How UC Berkeley has improved remote instruction

When UC Berkeley pivoted to remote instruction in the middle of the spring semester due to the pandemic, the abrupt transition from in-person to remote learning left some students disoriented and in need of help. As the coronavirus pandemic continued, Berkeley's leaders realized there was a good chance another semester of remote learning might be required. In response, they spent the summer developing better practices for remote instruction. Those improvements were discussed by academic leaders Wednesday during the second discussion in a series of  Campus Conversations  that address the effect of Berkeley's recent decision to begin the fall semester with remote instruction. "This is not going to be a regular semester," said engineering professor Oliver O'Reilly, who is also chair of Berkeley's division of the Academic Senate. "It will be challenging, it will be difficult, but I also feel we're better prepared for the possibilities that will happen." The hour-long discussion included O'Reilly, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division Lisa García Bedolla, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Paul Alivisatos, and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Bob Jacobsen. This summer, instructors have taken the time to address student concerns, and will look to make exams and lectures more accessible by offering asynchronous time options for students with shifting schedules, O'Reilly said.