Remote classes likely to be the norm through fall, U of A says

U of A classes to stay online into fall The University of Alberta will likely continue to deliver classes online come the fall term.

EDMONTON — University of Alberta officials say it's likely students will need to take classes remotely into December amid uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials are trying to plan for three likely scenarios for the fall semester, none of which involve a full return to classes.

The scenarios being discussed include:

"In view of its extreme unlikelihood, a scenario imagining a full return to all normal university operations by September will receive only limited consideration by sub-committees that only focuses on key planning deadlines," a U of A planning group said in a document outlining the scenarios.

In order to prepare for mixed-course or fully remote delivery for the fall semester the decision needs to be made as early as mid-May, said Andrew Sharman, vice-president of facilities and operations and executive lead of the U of A Public Health Response Team, in an interview posted on the university's website.

"It's like being on a highway with different exit points: at what point do you need to made a decision or have certain public measures lifted to be able to take that off ramp?" he said. "We have to make sure we've started planning early for the scenarios that take the longest to achieve."

Sharman said phase one will be the easing of some public health measures, while phase two will entail international borders and air travel reopening.

"Without the international borders open, you're not going to be bringing international students to the university (unless they're already here). This very likely means a mixed delivery option in the fall at best."

He said he expected there would not be a quick reopening of university facilities once measures are lifted.

The first measures to be lifted will likely allow graduate students to continue their research, and Sharman said he hopes to be able to reopen labs and practicums to those students.

The likeliest scenario for fall will involve small, in-person courses combined with larger online courses.

"Our hope and intent from a planning perspective is to end the semester the way it begins," said Sharman. "For example, if it is remote delivery, we would ask instructors and students to prepare for remote delivery all the way through from September to December."

Residences remain open to students, and will likely remain that way through the summer. Gymnasiums are closed but as restrictions get lifted, Sharman said he hopes they can eventually reopen, "even if it's limited to 50 people at a time."

As for the winter 2021 semester, Sharman says officials aren't getting ahead of themselves.

"We're focused on fall right now," he said. "but if we're limited in the fall semester, what does that mean for the winter semester? What are the decision points? We'll have to look at it carefully."

In his remarks at a daily COVID-19 update Wednesday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the government will soon be releasing key metrics to guide its relaunch strategy to eventually reopen the economy.

"Obviously we want to get Albertans back to work as soon as it is safe to do so, but not before that," he said.

However with infection and hospitalization rates well below modeled projections, Kenney said the province may be able to launch the strategy earlier than expected.