Online remote finals....most students will literally love that!
7
Those with a relaxed and optimistic attitude toward their general health are hostage to fear and pessimism. Sounds like us.
2
For those worried that this means the University of WA is going to permanently become an online university — fear not. It’s a large physical presence central to the city as are it’s facilities, labs, art school, music department etc. It includes a medical school and a large teaching hospital which serves the community.
This particular online shift for classes is a temporary expedient for keeping students, staff and faculty safe and doing the best possible to complete the quarter.
Seattle is a tech heavy town. But it also means we recognize its limits and value many other things that provide a relief from the online life.....including valuing school experiences that are only possible in person.
15
Stanford decided to go online for classes for the rest of the quarter, and all exams should be taken at home.
5
Seattle Pacific University (3500 students - liberal arts in Seattle) will also go online for last week of classes and finals.
3
This will be a fascinating case study for those poly sci students at those same universities.
A bureaucracy is rewarded for ultra-conservatively responding to any risk.
They get pilloried if the unlikely bad occurs and they get no sanction if nothing bad happens because they can always say - well we had to be cautious.
This is bureaucracy 101 and we will see it in action over the next few months.
I anxiously await the college administrator that says - you're young - you have little chance of getting anything more than a case of the flu - btw you have a much better chance of contracting exactly nothing - go to class.
2
@SteveRR I can't decide if you are being flippant or serious. Regardless, millions of American people prefer these bureaucracies to behave exactly as you describe. You overlook the more important function of this type of response: preventing thousands of new carriers of the virus. Given their overall youthful invincibility, they are likely to spread the virus around to family, friends, etc. All of whom may come in contact with persons who are significantly more at risk.
19
@SteveRR
Sure, young students are unlikely to get seriously ill, but what about staff, faculty and administrators - many of whom are over 50.
18
With the over reliance on adjunct-part-time professors at colleges who are generally responsible for the majority of intro classes, how are these professors going to be able to teach these distance classes? Can the schools rely on this part-time unsupported faculty to continue the courses when the professors don't even get tech support or computers from the college unlike a full-timer?
23
Very nice and interesting story. UW’s lead will surely be followed by other schools. Our university has banned all nonessential travel. International students will be be housed on our campus during spring break without them having to pay for the week. This is also an amazing victory for the online education model. I teach classes online as well as on campus. We will all need to step up our comfort with online education.
8
Many are asking what cancelling classes will do if students are living together in close quarters. As a student, one of the most frustrating things in college are the stringent attendance policies that are not waived for sickness nor emergencies.. or require you to get a health note and sit sick in the waiting rooms for hours alongside other coughing sick people...
This will allow students to stay home, even with mild symptoms we would usually ignore or “tough out,” without fear of missing anything in class or having grades dropped.
The dangerous part of college is that everyone is sick, constantly, and we go to class anyways because we have to. Being able to stay inside and self quarantine in our rooms (even if we just have a sore throat!) will do wonders.
16
The most important thing that we need is for government to stop incentivizing school systems to force sick kids to attend. A lot of $ are paid out based on attendance, and schools have found all kinds of punishment/incentives to get kids to come to school, regardless of how sick they are.
14
I'm shocked and saddened by the number of people who thinks it great if we just move all courses online. Obviously during a health crisis this may be a necessary measure, but otherwise it's a terrible idea. There are other ways to bring the costs of universities down. Human beings are social creatures. We need human interaction, and in the late teens/early twenties it's especially important. Close universities and isolate people even more. Watch people become even more inept at critical thinking even less able to defend their ideas and engage in debate when they are face to face - of course they might never be, they can just be anonymous spewing whatever nonsense they want. What's more, watch rates of depression and suicide go up even more. Buts it's all worth it if we can save money, because nothing brings greater joy than saving a buck. How happy we'll be as we sit in our lonely little rooms with all our saved money as we live our lonely little lives online. (And of course it's corporate America really that's saving the money. How about a wealth tax instead ...)
45
I think if the U.S. can hold off an onslaught of Covid-19 infections until the flu season wanes then that will reduce the overwhelming strain on the healthcare sector, as hospitals are already full right now with flu victims. And if the number of infections is reduced during the warm summer weather, that will give government time to plan for a resurgence next winter, when maybe they will actually be ready. Because what the U.S. government has done so far is beneath contempt, as close to nothing as you can get.
