Jack FisherSome classes will be online, and others will be in person at the University of Guelph in the fall.
U of G Provost and VP Academic, Charlotte Yates, said in an update on Friday that the university will be moving to a “hybrid” fall semester.
A “hybrid” fall semester will be a combination of remote learning and critical in-person classes. Yates intimated that on-campus Hospitality services and student residences will be opening up in September regardless of online classes.
“This approach will allow us to combine high-quality teaching and research with our renowned student living and learning experience,” said Yates in the online statement. “And, of course, it will allow everyone to enjoy some of U of G’s famous campus food!”
“Given the many logistical challenges, we will need to work even more collaboratively and effectively this fall semester. Physical distancing requirements mean that the look, scope and feel of our campus will be very different, and the planning and work to make this happen will be significant.”
Charlotte Yates, University of Guelph Provost and VP Academic
Yate’s message notes that the situation with COVID-19 is changing all the time and that the university will be evaluating its response on a regular basis.
Yates says that once the province gets to the phase of reopening where university staff and faculty will return to on-campus work while maintaining safe practices.
“For now, staff and faculty able to work from home will continue to do so. Some U of G employees have already returned to work on campus pursuant to earlier government announcements,” Yates said. “Once universities are permitted to begin reopening, U of G employees who are required to return to campus for work will be notified by their supervisor.”
Last week, other Canadian universities made announcements similar to the statement made by the U of G’s provost.
Other Canadian universities are aiming to keep large classes in an online lecture format and plan to prioritize critical academic functions like scientific labs and hands-on classes as the first to return to campus as early as September.
Academic responses are likely to vary a little province to province to territory, but for the most part, Ontario’s universities appear to have agreed that many classes are likely to be online in the fall 2020 semester.
Yates notes that more information will be forthcoming from the university once it is available.
This article was originally published on GuelphWire.
