Summer courses at University of Idaho will begin May 18, but physical classrooms won’t be filled. Instead, classes will be held online for sessions one and two of the summer term. There is a possibility, however, some classes later in the summer will be held in person.
“This was a decision in concert with public health looking at the situation in our area,” UI Director of Communications Jodi Walker said. “Definitely wanting to take all of those precautions and protocols into account. The leadership decided that this was indeed the best way to be able to deliver classes in the safest and most effective way and to do our part to flatten the curve.”
The exact number of in-person courses could not be determined as of right now.
Walker said the courses that will be taught in person have portions that are needed to be taught that way. The courses will be held, if they can be taught, safely — in small groups with masks and other precautions against COVID-19 — but Walker said discussions are underway about what will happen if the courses cannot be held safely.
Students have been told all courses will be held online. Students in courses that may be held on campus have been made aware of the situation, Walker said. She said no one has voiced concerns about how those courses will run.
Online courses this summer should not look different from previous years, Walker said. Most classes in the summer are offered online, so primarily online learning is not a large change for this term, either.
Registrar Lindsey Brown said online classes vary by professor and can be offered over BbLearn, video conferencing apps like Zoom and entirely over email.
As of Friday, enrollment for summer 2020 courses were down about 9.5% when compared to summer 2019, Walker said.
“We’re trying to do our best to help (students) to achieve their educational goals while maintaining safety for each and every Vandal,” Walker said. “That has to come first. This is unprecedented. We’ve never been through anything like this and we appreciate everyone’s patience and their willingness to still participate in higher education as we continue to figure out what things look like moving ahead.”
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]