COVID-19 has brought higher education with a sense of uncertainty as campuses close due to the pandemic and classes quickly moved online. It appears that most have resigned to only offer online courses through the end of the spring semester.
“The main focus for universities is digitizing courses that are already in session for the 2020 spring semester,” says Brad Adams, COO at 2U, an online program company. As COVID-19 rages on, the future is uncertain, meaning summer sessions are question. Some have moved to cancel commencement services or pushed back to later dates.
COVID-19 and College Summer Classes
The University of Central Florida, with 70,000 students, made the call on summer classes last week that all online instruction will go through the summer. “While we don’t yet know the long-term impact of #COVID19, we made this decision now to give our faculty and students time to adjust their plans,” President Seymour tweeted.
For Moonami clients most are just focused on the Spring semester and supporting faculty with online teaching and learning, though some are asking about hosting their summer semesters online. Most colleges are tuned to policy changes on federal, state and local levels as the public health situation unfolds.
What the COVID-19 Means for the Fall Semester
Again, in our conversations with clients their focus is on the current semester with a hopeful return to normalcy once the pandemic subsides. Most are approaching daily challenges sort of on a triage basis! (same here at Moonami)… As this all plays out, the American Council on Education has asked Congress to provide $50 billion in emergency aid for colleges and students. At Moonami, we understand this is a big moment, and it’s hard to predict what future impact will be. We are deeply aware of your challenges as we increase resources and staff to support you. We are listening, responding to your support requests and making necessary changes to help you succeed. Please reach out if we can answer any questions or strategize with you about future semester planning.