18
My college will make the call next week. Highly qualified online teaaching faculty are being asked to mentor those who are not up to speed on the LMS and the many, many details that come with developing a full-scale online class. This will be a remarkable feat of professional development, I must say. It will also raze the barriers that less forward-thinking faculty persistently put in the path toward true instructional innovation and the development of amazing online courses. Although it's unfortunate that progress forward will be made possible due to a pandemic, I welcome a clear path to the future of higher education.
Please lay off the online T&L = soulless, mechanized rote learning formula. That old chestnut rotted away about 10 years ago. If you have never designed, taught, and/or taken an excellent online course, you have little room to say nay.
Zoom is your friend, btw.
16
And FINALLY the annual comic book festival scheduled for 1 week from now—with 100,000 expected to attend—has been cancelled!
And the pro soccer team, Seattle Sounders, has in past 24 hours finally done a last minute cancellation of the home stadium game that was to draw 50,000 fans.
3
How does an online physics lab work?
10
This feels like a panic. What happens when everything is shut down? When everyone is afraid to go out? Citizens of the rich countries are addicted to the illusion of safety and security, and we're about to pay for that addiction with a massive disruption to our way of life.
If Londoners reacted this way to the 1940 Blitz, the Nazis would have controlled Europe for decades, instead of years.
4
Wait till they figure out that most lecture hall classes can be very efficiently taught on line. Somebody smart might even determine it costs less than the current model of collegiate life based on a Middle Ages style monetary. And even the idiot undergrads might start questioning why what is basically two month’s worth of study and “classroom time” needs to require 9 months and $50,000 in fees to support bloated administrations, wasteful use of urban real estate, and lazy tenure systems.
12
Interesting that they think that online classes and remote exam taking will maintain quality.
If they are right, maybe we don't need physical campuses. Much like Amazon showed it could the world's biggest bookstore without a store.
2
Is there a back-up plan at the university where I teach? Not yet, and nobody knows when one will appear. Odds are online classes will become the default across the country until the epidemic ends.
COVID-19 will spread like wildfire where teenagers live in close quarters. Many students on my campus come to class when they’re sick. Quite a few don’t seem to practice proper hygiene.
Me? I have two months’ worth of food and water in my house, as well as medications. I’ve warned my students to try to stock up as best they can, though many don’t have money. And I’ve told them to wash their hands.
My husband is already in poor health. I’m worried.
7
every school and brick and mortar corporation is going to find out that using online teaching and working from home is going to save them millions yearly from not having to build, buy, rent, or maintain these buildings.
less drivers on the road, less stress from daily commute, less pollution, lower gas prices because of lower demand.
it's a win for everyone. it just stinks that it had to happen this way.
So how do online classes support student access to the Suzzallo Library (left side of plaza in photo)? Does the library staff receive paid furloughs?
1
@Patricia Vanderpol I believe the library will remain open
Is moving to online learning just saying “classes are cancelled” for these institutions? It has a nicer look, to be sure, but it’s not like throwing a switch to begin offering a campus classroom course on an online platform.
1
It's nice to know that the universities can switch to online learning. But these students are being charged tuition for the actual classroom experience.
Are they going to get a refund for the inflated tuition rates if the schools aren't going to deliver what was paid for?
11
@Jason W Believe it or not, online classes cost more than classroom based classes at my large university.
2
@Luke
I don't believe it.
Because online classes don't requires acres and acres of real estate. Need proof? Check out the MBA program that offer both online and classroom programs. Which is cheaper?
Next...
1
@Jason W
Believe it. I have to pay an extra fee to take a course online at my local community college. And if you are enrolled at a state university and wish to take courses online while home for the summer, there is NO “online discount!” If the institution is 100% online (has no real estate or facilities where people meet for class), I would think the tuition would be lower. But colleges that have infrastructure, support facilities, professors, staff, and administrators have no reason to charge less for online instruction, which is offered to provide additional flexibility for students.
1
There is at least one possible upside to all of this. People might be graduating through online courses without professors or any sort of human instructor.
That may be just what it takes to debunk the notion that ivy league schools are better than non-ivy league universities and that it's not their high quality education that is responsible for the success of their graduates, but the graduates themselves; that is, the students were already talented and gifted intellectually before they got to the college or university.
7
@Glenn Thomas
Wishful thinking on your part. I'm sure if you had it your way, you'd live the hermetic lifestyle and be pleased with yourself.
For those of us who actually attended Ivies, we know where the value is: top notch faculty, daily / live interaction with teachers, and building a network with fellow classmates, with connections to last a lifetime.
