Spring 2026
The Office of Academic Affairs is sharing resources and support to assist all Ohio State faculty and instructors during the spring semester.
AI and academic integrity
Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming an embedded element of the teaching and learning process that requires the acknowledgment and attention of instructors, instructional designers and academic leaders.
Given the fast-evolving nature of generative AI, no single office can address all related instructional challenges. Fortunately, departments across the university have adopted a collaborative approach that strengthens the guidance and resources available to instructors.
Explore AI guidance and resources
Ohio State’s AI Fluency initiative is integrating AI into the undergraduate educational experience to ensure that every student will graduate being AI fluent — fluent in their field of study, and fluent in the application of AI in that field.
Digital accessibility: Title II and you
Title II digital accessibility regulations will be enforced starting April 24, 2026, requiring all university digital content — including course materials — to meet accessibility standards. This is a shared responsibility, and designing accessible course materials is key to ensuring every student can fully engage and succeed.
Instructors can prepare by exploring the Digital Accessibility Services website. The “Title II and You” page provides clear strategies and outlines the skills needed to learn and apply as instructors review and create their course content. Every document updated and every video captioned moves us closer to a culture that welcomes everyone.
Review additional Title II training and support tools
Religious accommodations
Ohio State has a longstanding practice of making reasonable academic accommodations for students’ religious beliefs and practices in accordance with applicable law.
Students must be in early communication with their instructors regarding any known accommodation requests for religious beliefs and practices, providing notice of specific dates for which they request alternative accommodations within 14 days after the first instructional day of the course. Instructors in turn shall not question the sincerity of a student’s religious or spiritual belief system in reviewing such requests and shall keep requests for accommodations confidential.
With sufficient notice, instructors will provide students with reasonable alternative accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements with respect to students’ sincerely held religious beliefs and practices by allowing up to three absences each semester for the student to attend or participate in religious activities. Examples of religious accommodations can include, but are not limited to, rescheduling an exam, altering the time of a student’s presentation, allowing make-up assignments to substitute for missed class work, or flexibility in due dates or research responsibilities. If concerns arise about a requested accommodation, instructors are to consult their tenure-initiating unit head for assistance.
A student’s request for time off shall be provided if the student’s sincerely held religious belief or practice severely affects the student’s ability to take an exam or meet an academic requirement and the student has notified their instructor, in writing, during the first 14 days after the course begins, of the date of each absence. Although students are required to provide notice within the first 14 days after a course begins, instructors are strongly encouraged to work with the student to provide a reasonable accommodation if a request is made outside the notice period.
Weather or other short-term closing
Following Policy 6.15 (Weather or Other Short-Term Closing), instructors are to notify students of alternative teaching methods when in-person classes are canceled. Alternative teaching methods can include virtual synchronous class meetings or asynchronous activities, including but not limited to videos, podcasts, supplemental readings, or discussion posts. It is at the discretion of the instructor as to which alternative method of teaching will occur when in-person classes have been canceled under the Weather or Other Short-Term Closing Policy. Instructors teaching multiple sections of the same course are to consult with their TIU head to ensure consistency with the course continuity plan. Instructors are to discuss their continuity plan with students and include language in their syllabus. Examples could include the following:
Should in-person classes be canceled, we will meet virtually via CarmenZoom during our regularly scheduled time. I will share any updates via [CarmenCanvas, email or other mode of communication].
OR
Should in-person classes be canceled, I will notify you as to which alternative methods of teaching will be offered to ensure continuity of instruction for this class. Communication will be via [CarmenCanvas, email or other mode of communication].
For faculty teaching online, you are encouraged to include the following: “Unless otherwise announced by the university, online or distance-learning classes will occur as scheduled.”
Listen. Learn. Discuss.
At Ohio State, one thing we all have in common is that we chose to be part of this community. We can use this common ground to engage with each other in a respectful and caring way even — and especially — when we disagree. Listen. Learn. Discuss. is an Ohio State initiative that helps students, faculty and staff draw connections and form skills to create a wide, but still nimble, path that teaches and promotes more productive and respectful dialogue. We expect members of our communities to create an environment where trust and respectful dialogue are the expectation — not the exception.
The Listen. Learn. Discuss. website serves as a centralized online resource for courses, workshops, and events that give the university community opportunities to navigate difficult conversations, whenever and wherever challenging conversations take place — in the classroom, on the Oval, or in the workplace. The website includes an event calendar, through which university community members can submit opportunities related to the topic or the practice of civil discourse.
SB 1 implementation
Ahead of the “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act” (SB 1) going into effect, the university set up an implementation committee with representatives from across Ohio State’s campuses to complete the requirements and provide guidance. The law’s most significant provisions took effect in June 2025, and the committee has wound down its efforts. Working groups led by the Office of Academic Affairs will complete work on SB 1’s syllabi requirement as well as the required American government or history course for autumn 2026. Responsibility for ongoing compliance will be managed at the unit and college level.