2021/22 COVID-19 Resources

All general assignment clasrooms are equipped with at least one option for in-room amplification and recording.

To learn more about these options (including how to request a personal microphone), please visit the OIT Classroom Technologies Classroom Microphone Options page.

Student may receive an exception to attend class remotely through formal accommodations approved by DSC. From the instructor perspective, the most likely requirement will be either record or live-streamed lectures and possible remote exams. As with any accommodation for exams, the campus will help coordinate any remote exam needs. There is limited support available for recording lectures. If there are other aspects of the course that require central support, please reach out to dtei@uci.edu. Learn more about supporting remote students with approved exceptions.

No. UCI Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services and the Student Health Center establish how long a student needs to isolate following testing positive for COVID-19 and Student Health Center medical staff is responsible to clear students from isolation. Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, a negative test is not required to be cleared because those who are COVID-19 positive may continue to test positive for 90 days after their initial positive test, though are no longer infectious after they have been cleared from isolation.

When face coverings are required campus-wide, you may want to start your classes with a reminder about the latest guidance. It could be a verbal reminder and/or a note on the whiteboard or a slide at the beginning of your presentation. You may also want to add to your syllabus that “students must adhere to the current campus directives related to COVID-19 and refusal to do so may result in the student being asked to leave.” Please note that face coverings will be recommended, but not required, starting on August 20, 2022.

When required campus-wide, face coverings should be always kept on, excepting brief moments to drink. Eating in class is prohibited when face coverings are required.

As of August 20, 2022, face coverings are recommended, but not required, indoors.

Students have generally been compliant with campus requirements. In many cases, if a student isn’t wearing a face covering it is simply because they forgot to put one on. For students who forget their face covering at home, you may want to have extras on hand. Instructors are welcome to pick up a free box of disposable surgical masks for your classroom or office hours by emailing Environmental Health and Safety at safety@uci.edu and arrange for a pickup of these masks. Backup reusable cloth face coverings are also available at various places around campus.

As of August 20, 2022, face coverings are recommended indoors.

Students must adhere to any face covering requirements in effect in the same way that they must conform to elements of the Code of Student Conduct or other campus policies. If a student shows up to class or office hours without a face covering while campus guidance requires them, you may remind the student of the requirement and ask them to put on their face covering. If the student refuses to put one on, you may ask the student to leave, just as you would ask a student who is being disruptive to either cease their disruptive behavior or leave. If you cannot control the situation yourself, you may end class early for the well-being of all. Please report incidents to the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct (OAISC). OAISC will need the students’ name, SID and other relevant information submitted via the online report form.

If a student has a disability accommodation to attend class without a mask, you would be notified in advance by the Disability Services Center. You should know that this is an unlikely scenario since other options would be considered such as remote instruction. For any questions regarding disability accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Center.

You should not call UCIPD to report failure to wear a face covering. UCIPD is not charged with enforcement of face covering requirements and failure to wear a face covering is not a police emergency.

It is hard for anyone to feel fully comfortable during a pandemic. That said, if a medical condition or other disability prompts you to want to request a disability accommodation, you can reach out to Disability Management Services to determine next steps.

Instructors will generally not be able to confirm that all of their students are vaccinated. Some students will be studying on campus with an approved exception or deferral from the requirement to be vaccinated. Instructors are not responsible for enforcing the vaccination policy.

Student Affairs is responsible for enforcing student compliance with the COVID-19 Vaccine Policy. Students who do not comply with UC vaccination requirements, including the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, may be subject to disciplinary action or loss of campus privileges, including but not limited to loss of wifi privileges, restriction from campus resources, restriction of access to campus, and an academic registration hold restricting students from registering for classes. Disciplinary action can include probation, suspension, or dismissal from the university.

Instructors will not be obligated to provide remote learning options for these students, even if that results in the students failing their courses.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Policy is one strategy to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. The campus has adopted a number of additional public health measures including indoor face covering requirement regardless of vaccination status, asymptomatic COVID-19 testing of those not fully vaccinated, daily symptom checking for all regardless of vaccination status, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine support for students. While it is not possible to make the campus a “bubble” in which everyone is vaccinated, these layers of public health protection, developed consistent with current public health, UC Office of the President, and CalOSHA guidance and regulations allow us to return to in person instruction and to reduce the costs of isolating individuals.

Most likely not, based upon current public health guidance. Vaccinated individuals who are close contacts to positive COVID-19 cases are not recommended to quarantine unless they have symptoms. Classroom interactions are typically limited, and with such a high vaccination rate in our community, it is unlikely that the number of people required to quarantine would necessitate a class being conducted remotely during a quarantine period.

The COVID Case Checklist (PDF) provides additional information.

It is, of course, possible that other issues such as poor air quality or power outages could necessitate conducting class remotely.

Instructors and TAs are expected to have a contingency plan for being out sick or other potential disruptions that would prevent the instructor from teaching their class in-person. Conducting the course remotely is one option. Ideally, instructors and TAs should provide information on contingency plans in their syllabus, so students are prepared for possible changes.

Best resource is to call the COVID Response Team at 949-824-9918.

If you have any remaining questions, please contact our problem-solving team at 949-824-3594 or dtei@uci.edu. Though we do NOT have a team on call 24/7, we are regularly monitoring these sources and will respond a quickly as possible.