For everyone else, there's online learning.
13
@Glenn Thomas As a professor at a R1 in DC which has told faculty to expect to move to online teaching after spring break, I can tell you the above isn’t necessarily true; there will still be the professor instructing online — in real time, often through online video platforms or recorded lectures that students must watch and respond to real-time questions. No one is expecting this to go well and students in particular seem diametrically opposed. “I don’t want to learn online!” There is a huge difference between online and face to face classes and a huge difference between South Central State U and Harvard. And that ain’t gonna change anytime soon.
15
This article, oddly, failed to address the issue fully, so here it is from the School's website: "Our campuses will remain open to serve all those who rely on our services, including hospitals and clinics, dining services, residence halls, library services, and recreation and athletics facilities. Husky athletics events will proceed as scheduled. We plan to resume normal class operations when spring quarter begins March 30, pending public health guidance." I don't see how cancelling classes is going to prevent the spread in light of the dorms, dining services and athletic events continuing. Almost seems silly.
32
No way will things be back to normal by March 30 in. Epi-Center Seattle.
6
@Billy Bobby’s
The University is in the middle of the city so many if not most students live off campus and won’t be using those services. I agree with you about cancelling athletic events.
2
Uh-oh, this might be the start of something scary to the traditional bloated campus college system that has managed to create $1.5 trillion in student debt.
Higher education is ripe for disruption. Traditionalists say the classroom experience is irreplaceable but there are already successful on-line models out there like Harvard edX (4.0 high school GPA and perfect SATs not required), allowing students to work and learn, emerging debt-free.
What if this coronavirus and the ones coming next prove to have unintended consequences like this, or dramatically curtailing carbon intensive business and tourist travel? The oil industry is certainly freaking out today.
Telemedicine might get a big boost as well, if health care providers try to keep potentially contagious patients out of their already burdened facilities.
Wildlife might benefit from not appearing on so many dinner tables, given that wild animals are known to harbor 1.6 million different novel viruses.
The world works in strange ways.
5
@Look Ahead
Uh no, the only reason tuition (and student debt) is as inflated is because the government continues to dole out loans to any and every student no matter what.
University administrators know this therefore they choose to charge higher and higher rates to students.
Want to stop the cycle? Get Washington DC out of the student loan business and watch how those college expenses crater.
7
Reading comments here on how a contingency plan to move classes online could lead to a wonderful new world of online classes and ditching the bricks and mortar.
If you are saying that, you couldn't be a teacher. It's one thing to move to online teaching in an emergency, quite another to ditch the face-to-face classroom experience altogether. Students spend too much time online as it is. Their critical thinking skills have been impaired by online "discourse." Where are they going to learn how to discuss anything but in a classroom setting (with a heterodox rather than ideologically-driven professor)?
Add to this an increase in the monstrous amount of work that already goes into teaching. It'll be practically impossible to prevent plagiarism (which a professor can manage by monitoring writing in the class or in a lab); the one-dimensional sense of who the students are (you can see whether they grasp a concept in the classroom, but this is not going to be apparent online)...the list goes on and on...
Yet, upon seeing Wuhan shut down, I also saw how this dystopia could be realized. It's too much trouble to go out. Too dangerous! There are...OTHER PEOPLE...out there.
49
By the time you close schools, it'll be too late. Colleges are nothing but a vector for disease. Schools in general really. If not the child, the parents. One friend works with a young woman who lives with her parents. The parents are going on a cruise. Guess where? Italy. They don't plan to cancel the trip.
The employer has implemented a company-wide travel ban. Anyone who must travel for work is required to self-quarantine and telecommute. How does that impact the employee who isn't actually travelling? She's not the one traveling. However, she lives with people who are traveling to a high risk area.
Does the company ban her from the office too? They probably don't even know her parents are traveling. Why would they? The entire screening process is based on an honor system. By the time you've confirmed the first case, you have an epidemic. So too with schools.
3
It doesn't make sense though they are are not shutting down the entire campus. Students will still be in dorms and in campus activities. How is that a good idea?
3
UW has been doing virus testing. What do they know?
3
Coronavirus could last for years. The great flu epidemic of a hundred years ago did. If schools close now, when would they reopen. If your child is in the fifth grade now, would he still be in the fifth grade in three years? And what of poor people who can’t homeschool, do they become a lost generation? It may be Coronavirus is like other pandemics in which it continues until so many people have had it that they offer herd immunity. I wonder how many colleges will keep paying staff if they close for several years and don’t have tuition coming in? We may see the education system bifurcated into schools that remain open for the next few years and those who close never to reopen,
2
Add Seattle University to the list.
