2026 Fall Quarter guidance for instructors

Dear instructors,

We write to share several updates as you prepare for the Fall Quarter.

International Students and Scholars

The recent changes to F-1 and J-1 visa regulations are deeply impacting international students and scholars in our community. We are working with the Office of International Student and Scholar Services and the schools to provide support. Please continue to monitor the OISS website for updates.

Syllabus Statements

We have updated the Northwestern Syllabus Standards page, which highlights key University policies that affect courses and offers language for including them on your syllabi. Whether you include specific policy language from that page in your syllabi, we recommend that you include the following:

Northwestern University Syllabus Standards 

This course follows the Northwestern University Syllabus Standards. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with this information.

A note on AI policy statements:

While the University Academic Integrity Policy prohibits the unattributed or unauthorized use of AI for submitted work, we strongly encourage you to craft a clear AI-use policy specific to your courses and include it on your syllabi. You can find sample statements on the Information Technology Teaching with AI website. We are developing further resources to help you navigate changes to the educational environment and will be reaching out with more in the coming months. 

As AI-enabled eyeglasses become more accessible, several faculty have raised concerns that students may wear them into exams or other assessments. We recommend including a line on syllabi such as: “AI-enabled wearables are not permitted during quizzes, exams, or other assessments. Students with prescription smart glasses should be ready to use standard prescription glasses in this course.” In our communication to students this week, we are reminding any users of smart prescription glasses to bring standard prescription glasses to campus.

Academic Resources for Students

Students may be unaware of the many academic support services available, at no additional cost, to assist them in reaching their learning goals. We encourage you to promote these opportunities by including them on your syllabi and discussing them with students. For undergraduates, Academic Support and Learning Advancement (ASLA) offers tutoring and study groups for more than 30 courses, as well as academic coaching and robust online resources for students and faculty. For support with written assignments of any kind, The Writing Place provides peer consultations for both undergraduate and graduate students. 

Student Arrival and Engagement

For instructors of undergraduate students, we want to remind you of the Undergraduate Policy on In-Person Arrival and Course Engagement, which specifies that undergraduate students enrolled in courses with in-person class meetings are expected to be on campus and in attendance no later than the end of the first week of the quarter, and they must plan to remain in attendance until the end of the quarter. Should students make requests that fall outside of these requirements, you may refer them to the policy. TGS and Kellogg have instituted similar policies related to arrival and attendance. 

Schools, programs and their admission staff are in touch with students who may be concerned about timely arrival, including international students, and are advising them about options as these dates draw nearer. As always, reach out to your school dean’s office with questions about student arrival and participation.

Course Materials 

Earlier this summer, Follett Higher Education replaced Barnes & Noble as the official University bookstore. Please submit course materials requests for Fall 2026 through the My Materials link in Canvas. Guidance for utilizing Follett’s course materials adoptions tool is available on the Office of the Provost website. Faculty who have not yet submitted course material requests for the Fall 2026 term are encouraged to do so by Sept. 9. 

For time-sensitive questions related to course materials, please reach out to Northwestern Bookstore’s course material lead, Jason Chin. 

Academic Accommodation for Religious Observance 

Northwestern’s Policy on Academic Accommodations for Religious Observance sets expectations to avoid scheduling exams on religious holidays when possible and provide accommodations when conflicts arise. Please remind students that religious accommodations are for local observance and that students must comply with the in-person arrival policy.

Please direct Evanston undergraduate students to the appropriate forms, which will be live on the policy webpage when the quarter begins, to request religious accommodation for common midterms or final exams. They must submit requests by the end of the second week of the quarter, so please include exam and assignment due dates in your syllabi. Graduate accommodations and those outside of undergraduate common midterms or finals typically are handled through discussions between students and their instructors, with support from administrators if needed. 

Academic Flexibility for Student-Athlete Travel

Northwestern student-athletes are an important part of our academic community. As described in our Guidance on Academic Flexibility for Student-Athlete Travel, they are required to travel as part of their commitment to Northwestern. Athletics will inform you about athletic travel commitments for students in your courses prior to the start of the quarter, and student-athletes will follow up with you regarding specific course conflicts. We ask that you provide flexibility to address missed class time for student-athletes in ways that promote their academic continuity and fit the learning goals you have established for all of your students.

Teaching Resources

Northwestern offers a variety of resources for instructors as they prepare their courses. Additionally, given the far-reaching impacts and possibilities of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning, we are excited to announce a new opportunity for faculty: The Provost’s Award for Teaching Innovations in the Age of AI supports ambitious efforts that extend beyond incremental instructional changes to involve meaningful, large-scale redesign. Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence, this new award recognizes innovative approaches to enhance overall learning experiences in the age of AI and foregrounds assessment of student learning in new or ongoing teaching approaches.

Thank you for all you do as a Northwestern instructor. We wish you an engaging and productive Fall Quarter. 

Sincerely,

Jaci Casazza
Assistant Provost and University Registrar

Karen Smilowitz
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education