Instructional
Policy Liaisons
Connect live with liaisons! Office hours available Mondays and Fridays, 9 to 11 a.m., via Zoom.
Recognizing that faculty teach in a context of important, complex, and evolving institutional policies, the Instructional Policy Liaison program draws together leaders from each school and college and Undergraduate Education and Student Success as Instructional Policy Liaisons.
About the Program | Resources | Meet the Liaisons | Connect with Us
About the Program
The liaisons act as a resource to their colleagues, helping others understand and consistently enact key campus-wide instructional policies.
- the Student Conduct Code and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards’ procedures related to academic misconduct;
- the Accessible Education Center (AEC) Accommodations Policy for student accommodations relating to disability
- the Senate’s Course Attendance and Engagement Policy and policy-approved accommodations related to religion, pregnancy, military service, and other civil rights laws.
These policies meaningfully impact students’ experiences and, ideally, would be enacted with some consistency across students’ courses. Yet faculty may not be aware of these policies, may misunderstand them, or a policy may present dilemmas for faculty (in interfacing with partner offices or interpreting unfamiliar policy and procedure documents), often during moments of challenge in academic terms.
The Instructional Policy Liaison program will bring a group of colleagues into community to learn about these policies, field questions from faculty during regularly scheduled office hours, meet with senior leaders in the Office of the Provost and other units for training, support, and collaborative problem-solving, and, develop some brief “norming” resources.
Resources
Meet Your Instructional Policy Liaisons
Lori Shontz
Professor of Practice, School of Journalism and Communication
"Working with colleagues from across campus and from different disciplines broadens my perspective and improves my own teaching. Also none of us teach in a vacuum, so focusing at the policy level helps me see the big picture, which in turn helps my SOJC colleagues and my students."
Sylvia Thompson
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Education and Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Science
I am serving on this committee because its goals align with my beliefs about practices that lead to successful student outcomes. I believe that student outcomes improve when they know what is expected of them, communication is clear, and interactions between students and faculty are positive. In my role as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, I have seen that clear and transparent policies can support communication and the equitable implementation of policies.
Christopher Michlig
Professor of Art, College of Design, Clark Honors College Faculty in Residence
I am a visual artist and author of File Under: Slime (2023, Hat & Beard Press, Los Angeles). I am interested in contributing to efforts that improve accessibility of university policies to all members of our academic community.
Ellen Baldwin
Project Coordinator and Curriculum Coordinator, College of Arts and Sciences
"In this role I hope to support my colleagues in different colleges and well as create consistent messaging and language to be used throughout CAS and the UO. In doing this, I believe that we can better serve each other and our students."
Daphne Gallagher
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Clark Honors College
"I believe that effective instructional policies promote belonging and support both faculty and students in creating a positive learning environment."
Kevin Hatfield
Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships & Director of Academic Residential and Research Initiatives, a joint position with UESS and SSEM
"I am a 'triple duck' with a BA and PhD in History from the UO, and have served as an affiliated faculty member with the Department of History and Clark Honors College since 2003. My scholarship and courses specialize in the history of race, immigration and settler-colonialism in the Pacific Northwest with a specialization in community-centered research with the Bizkaian Basque and Northern Paiute communities of the Northern Great Basin."
Grace Ho
Instructor of Secondary Piano and Piano Pedagogy, School of Music & Dance
"Prior to my faculty role, I was Professional Development & Academic Advisor at SOMD. I am excited to use my dual background in student services and instructional teaching to serve in this new role as Instructional Policy Liaison."
Jasmine Samara
Director of Undergraduate Legal Studies, School of Law
"In this role, I want to help develop resources and strategies to help instructors learn about and navigate policy questions more easily. Our program is interdisciplinary, but we don’t always have opportunities to build relationships with colleagues outside the law school, so I’m also excited about connecting with colleagues across campus and learning from their ideas and experiences."
Emily Moore
Instructor of Management, Lundquist College of Business
"My background is in conflict resolution and high performing teams. I am drawn to the policy liaison role because I’m excited for the opportunity to connect with faculty and administrators outside of LCB, and I work with PhD students who are teaching for the first time and have policy related questions."
Connect with your liaison!
In addition to the activities liaisons engage with in their units, liaisons will also host weekly Zoom "office hours" throughout Fall term to provide support to instructors across campus with questions or challenges related to these policies.
Drop in to talk about your course attendance and make-up work polices, how you might navigate an academic misconduct concern, or to ask general questions about working with AEC accommodations:
All fall term, Week One through Finals Week (September 30 to December 13): Mondays and Fridays, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Connect with us using this link.