4
Finally! Way overdue!
Bear in mind that there are also 25,000 EMPLOYEES ( faculty and staff) at the U. Washington, meaning this is a 75,000 person community!
What is happening in the dorms?! How is food service being handled for dorm students?
5
A Canadian just tested positive today after a trip to Las Vegas .... yikes
9
The virus is already here. What good will it be to close campuses? The people on these campuses have the least chance of any serious effects from the virus. Follow the CDC guidelines, stop being hysterical and get on with your lives.
10
The only thing good about this is maybe good schools can seriously upgrade online degrees. That would drive the for profit (i.e. Betsy DeVos sponsored) scam artists out, and refuce the costs of quality higher education.
Oh, and maybe we could get a president with a brain who is not a big grifter and too stupid to understand the impacts of un-tested coronavirus. If you promise 1M kits and deliver 75,000, you should be kicked out of your job.
7
I don't fully understand the benefit of cancelling in-person classes.
None of the colleges discussed in the article indicated that they were closing, just that they were cancelling in-person classes. So students will still be living in the dorms, sharing bathrooms and laundry facilities, eating all of their meals in large cafeterias, using the gyms and libraries.... Unless students are required to stay in their rooms a la the Princess cruise ships, there will still be hordes of students coming in contact with each other constantly every single day. And it will still be necessary to staff facilities, so non-student campus populations will continue to be exposed as well.
10
@mm My guess is that many of the students will simply go home, and this will give them a chance to get back to their families while it's still relatively safe to do so. I would be surprised if the campus reopens for spring quarter.
8
U. Washington has more students living off campus than on campus. Was true 30 years ago when I was there, and always since.
4
@mm Yeah, I agree with Jean. UW is traditionally a commuter school with most students living off campus, often with their family.
This is a very responsible action, and perhaps it will demonstrate the need for more online education...period! With today's technology, it is not necessary to attend school in a brick-and-mortar building. I attended many college classes online and it was a great experience and I think I learned more than if in-classroom. I got more individual attention. Socialization can happen in other ways. Students who live away will not have to endure the additional costs of room/board...and that may mean a downturn in campus drinking, etc. Wow! And maybe no pledging and hazing.
4
As an instructor myself, these measures are certainly laudable and prudent, especially from a personal and public health perspective, but let's not be overly sanguine about this from a pedagogical overview.
Take the performing arts, as just one example. Acting classes, scene study courses, on-camera work, improv, voice, dancing, any rehearsal - to name only a few areas of study and activities - do not on any practical level, lend themselves to a transitional switch over to e-learning. At some point (and quite quickly, mind you) it becomes frankly absurd and the entire effort and enterprise devolves into protecting a fiscal bottom-line, rather than any form of
higher education.
16
@Laurence Ballard These are excellent points. I take online courses at a local university, and I have little-to-no contact with classmates or professors. No lectures, no study groups, nobody to share the experience with me. It's just me and a digital textbook and question banks. Because I have already gone through my undergrad and have some work experience, I think this is easy to manage, but for first-timers who are relying on (and paying for!!!) the experience, this must be devastating. This isn't what they signed up to do.
35
@Laurence Ballard
There’s an important piece of information in one of the comments below. Washington is on the quarter system, not semesters. They only had one week of class left in winter quarter, one week of exams, and then spring break. They’re closing for three weeks at this point. Seems particularly prudent within that context.
8
My niece is in a distance learning/computer driven graduate program at U. Texas. They have assigned times to have live face time sessions with study group, and also with teams doing projects together.
For some academic areas, this works.
For all those searching for a conspiracy, this from the president of UW: “Evolving public health recommendations indicate our best course of action is to take additional social-distancing steps to support the region’s efforts against this outbreak and conclude this quarter in an orderly and cohesive way for our students and instructors.” There is one week of classes remaining in the quarter then a week of finals (which will now be administered online) and a week break. Seems like a very reasonable approach.
5
@Professorsspouse
I hadn’t realized that Washington was on the quarter system. I, and I suspect many readers here, thought they were on semesters (like most states on the east coast) and were closing for two months, not three weeks, only one of which was actual classroom instruction. That definitely adds more context to the decision.
5
Yes, I am aware of that. (I am a purple/gold Husky.)
My employer operates under the same system. There are many colleges considering this a move for the entire next quarter, or semester - and not just the next few weeks, as the UW is planning. At least for now.
