Carleton, uOttawa say they may move classes online as early as next week
Classes at Ottawa’s two main universities may be moving online as early as next week.
In an email to staff, Carleton University president Benoit-Antoine Bacon said while there are no cases of COVID-19 in the university community, a few people are self-isolating due to recent travel.
“The safety of the Carleton community is our top priority, and all structures are in place to make decisions quickly in a rapidly changing environment. This is a matter of making the right decisions at the right moment, neither prematurely nor too late,” Bacon said in the email.
While the semester is not at risk, “we may have to move to online instruction for the remainder of the term. This could happen as quickly as next week,” said Bacon, who added that a contingency plan for final exams is being finalized and will be communicated soon. The university has also suspended all travel outside Canada that is not vital to its academic mission.
An internal memo from provost Jerry Tomberlin asks teaching staff and departmental administrators to consider digital supports to adapt course delivery and assessment, and asks staff to provide academic accommodation for students who must self-isolate due to COVID-19.
The University of Ottawa has adopted a similar position, though no cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the university community. So far, classes and exams are proceeding on schedule.
However, based on public health advice, “the administration is exploring the possibility of moving the remainder of the academic semester to distance learning,” the school said in an email Thursday evening.
The school also cancelled all March break camps next week and scratched an open house for undergraduate students planned for March 21. University-related travel by staff and students is prohibited until further notice.
Carleton has requested faculty, staff and students travelling from an affected area to avoid crowded spaces, such as the Carleton campus, for 14 days and continue monitoring their health. The university has also cancelled its March break open house, the FIRST Robotics competition, Relay for Life and the Athletics March Break Camp.
Carleton has a coronavirus working group, which has been meeting regularly since mid-January, and has been monitoring the situation and following the advice of Ottawa Public Health and other public health agencies, Bacon said in a message to campus.
Although it’s not clear how closing campuses would roll out in Canada, some U.S. institutions have ended their semester early. Many have said they are moving classes online.
Shutdowns of one type or another are inevitable on Canadian campuses, the only real question is when, said Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates, which advises colleges and universities. “Faculty and students (and parents) deserve to be told what the contingency plans are so they can prepare.”