Harvard joins universities keeping classes online

Six of Harvard’s schools will host online-only classes in the next academic year, as the university joins a growing list of colleges that will not have students back on campus until at least 2021.

The University of Cambridge also confirmed that all lectures will be held remotely during the next academic year.

Top international universities are changing how they teach as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the same time, several colleges are opting for a hybrid mode of teaching, which will include a mix of online and face-to-face learning.

The Ministry of Education said that distance learning for students across universities could be extended into the next academic year.

It recently clarified that a decision on the next academic year “is still under review” and would be taken “based on the health situation and precautionary measures”.

Harvard online only

As of June 3, six of Harvard’s 12 schools have confirmed that they will run online classes. Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Harvard Divinity School will give online-only classes in the coming academic term.

Harvard Graduate School of Education will use online lessons for the entire 2020-2021 academic year.

Cambridge online only

The University of Cambridge confirmed that all lectures will be held remotely during the next academic year.

“Given that it is likely that social distancing will continue to be required, the university has decided there will be no faceto-face lectures during the next academic year,” a spokesman for the university said.

Stanford face-to-face classes

Stanford said it plans to resume in-person classes and will start the autumn semester one week early. For its undergraduate programmes, it will have a four-quarter year. Stanford plans to have half its students on campus for the autumn quarter and each subsequent quarter.

Boston University hybrid classes

Undergraduate students will have the option of taking in-person or online classes.

Learn from Anywhere is the new hybrid teaching format that will be used.

“The LFA format lets students decide how to take classes, based on their needs and their comfort level,” Boston University president Robert Brown said.

Oxford hybrid classes

The University of Oxford plans to run a mix of online and faceto-face classes.

“For undergraduate and taught graduate courses, the emphasis on small-group teaching by leading academics will continue to be a central part of our offering in the 2020-2021 academic year,” the university said.

“Face-to-face teaching and research supervision will be complemented by high-quality online activities where necessary.”

University of Pennsylvania hybrid classes

The University of Pennsylvania is planning for a combination of in-class and virtual teaching (particularly for large lectures) depending upon the circumstances.

The university has formed a Recovery Planning Group that is examining the elements that would need to be in place to allow a safe return to more routine campus operations.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology undecided

MIT still has not made any announcement about the upcoming fall semester, with a decision expected in late June or early July.

“However, the situation is still changing very rapidly,” MIT said.

Yale undecided

Yale has yet to decide if it will go ahead with online, residential and hybrid lessons going into the autumn semester.

An announcement is expected in early July in response to guidelines from state and medical authorities.

In a residential scenario, it is likely that there will be no breaks for Labour Day or October recess, and it will end by November 20, before Thanksgiving week.