2
These decisions are made by administrators, financial officers, medical experts, lawyers, and public relations people. It would be interesting to read the story behind the story. I suspect that the well being of the university takes precedence over the well being of the students.
1
@michjas As a professor in the arts teaching at the University of Washington, I feel relieved that UW decided to move to online classes in our final week of the quarter. There will be minimal disruption to students--many of us plan to offer Zoom sessions and writing assignments in lieu of on-campus finals. This decision will hopefully keep 50,000 students from infecting each other when they show up for their finals. Five of my students called in with fever last week, in a class of 70. I'm relieved they won't feel pressure to come back to campus before they are ready.
15
Both maybe? Not irreconcilable.
@ProfatUW Washington is taking a harder line because of multiple deaths in a nursing home. If you think that makes sense for tens of thousands of college kids who have no contact with the nursing home, please explain.
Every university should grant credit for students who can complete online courses. And then they should pay all hourly staff while they are not working. Tuition has already been collected.
8
@Lawyermom It would be an awful place that would not pay hourly workers.
1
@Lawyermom And what about the added expenses of online classes? Harvard can afford them. But My state university will charge me because you lawyermoms don’t want to pay for your kids.
1
@michjas Not sure how you came to that conclusion, but you’re wrong. Professors are salaried employees and will get paid. Not so for the janitors, cafeteria workers, etc. I know because before law school, I had my share of minimum wage hourly jobs.
2
Based on the overwhelming and compelling epidemiological COVID-19 infection evidence from China, converting University of Washington classes to an on-line format is a sensible move that should be followed throughout the country.
If not now, what good are the millions spent on Global Public Health if the science isn't intelligently used for public benefit?
28
Of course President Trump is going to oppose the switch to online classes only. If he approves of the switch, how is he going to justify continuing to hold his massive in-person rallies?
17
Maybe I’m naive, but we cannot cancel life. Of course, we need to take precautions, but more articles about the treatment of this might help the public understand this.
22
@kat it is a highly transmittable disease and a fair numbers of professors are significantly older than their students and at higher risk of serious complications or death. .
14
@Jace I appreciate and respect that. But, ultimately, we cannot withdraw as a society. I recognize the this doesn’t analogize exactly, but we- well I- cannot live in fear as we did after 9/11. I don’t want anyone to suffer, but I want us to understand treatment, precautions, etc. How about a few articles about a community where the virus has spread and people healed.
How is life cancelled by taking advantage of modern technology in a crisis?
4
One cannot help but wonder whether U.S. colleges and universities will be priorities for widespread testing of people whether or not showing they show signs of illness.
The reason: there are around 400,000 Chinese nationals at U.S. schools, some proportion of whom visited China on their Christmas break. The virus was spreading rampantly in mid December, but few knew of it. Christmas break ended for most schools before there were restrictions on travelers from China entering the U.S.
There is every possibility that colleges are reservoirs of infection.
22
@DJR Those Chinese nationals who returned home for December break returned to their U.S. schools nine weeks ago. If they were infected with the virus the number of cases at U.S. universities would now be quite high. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I can't help but wonder if UW is going on-line as a trial run to, you know, eventually cut the costs of operations - drastically. Will patients, twenty years from now, be asking their doctors if they got their M.D. online?
3
During the Vietnam War and Cambodia invasion, the riots were so severe at U Washington( then largest single campus in USA) that HUGE changes had to be made to make sure students could finish and get credit for academic term..
I went through that, and have complete confidence it is easier now to make the adjustments. Labs, yes...special case. But it is one of the great universities of USA.
And it has had one of the 3 or 4 best microbiology departments forever, with first recombinant DNA researchers, etc.....scientists who have been saving much of the city with the first good tests for COR19.
4
I hope these students realize that the pandemic could have been avoided if China was a democracy with free a press and communications.
Poor doctor who had warned about the new virus was ignored and eventually died.
Expect this to happen again if China continues the way it rules it people.
7
@UKyankee
Let's remember the poor doctor's name: Dr. Li Wenliang.
8
Wonderful as Dr. Li Wenliang was, it’s doubtful that he or anyone could have prevented the spread of the virus THAT much, given how contagious it is.
All schools, big or small, should prepare for distance learning as a meassure to stop the spreading of COVID-19 and keep all of us safe. It is not the same as face-to-face learning, but it is the best option in this difficult time.
