Office of the Provost

Dear Colleagues,

Earlier this week we shared news on the federal guidelines that require authenticating student identity in distance education classes. We recognize the strain that many faculty are facing in relation to workload during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenge that many of the strategies to meet these requirements bring. In close collaboration with AAUP, we have identified that we are able to loosen the guidelines from two required methods to one required method with a request for your use of additional methods as you are able.

The single required method can be achieved simply by having students log in to class materials (syllabus, links to online discussions, any other materials) through HuskyCT. We continue to encourage a second method of authentication, as this also supports academic integrity in online education. Examples of these options are provided here: https://kb.ecampus.uconn.edu/2020/12/02/authentication-of-students/. Whatever you decide, your approach to student authentication should be clearly stated in the syllabus for all faculty teaching classes listed as online (WW) and distance learning (DL).

Thanks for your patience as we work to understand and adjust to these guidelines in the context of the pandemic. We hope this adjustment will be helpful as we approach the start of the semester.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs