also be shared regularly through this memorandum page.
Note that appendices to the report can be found on the University Secretariat Office website.
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Provost’s Report to Senate – February 10, 2021
Dear colleagues,
With the Winter term having begun under lockdown, the University made a significant public announcement on January 21 about its plans going forward. The details of this plan make clear Brock’s commitments to protecting public health and the lives of those in our community, while also signaling our strong intention to return to on-campus instruction as soon as it is safe to do so.
As a result, the majority of Winter term courses will be completed online, with the exception of a small number of courses with 10 students or fewer for which on-campus instruction may be required and which are allowed under provincial guidelines. Most of the courses that had been approved for on-campus instruction before the current lockdown was announced will instead proceed online until the end of the term. Given that we cannot know how long the lockdown will last, it would be difficult for students and instructors to plan a return to campus mid-term. Furthermore, learning the lessons from the first lockdown last Winter, we have seen how disruptive a shift in mode of instruction mid-way through a course can be. Given these two considerations, the most prudent and least disruptive choice therefore becomes to commit to a fully online term.
Looking forward to the Spring and Summer terms, we anticipate being in a position to offer a modest increase in the number of on-campus courses, with most classes taking place online. The Registrar’s Office is currently working with Department Chairs and Deans to adjust the Spring/Summer schedule to reflect instructor requests for on-campus delivery, noting that physical distancing requirements will continue to limit the size of courses we can offer on campus.
Finally, as vaccine roll-out continues and the Fall term approaches, we expect to be in a position for a significant return to campus, offering as many courses as possible face-to-face within public health guidelines. This would include labs and courses with experiential components, but also graduate seminars and smaller courses. Larger courses may have to remain online if physical distancing requirements have not been modified. We also expect residences to be fully operational and ready to receive students.
Despite the return to campus, Brock will also strive to offer a significant number of online and hybrid courses, recognizing that these may appeal to both students and faculty members who have come to appreciate the added flexibility and other benefits of online instruction. I have already begun a discussion with Senate committees to consult on potential guidelines to direct our decision-making in the construction of the Fall 2021 schedule.
We will continue to track the situation as it evolves in the coming months. While the Fall term may still feel a long way away, we believe that it is important to be transparent about our planning with members of the Brock community both current and potential and to send a strong signal that the University is committed to an on-campus student experience as soon as possible.
Micro-credentials
Since Brock’s work on micro-credentials began in October, we have built significant interest and momentum at the institution, and my office receives regular outreach from faculty members and staff from around the institution looking to learn more about the micro-credentials framework and interested in developing their own programs. I want to thank all members of the Brock community for their initiative and passion so far. I also want to thank Senate, whose early engagement and definition of micro-certificates in the fall played a key role in helping to advance Brock’s micro-credential projects.
A number of micro-certificates are before Senators today, coming at the recommendation of UPC. We also know of many others in development that will be coming forward for approval in the months ahead. This leaves Brock in a very strong position, with many early-stage projects ready to take advantage of government funding once it is announced. We also hope that these programs can provide an added boost to enrolment and revenue numbers in a challenging time.
Continuing education
Closely related to micro-credentials are Brock’s long-standing ambitions to create a centralized continuing education operation to complement the work already being done in this area in some of the Faculties, such as the Faculty of Education and the Goodman School of Business. At many universities in Ontario and around Canada, continuing education units operated on a cost-recovery basis provide critical revenues that can be redistributed to pursue institutional strategic projects and to support Faculty-based initiatives. These units also play important roles meeting community training needs in difficult economic times, such as those likely to follow the pandemic.
Planning on this project has intensified since October, receiving a show of support from the Board of Trustees in December meetings. At this point, the need for an institutional project lead is becoming clear. To this end, an executive leadership role – titled ‘Associate Vice-President, Continuing Education’ – is currently advertised.
The incumbent would enhance the existing business case for continuing education, in addition to developing relevant communications and marketing, supporting Faculties in their continuing education efforts, and identifying areas of local training need. I hope to have someone in place in the coming months.
Program viability
As you know, the University recently launched the first iteration of the annual program viability review process under section III.C.15 of the Faculty Handbook. As I have often emphasized, I do not view this as a financial exercise but rather as an important step in ensuring alignment between our academic offerings and student demand.
FHB section III.C.15.1.2 requires me to report to Senate the list of programs identified to undergo a viability review. In satisfaction of this requirement, you will find the list appended to my report (Appendix 1).
Further updates will be provided to Senate as the process progresses.
Program review
As is customary, I am also including in Appendix 2 of this report the updated list of programs slated to complete cyclical academic reviews.
Grading under Disruption
We have discussed grading under disruption at the last two Senate meetings, first in December to invoke the provions in FHB III.C.6.9 for the Fall 2020 term, and then in January to pass the limits recommended by UPC on the number of credits a student can take using alternative grades.
While I would like to leave this topic behind us, I think we should now discuss the need to invoke grading under disruption for the Winter term which, due to the current lockdown, has already been disrupted in a clear sense that is comparable to that of the Winter 2020 term. Both students and instructors were prepared for on-campus instruction, with a number of courses already approved to proceed on campus before the lockdown took effect on December 26. This left students and instructors with little time to prepare for the realities of online instruction.
Furthermore, by considering this issue now, I would like to avoid the situation that occurred in the Fall term, where students were provided with very little notice of the grading under disruption option. Now that Senate has placed limits on the number of credits students can take using alternative grading under disruption, I believe that the necessary safeguards are in place to justify extending this option to the Winter term.
FHB III.C.6.9 stipulates that, during disruptions of academic activities lasting more than five working days, in addition to making modifications to the teaching term and/or academic schedule, the Provost and Vice-President, Academic may also recommend to Senate the enactment of academic grade alternatives. I would like to do so at this time:
MOVED (Wells/ )
THAT Senate enact academic grade alternatives as outlined in FHB III.C.6.9 for the Winter 2021 term.
Sincerely,
Professor Lynn Wells
Provost & Vice-President, Academic