4
Sad, but likely necessary, given how the virus is spreading. My daughter is a fourth generation UW student and was due to graduate in June. Now we wonder -- will there even be a graduation ceremony?
7
Brilliant move. Thank you Seattle and Washington State, for taking the lead on containing this outbreak.
Outstanding Leadership.
35
@Phyliss Dalmatian It seems a bit overly cautious, to me. And I can't help but wonder, will the many thousands of hourly wage earners be compensated for not showing up to work because of the college's decision?
While COVID-19 is not the flu, the flu certainly impacts productivity. Did UW poll their students in the fall to see how many got their flu shot? How many cases of the flu have swept through UW since the fall? How many students have missed classes? How many staff have missed work because of the flu? How many staff and students who got the flu infected family and friends. How many of those infected the elderly? And not just this year, but every year? H1N1 was pretty gosh darn serious, especially for those with compromised immune systems. But no colleges shut down. Is it possible that just a bit of hysteria is causing these decisions?
19
@Bob
Consider this: Seattle IS the epicenter of the reported US cases. It’s a wise move, for containment. I’m sorry to miss our annual Spring Trip there, but hopefully things will improve soon. This is a step in the right direction, see the history of the “ Spanish Flu “ in 1918. Communities that limited public gathering( and exposures ) suffered much fewer Deaths than those that did not. It’s a very logical and rational step.
Best Wishes.
25
Wait. Athletic events are not cancelled?! So everything included residences and dining halls is open, and the only thing cancelled is classes?
What rational thought process led to this?
28
@Charles What makes you believe it was rational? Or that it involved thinking? Or was a process?
3
Some teams are playing w/o audiences. Hope that the case here.
2
There is too much complacency among too many people. It is like they are hoping Trump's lack of seriousness about this pandemic reflects the reality of what is unfolding. The W.H.O. has sounded the alarm and Tony Fauci should be speaking to the public on a regular basis but unfortunately he and Robert Redfield have been muzzled.
How bad does it have to get before the urgency of this public health crisis overtakes the politics of the Trump administration?
10
Will tuition be discounted (or refunded)?
4
@Tough Call Why would it? The students are learning online. A better question - will the thousands of hourly wage earners be compensated for not being able to work because of the universities decision?
20
What level of preparedness is there for this? Does UW have the technological capacity to handle online lectures? The final exams would seem worthless as well.....
2
@Jim Yup. They do. UW is the ranked #7 public university in the US and #6 in computer science located in Seattle, WA - a technology hub. They got it.
6
This whole coronavirus episode is going to hit college admissions offices like a bomb in coming months.
Small private colleges with smaller endowments like Mt. Holyoke and Bryn Mawr, with a huge percentage of Chinese students, will scramble for applicants, especially those that can pay full freight. Larger under-endowed private colleges like BU and Northeastern will fall short as well.
Current high school juniors in China and South Korea can't take their TOEFL exams and heir schools are shut down, making it harder for the students to be ready to apply to colleges in the fall.
Its going to be an admissions mess for the next two cycles.
16
To the students whose programs were cancelled who are now traveling to other European cities, this is maybe not the best of ideas. Europe has a long history of going into full-on xenophobia/pogrom mode when epidemics strike.
Having lived for many years in the UK and Europe, I can tell you that people panicked over H1N1 as well as Ebola and tried to start witch hunts against ‘The Other’.
It’s also a good idea to see if you are still covered by your insurance policy while you are in the UK or Europe.
3
Assuming a one and a half percent kill rate, there are 75 coronavirus cases for every one death. Right now, they’re only counting about 1/3 of the total cases. Where are the rest of the cases? The answer is there walking around spreading the virus. This epidemic is already hopelessly out of control.
6
Any school that refuses to switch to online classes in light of the coronavirus outbreak is way out of line.
5
I'm appalled that one of the students who was in Italy, decided to go to London, then Amsterdam. Doesn't she realize she could be be a carrier spreading this disease?
22
So could you. Or me. Or anyone. The genie is out of the bottle.
3
Not to worry, at least for 8 million cowering inhabitants in New York City: City Council Speaker Corey Johnson declares coronavirus is not a serious threat. He and Mayor De Blasio rode the subway, briefly, without bio-hazard protection, with thousands of others, to demonstrate courage is contagious.
2
@John Young Does keeping one's tongue firmly in cheek offer protection???
@John Young That's great. Wish Trump would join them and everyone who survives would be happier.
