Request Absence from Teaching Assigned Class (L&S)

The information below outlines the process for requesting short term absence from teaching in L&S.

Short Term Absence from Teaching

Whether planned or unplanned, instructors must occasionally make temporary or short term arrangements to ensure that responsibilities for instruction are fulfilled. Please refer to FPP about faculty duties and responsibilities.

Per usual practice, instructors, faculty, staff, and graduate students should notify the chair/director or designee about their planned or unplanned absence. If unplanned (due to sickness/medical issue), the instructor uses sick leave and, if possible, plans coverage for instruction.  If this is a planned absence, the instructor would need approval for the absence and plan coverage for instruction. Faculty and Academic Staff need to complete the Absence From Teaching Form.  Departments should track and keep a record of absence requests and approvals.

Coverage plan for teaching responsibilities

We recommend that L&S departments have a process for the review and approval of the coverage plans for teaching responsibilities when the instructor is absent. Although colleague coverage is still preferred, departments may allow the use of online teaching, subject to L&S expectations below, for when an instructor is going to temporarily be absent. If instructors do offer online sessions to address in-person absences they should be occasional and may not be used as a way to limit classroom time as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

L&S expectations about the use of online lectures and course material

L&S recognizes that, in rare circumstances, use of online teaching or digital content may be deemed the best alternative when in-person instruction (for instance, through colleague coverage) is not possible. In these instances these guideline should govern such usage:
  • The UW-Madison is a residential institution, committed to providing high-quality education through substantial student-instructor and student-to-student interaction. For in-person classes, L&S therefore expects in-person instruction to occur for almost all of the scheduled class time.
  • Regardless the mode of instruction, there is regular and substantive interaction between student/instructor and student/student.
  • Students will have the opportunity to ask questions synchronously, asynchronously or both.
  • Opportunities for students to interact with the instructor and other students will be clearly set up and communicated to them.
  • The amount of time a student spends learning (lectures, discussion, reading, assignments, studying, etc.) will be parallel and equivalent to the in-person class time.
  • Online lectures and course materials will be comparable and appropriately adapted for online teaching. 
  • Students are informed and supported in adapting to the structure, schedule expectations, and technologies used.

Contact for additional questions

If you have additional questions, please contact Associate Dean Shirin Malekpour.



Keywordssick, absent, absence, miss class, travel, traveling, conference, gone   Doc ID113228
OwnerCathy Y.GroupL&S KB
Created2021-08-23 15:54:42Updated2023-07-10 11:15:33
SitesL&S KB
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