UMass Flexible Learning Implementation Committee Appointed

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has appointed a Flexible Learning Implementation Committee at UMass Amherst to move forward on implementing recommendations made by the Flexible Learning Task Force, which completed its work in May 2021.

The chancellor has charged the committee with reviewing the approximately 60 recommendations in the Flexible Learning Strategic Plan and to identify both near and long-term strategic priorities that will provide the necessary foundation for making flexible learning options widely available to all UMass Amherst students. A full list of committee members can be found on the flexible learning section of the chancellor’s website.

The committee will initiate, coordinate and help guide the implementation of identified first-year priorities and begin work on longer-term activities as well. The committee counts faculty, staff, students, and administrators among its members. It will be co-chaired by Jim Kurose, distinguished professor of computer science and associate chancellor for partnerships and innovation, and John Wells, senior vice provost for lifelong learning and professor of information management. The committee will undertake extensive campus outreach during the implementation process and will hold town halls, visit with campus stakeholder groups, and post regular updates as its work progresses.

Upcoming outreach events will be publicized in the coming weeks, and members of the campus community can connect with the implementation committee by writing to FlexibleLearning@umass.edu.

Chancellor Subbaswamy notes, “As we accelerate our flexible learning efforts, we will now do so more broadly and more intentionally. Efforts such as the new department/faculty-centered Flexible Learning Fellow Program will ensure that our efforts are pedagogically grounded and in line with the outstanding teaching for which our campus is known. And as we learn the forms of Flexible Learning that are of most interest and value to our students, we’ll also continue to adapt our approach to Flexible Learning itself.”

Co-chairs Kurose and Wells observe, “We’re all excited to be moving forward on implementing a number of the recommendations of the Flexible Strategic Planning Committee. As always, flexible learning on our campus will be driven by the learning needs of our students and the enhanced educational opportunities and access that are enabled by flexible learning. In a post-pandemic world, students will not only expect more flexibility in how they manage their educational experience, but faculty and staff will also be able to leverage flexibility in their interaction with students – ranging from more online and hybrid course offerings to virtual advising and other virtual student support service options.”

One student committee member is undergraduate Adam Lechowicz, a double major in computer science and political science. He says, “The Flexible Learning Implementation Committee is an exciting next step in our journey to complement the existing on-campus UMass experience that students love by expanding access to high-quality education. I anticipate the implementation committee will continue to advance a vision that expands access and provides flexibility for current and future students, while also strengthening progress towards our mission—to provide an affordable and accessible education of high quality.”