Carleton University announced its first-ever mostly online fall semester in a statement last week.
The announcement came in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which calls for densely populated buildings, such as universities, to implement social distancing measures to avoid the spread of the virus.
Despite the plan being released to students, many still have questions about what classes could look like in September. Here’s everything you need to know about the university’s plans to go digital.
What do we know?
Right now, the only certainty for Carleton students is that all first-year classes will be online. The school has left open the possibility of holding face-to-face classes for returning students, but they “can also expect that their courses will be online,” according to a statement released by the university on Tuesday.
Graduate students requiring access to research facilities shouldn’t expect online courses.
Students will still be able to live in residence, with social distancing measures — including decreased density, increased cleaning, and adapted single rooms — in place.
The university assures that academic advising, mental health counselling and peer-to-peer mentorship programs will continue in a virtual form. Online social spaces and activities will be provided, although the university has not specified what these supports may look like.
What could the fall semester look like?
On May 11, the Carleton University Scenario Planning (CUSP) group released their scenario planning report. While recommendations made in the report “are neither definitive nor final,” it provides a picture into what approaches the university is considering.
The most concrete of the recommendations is that “Carleton intensively prepare for the likelihood that courses and programs for Fall 2020 will be delivered online.”
The report presents 18 different scenarios for the fall semester, falling into four major categories: traditional face-to-face learning; face-to-face learning with a shifted term; mixed delivery based on course, group or residence status; and fully online instruction.
With a shifted term, the fall semester would start when social distancing restrictions lift and end on-time in December, or run uncompressed and finish at a later date. What is traditionally the September to April school year could also run from January to August.
Mixed delivery presents the possibility of splitting instruction between online and face-to-face classes based on a variety of factors — including year standing, program, residence status and class size. Classes could start online and shift to face-to-face, or vice versa based on the timing of a second wave of infections. Classes could also be presented in both mediums simultaneously.
What do we not know?
The university has not presented a timeline for when they will make a decision on holding fall semester classes online. Course registration for the fall semester will begin June 23.
The scenario planning report included one main guiding principle. “We will provide as much certainty as possible to students, faculty and staff by making and communicating decisions as early as possible,” the report states.
Featured image provided by Carleton University Online (CUOL)
