McMaster moves its entire fall semester online

Will be ‘few exceptions’ in which students will have to be on campus

McMaster University officials say they are not expecting a “wave” of deferrals after it announced that it will be taking its entire fall semester online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter, university president David Farrar said the school’s decision was aimed at creating “certainty” for students, faculty and staff “at a time when it is impossible to predict how the pandemic will unfold.”

“We want our students and everyone at the university to be as safe as possible, to have the support they need to be successful and to be confident that our decisions are based on public health advice,” said Farrar.

Sean Van Koughnett, McMaster’s associate vice-president and dean of students, told The Spectator that the university has heard from parents who had “concerns” about the health risks involved in a bustling campus.

“The ability to reduce or eliminate that risk is an attractive proposition for many,” said Van Koughnett. “I don’t expect that is going to have an impact.”

To facilitate the change, Farrar said the university is “investing significantly” in the development of “high-quality online programs” that will help students and instructors interact from home.

Van Koughnett said there will be no changes to tuition fees, as the cost to create and deliver virtual learning that matches the “quality and calibre” of inperson classes is much higher than traditional learning.

Empty campus

According to the university’s top official, there will be “few exceptions” in which students will have to be on campus for their courses.

Some first-year undergraduate students entering health care programs will be on campus, but can anticipate “additional information” from their departments, he added.

Van Koughnett said residences and spaces will be closed but could be used on an “exceptional basis.” One of those reasons could be housing students that don’t have access to the internet for their learning, he added.

Research labs and specialized facilities will also have limited availability, with faculty and staff “encouraged” to find alternative ways to deliver coursework so that work in the facilities can be done so in the future.

Research that can only be done on campus is expected to “accelerate” while adhering to public health advice and physical-distancing measures, Farrar added.

Farrar said “additional information” will go out to students, faculty and staff in the “coming days.”

McMaster University has about 33,000 students between its undergraduate and graduate programs.