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Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on COVID Academic Planning and Policies

Contact

Contact us at Covidadhoc [at] mcgill.ca with your questions, concerns or ideas about academic planning and policies in the Covid-19 context. 

Mandate

The Advisory Committee shall liaise with and advise the University’s senior administration on COVID-related decisions affecting academic planning and policies, and how such decisions can be most effectively communicated and implemented.

The Advisory Committee shall meet weekly throughout AY2021/22 and shall report to Senate throughout AY2021/22 through a standing agenda item for information.

The Advisory Committee can solicit and receive feedback on matters within its mandate from members of the ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ community and will respond to this through the University Senate.

Composition

  • The Associate Provost (Teaching and Academic Programs) (Co-chair)
  • The Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) (Co-chair)
  • The Director of Teaching and Learning Services
  • Three members of the academic staff:
    • two Senators, one of whom is nominated by MAUT
    • one who is a scientist with expertise in the field of epidemiology and public health
  • One Senator who is a member of the administrative and support staff
  • Two Senators who are students, one graduate and one undergraduate

Resource Person: Registrar & Executive Director of Enrolment Services

Source: Senate Minute 3, October 4, 2021

Membership

Ex officio members

  • Professor Christopher Buddle, Associate Provost (Teaching and Academic Programs) (Co-chair)
  • Professor Angela Campbell, Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) (Co-chair)
  • Dr. Laura Winer, Director of Teaching and Learning Services

Three members of the academic staff:

  • Professor Petra Rohrbach (AES representative on Senate)
  • Professor Daniel Weinstock (Arts representative on Senate; nominated by MAUT)
  • Professor Rebecca Fuhrer (Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health/School of Population and Global Health)

Administrative and support staff representative on Senate:

  • Ms. Nancy Czemmel (Manager of Student Services, Schulich School of Music)

Student members:

  • Ms. Jennifer Chen (Graduate student Senator)
  • Ms. Claire Downie (Undergraduate student Senator)

Resource Person: Ms. Gillian Nycum, Registrar & Executive Director of Enrolment Services

Meeting Minutes 

PDF icon October 8, 2021

Inaugural meeting. Discussion of mandate, terms of reference, confidentiality and communications with the community, including the decision to create a website and email account for feedback.

PDF icon October 15, 2021

Discussion of Faculty oversight of teaching and course delivery decisions as well as academic accommodations. Included discussion of the need for clarity around teaching modes (ie. online vs blended learning vs hybrid, etc.)

PDF icon October 19, 2021

A special meeting to discuss Winter 2022 academic planning as pertaining to the classroom allocation process and achieving our goals in connection with on-campus teaching and learning while maintaining a safe on-campus environment.

PDF icon October 22, 2021

The focus of the meeting was a discussion about student accommodations, to provide context related to the current process and to gain a better understanding of scope of requests.

PDF icon October 29, 2021

Items covered included communications, feedback from the community on the decision for large lectures to be online, the EOC's transition and its impact on Ad-Hoc Committee, Winter 2022 planning, and Student Accommodations.

PDF icon November 5, 2021

Committee discussed adding an FAQ to Ad-Hoc website as well as call for feedback from community. Continued student accommodations discussion, specifically how best to develop practices that could be the foundation of an infrastructure for the longer-term, post COVID, teaching environment that promotes greater accessibility for all students.

PDF icon November 12, 2021

Meeting focussed on specific possible solutions to support instructors with online teaching for students requesting COVID-related accommodations.

PDF icon November 19, 2021

Discussion of how to coordinate responses to questions sent to the Ad Hoc email, monthly reports at Senate meetings, and accommodations for Academic Staff.

PDF icon November 26, 2021

Further discussion of protocol for responding to questions sent to the Ad Hoc email. Discussion of assistance available to instructors who want to set up online synchronous participation, as well as Final Exam Protocols and accommodations for Academic Staff.

PDF icon November 29, 2021

A special meeting where Committee members reviewed a proposal and agreed to update Senate on areas of concern regarding instructors’ requests for accommodations.

PDF icon December 3, 2021

The Committee was joined by Provost Christopher Manfredi for a listening session and to gather further thoughts on recommendations for COVID accommodations for Academic Staff during the W22 term.

PDF icon December 9, 2021

The Committee was joined by members of the Recovery and Resumption (ROR) Committee. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss activities undertaken by each committee and to allow Ad Hoc Committee members to ask questions of the ROR Committee members.

PDF icon December 10, 2021

The Committee was joined by Teri Phillips, Director, and Catherine Loiselle, Associate Director of the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD), as well as Glenn Zabowski, Associate Dean of Students from the Office of the Dean of Students (ODoS) to speak about student accommodations.

PDF icon December 15, 2021

The Committee called a special meeting to discuss the Provost’s decision regarding requests from instructors with cohabiting family members facing COVID vulnerabilities for pedagogical arrangements.

PDF icon December 21, 2021

Committee discussed communications challenges given the rapidly evolving circumstances tied to COVID. Prof. Fabrice Labeau joined the meeting to provide an overview of current government directives and challenges given the unpredictable and fluid public health situation.

PDF icon January 5, 2022

Discussion centring on the upcoming return to campus, as well as the Committee's mandate and communications

PDF icon January 14, 2022

The Committee discussed and provided feedback on draft documents pertaining to instructor and student prepared for the upcoming transitional return to in-person teaching. Discussions were also had around communications and some students' desire for an expanded S/U option.

PDF icon January 21, 2022

Items covered include a Senate mtg recap, the return to campus and support for students and staff, communications and planning for the February 2022 Senate Open Discussion. 

PDF icon January 28, 2022

Items covered include TLS drop-in sessions, support for instructors, return to campus, student boycotts and final exams. 

PDF icon February 4, 2022

Committee discussed support for instructors and students in relation to the return to campus and the upcoming Senate open discussion.

PDF icon February 11, 2022

Update on Senate open discussion, communications and upcoming initiatives and planning

PDF icon February 25, 2022

Update on Senate open discussion, communications and upcoming initiatives.

PDF icon March 11, 2022

Discussion concerning communications and the Senate Report and recommendations

PDF icon March 18, 2022

The Ad-Hoc committee met with the members of the New Models of Academic Program Delivery to discuss ways that some of the ad-hoc committee’s work and recommendations may impact longer-term considerations around new ways of delivering programs.

PDF icon March 25, 2022

General campus update and debrief on conversation with the New Models of Academic Program Delivery group.

PDF icon April 1, 2022

Brainstorming and sharing ideas on how to bring forward recommendations from experience gathered during the past year, notably around the writing of the committee’s final report

PDF icon April 8, 2022

The Ad-Hoc committee met with some members of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and Recovery and Operations Resumption (ROR) Committee to discuss future responses to the pandemic when these touch upon academic activities.

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