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June 9, 2021

Tri-campus Digital Learning Alliance
Robin Chin Roemer, Interim Director of Online Learning and Innovation, and Head of Instructional Design and Outreach Services, UW Libraries
Robyn Foshee, Service Manager, Academic Experience Design & Delivery, UW-IT
Janice Fournier, Research Scientist, Academic Experience Design & Delivery, UW-IT
Darcy Janzen, Director of Digital Learning, UW Tacoma
Krissy Jones, Director, Instructional Design and Development, Continuum College
Beth Kalikoff, Director, Center for Teaching & Learning, Academic & Student Affairs
Penelope Moon, Director of Digital Learning and Engagement, Information Technology, UW Bothell
Marisa Nickle, Sr. Director, Strategy & Academic Initiatives, Academic & Student Affairs
El Schofield, Instructional Technologist, Learning Technologies, Academic & Student Affairs
William Washington, User Experience Designer, Academic Experience Design & Delivery, UW-IT

Executive Sponsors
Sharon Jones, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UW Bothell
Christy Long, Assistant Vice Chancellor for IT and CIO, Information Technology, UW Bothell
Patrick Pow, Vice Chancellor, Information Technology, UW Tacoma
Aaron Powell, Vice President and CIO, UW-IT
Jill Purdy, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UW Tacoma
Phil Reid, Vice Provost, Academic & Student Affairs and Professor, Chemistry

Dear Colleagues:

We are writing to ask you to serve on an advisory council responsible for carrying forward the important work of tricampus coordination, collaboration, and strategic synergy around digital learning that you began in response to the 2020 pandemic. We are formalizing this group to advise tri-campus academic and technology leadership about postpandemic digital learning and to support faculty with relevant resources.

A commitment to quality instruction for University of Washington students is an enduring core value. Yet how we honor that commitment and deliver quality instruction evolves as research on teaching, learning technologies, our students, and their expectations change. Even before the pandemic, many students and faculty were incorporating more collaborative, flexible, and technology-enhanced learning tools and experiences. The pandemic made that shift a necessity and gave all instructors experience with digital learning.

The goal of this advisory council is to build on that experience, to support evidence-based digital learning across the UW’s three campuses. Doing so includes looking for ways to leverage the resources and talent across the three campuses, elevate efforts to the broader UW regardless of campus of origin, and reduce unnecessary duplication of effort. As a member of this committee, we ask you to:

1. Coordinate and collaborate on the creation of digital learning resources, programs, and initiatives that respond to emerging needs, take advantage of opportunities, and reflect new research in the scholarship of teaching and learning. This type of collaboration may include:

  • Offer appropriate recommendations for Autumn 2021 instruction and beyond
  • Develop supporting resources, communications and programming
  • Coordinate the creation of new resources
  • Etc.

2. Coordinate and leverage existing digital learning resources, programs, initiatives, and staff to support digital learning across UW’s three campuses. This type of collaboration may include:

  • Cross-listing resources and programs
  • Coordinating on communications
  • Partnering across campuses to scale programs
  • Taking a UX perspective of available resources to inform tri-campus curation of digital learning resources, including updating, streamlining, or scaling resources so they are available on all three campuses
  • Etc.

3. Recognizing and respecting faculty and campus governance in terms of academic issues, benchmark, evaluate, and make recommendations for strategic directions and relevant policy related to UW digital learning in response to current challenges and emerging needs, opportunities, tools and research. Examples of this type of recommendation may include efforts such as:

  • Proposing tri-campus terminology of digital learning modes of instruction and pedagogical styles, where relevant
  • In collaboration with UX colleagues, reassessing the viability and value of a single online resource (a ‘onestop shop’ or ‘front porch’) for teaching and learning information and support, whether it would be campusspecific or a tri-campus resource,
  • Etc.

In this work, you may find the need to launch teams or working groups that tackle specific projects, and, as needed, to bring in additional subject-matter experts. We ask that you coordinate and link your efforts to those of other, related groups such as the Faculty Council on Teaching and Learning, the Teaching and Learning Technologies Oversight committee, and the Advisory Council on Technology-enhanced Teaching to ensure alignment and avoid duplication. We also ask that you work with us as your executive sponsors to coordinate with the related faculty and campus governance for academic issues on each of the three campuses regarding recommendations.

By August 1, 2021, we ask you to identify goals for the next academic year and a specific timeline for the work required, and present it to us as your executive sponsors. We ask, as well, that you update us quarterly on progress and annually on goals for the following academic year.

Creating a tri-campus alliance to coordinate and shape the tools and pedagogy for digital learning is an enormously important task. Thank you for agreeing to help shape the future of teaching and learning at the UW.

Sincerely,

Sharon Jones, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UW Bothell
Christy Long, Assistant Vice Chancellor for IT and CIO, Information Technology, UW Bothell
Patrick Pow, Vice Chancellor, Information Technology, UW Tacoma
Aaron Powell, Vice President for UW Information, Technology and CIO
Jill Purdy, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UW Tacoma
Phil Reid, Vice Provost, Academic & Student Affairs and Professor, Chemistry