We have no testing. The virus is clearly here in New York. How are we going to decide when it's time to close CUNY? There's no testing! I hope the governor and Chancellor do the right thing and allow online teaching BEFORE this is a bigger problem. Be proactive!
2
@Joe According to reports, most COVID-19 cases are quite mild. Yes, the immune compromised are a great risk. They['re also at great risk for the flu - and flu vaccines don't cover all strains of the flu. Sometimes I wonder if maybe life should just continue as normal, but with some common sense self-care.
8
Headline is more agitated than it needs to be — student not quoted as saying they think they might not be able to come back to the university.
On the other hand, the college where I teach--in Chicago--with over 3,000 students and 1,000 faculty and staff--has offered no contingency plans--except, as our President said in an email, "see you health care provider if you are sick." LOL.
1
This is ridiculous. The death rate in people below 40 years old is .2%. There is so much focus on this disease that the scare of it is more dangerous than the actual disease itself.
8
@Mike it’s the death rate in the elderly And those with underlying conditions that is of concern. They are at far higher risk m even higher than from a “ typical” flu. And any ill students can carry the virus to them.
10
@Mike Thank you, Mike, for being sensible. There are thousands of hourly wage earners at UW. Are they going to be compensated for lost hours due to the university's decision? How will not getting a pay check for two or more weeks impact their ability to pay rent? Buy food? Get on the bus?
1
@ Mike- True, but the death rate of those in their 70s and 80s is quite high. I guess as a society we have to decide if we’re ready to let a lot of our parents and grandparents go earlier than they would otherwise or make some sacrifices to our daily lives.
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Wow online finals. That won't be easy to organize.
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It’ll be fairly easy with existing CMSs that most universities have. Take-home finals aren’t ideal, but there’s not much choice.
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@J.Abroni Dwayne Johnson So give a final paper assignment instead
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It would be wise for all schools to bite the bullet and do the same immediately. It’s only a matter of time before several close regardless, why not get out ahead of it and save lives?
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I pray the President and or the Administration will stop looking towards PR and start focusing on the issue at hand. The mixed messages from the President and the scientific community are costing lives. The deep state, conspiratorial community needs to face reality and stop the cult following.
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@Mark
Follow what Dr. Anthony Fauci has to say. Ignore Trump.
There. Sorted it out for you.
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@Mark Sorry. This is not a prayer that can be answered. 45 is too stupid to comprehend the magnitude of this threat. Today, he went to FL to golf. His parting thought? A new tax break (corporate welfare) for travel industries potentially impacted. Why didn't they save those tax dollars they've been getting since he became president? Are his boys going to get this tax break for the underperforming trump hotels?
Meanwhile Senate Republicans, fifdling while Rome is burning, want to subpoena Hunter Biden. No concern about test kits. Why not investigate why only 75K kits produced after promising 1M?
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A prudent move, so unnecessary agglomerations of people may not complicate this 'modified quarantine'; somehow, Washington State is being 'punished' disproportionately, hopefully not a harbinger for what's to come. But it pays to be prudent while attentive to the News (hopefully driven by health experts...and not 'our' lier in-chief, a narcissist per excellence...to everybody's loss.
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Reporter to President Trump: What do you think about schools having all of their students attend online classes only?
President: I think it's unnecessary and designed to hurt my re-election chances.
Reporter: Are you at least washing your hands in response to the spread of coronavirus in the US?
President: Yes, I am washing my hands of any responsibility for it.
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For anyone working in education wondering how other institutions are responding to COVID-19, I set up a crowdsourced spreadsheet with links to universities’ plans for remote teaching and general business continuity. You can view it at bit.ly/rtresourcelist
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One other aspect of this situation is the impact on all the international students on F-1 visas in the USA. By federal regulation, they are required to be enrolled in a certain amount of on-campus courses every semester. I am worried that the current administration's hard-line stance on all things immigration-related will cause a lot of problems for these F-1 visa holders in the future if switching these classes to online becomes widespread. So far, there has been little to no guidance from the government about how to approach situations like this for F-1 students and their schools.
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Thank goodness for Silicon Valley!! This is the first pandemic where continuing one's education is possible, even under quarantine. Good job tech companies!!
I am a professor leading university students on a study abroad class in Berlin. Our university won't do anything until the CDC or the State Dept declares Germany a level 3 risk. This is despite the rapidly increasing cases developing around the city. We've been on public transportation and large crowds. Even if we don't bring it back to a college campus, somebody will and I bet in large numbers around the universities.
