Dear UCR Students, 

We are now one month away from the start of fall quarter and I am writing to provide updates on our fall instruction plans. 

As you may know, Governor Newsom issued guidance for institutions of higher education on August 7, and updated the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy on August 28. While our instructional plan was mostly consistent with these updates, we had to make some important changes. You can find the updated plan here. 

Higher education in Riverside County is currently allowed to operate with modifications. However, indoor lectures are prohibited. Therefore, UCR has not approved any in-person instruction activities that use standard classrooms or lecture halls. This means that instructors for all lectures, discussions, colloquia, seminars, workshops and other similar course types are preparing to teach remotely in fall quarter. Undergraduate research also must be conducted remotely in fall. 

Courses offered in “specialized indoor settings” are currently allowed to meet in person in Riverside County. Therefore, we have approved a small number of laboratory and studio courses to meet in person, with remote options for students who prefer not to participate in person. We also have approved some field courses for in-person instruction off-campus, with remote options. And there is a set of unique classes that can meet in person without a remote option, at the instructor’s discretion. These are limited to clinical classes in the School of Medicine, as well as individual study, practicum, consultation, tutorial and other course types that meet in 1:1 settings. International students whose visa status requires registering for at least one class with mandatory in-person participation should plan to enroll in one of these classes. 

The schedule of classes is currently being updated to reflect these changes, and instructors will be contacting their students soon with more details. We will keep the schedule of classes updated and notify the campus via email if we must make further changes to our instructional plan for fall. 

If you are a graduate teaching assistant with questions about your teaching assignment for fall quarter, please contact your department or program. The Graduate Division also will post written guidance on its website for graduate students who plan to teach in the fall. 

Despite the challenging circumstances, we are excited to re-engage with our students in the coming weeks. Our faculty and staff have been working hard to ensure the fall quarter is both safe and stimulating. Please watch your inbox closely for more updates as we approach the start of the quarter.