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As malls increasingly are void of shoppers who have transitioned to online shopping, so may the college campus become an elitist place of the past. When college tuition and student loan scams have become a Presidential election issue, perhaps one of the solutions may be the internet itself. The pictures of China pollution fading as workers stay home and the tech industries across the world are cancelling in person conferences in exchange for alternatives online. As corporations discover employee production from a workforce working from home goes up, a reevaluation of the merits for expensive brick and mortar facilities requiring commutes from thousands of workers is sure to follow. Perhaps a surprising outcome to this global epidemic will be the way business' conduct their workforce across the globe and the end result actually advance the green revolution!
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I am somewhat ambivalent about the prospect of moving my classes fully online. I do already use online course management software and have students submit homework assignments and papers through there. I also post my notes outlining class discussion for each day on there.
However, that's the rub. There can't be the same level of discussion of the material online as would take place in a normal classroom where I can ask students to explain important points in the material, provide clarifications, field questions, etc. I do think students will learn something through reading the material and my notes on their own, submitting assignments, and maybe participating in an online discussion forum, but I don't think they will learn as much if the face-to-face component is removed. Though, of course, canceling face-to-face class meetings might still very well be the right thing to do.
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@Hans
Can't you still have a face-to-face component in on online class by utilizing Skype or a Skype-like interface?
My child attended an online school with classes that replicated the on-site environment: a scheduled class time, attendance, raising hands to speak, synchronous learning, being able to see and hear the teacher as well as the students.
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@Lee Maybe? I have done what you're suggesting with Zoom, but that involved only about 10 students at the remote location. I have 70-80 students in my lower-level classes and 20 in my upper-level class. I'm not sure they can all fit on a screen at the same time.
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@Hans
Harvard edX does a pretty good job with the on-line education thing, including top tier professors, on-line class discussions, regular comprehension quizzes and one-on-one student access to professors that might actually be better than in a traditional on-site setting.
The few classes I tried are engaging students from all over the world, which brings valuable perspective.
And it is infinitely scalable at virtually no marginal cost.
Harvard edX is offering free classes, or a modest fee for college credit.
Sounds pretty disruptive to me.
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Though the rationale is unfortunate, this could turn out to be a fascinating educational and social science experiment. At the college level, if students learn just as much from home as they do from on campus, what is the point of all the bricks and mortar for so many students who don't care about fraternities, sororities, or going to football games, and would rather pay 50% or less tuition? At the elementary level, if school is cancelled for a month or two, but year to year NAEP test scores in math and reading are unaffected -- or, omigod, go up! -- what's the point of our 180 day school year beyond babysitting?
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@Snowball Firstly, trying to learn on a distracting and flashy platform like the internet can work for some people, but it will never be on the level of a classroom run by a good teacher. It's like saying that telecommuting is a full substitute for an in-person meeting. It does the job but you lose a lot by not being in person.
Secondly, school isn't just about learning (which builds general intelligence), it is also about socializing (which builds emotional intelligence). It builds citizenship skills which are desperately needed in a civil society.
And finally, babysitting is an _incredibly_ important function of schools as well, don't trivialize it. Without it, double income families would not be possible.
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@RB , but perhaps young people can learn emotional intelligence even better through military service, volunteerism, and community involvement where their families live. Surely they will be exposed to a broader cross-section of ages and peoples in those settings. As for the babysitting function of schools, if that is their true value, there's no need for the babysitters to have college educations, tenure, and 90% retirement pensions.
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@Snowball - learning how to learn. Getting outside the walls of your childhood. Interacting with new and different people. Experiencing discovering together. Understanding how to make deadlines. Learning how to ask questions and why it is important. Taking off the training wheels in a semi-safe environment. Making life-long friendships and mentors.
The people who don’t value education are those who have not had a good one.
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Most college instructors already use their campus online platform. Canvas, Blackboard, etc. are easy to use. Switching to completely online for weeks or even months will not be a problem. I too have many international students with extended families coming and going from home countries. While they are young and healthy, faculty is another demographic, so here's hoping the move to online happens in the abundance-of-caution stage rather than after crisis mode kicks in.
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Not sure how science courses that are lab based only or project based engineering courses are going to magically go online. Sculpture courses would probably be an issue too. I'm sure there are others. It's a bit difficult to send every student home with a care package of equipment to do the work at home.
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@Jane Smith The same for courses using proprietary software that's only licensed to be installed in on-campus labs.
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@Jane Smith
Engineers routinely plan and manage projects together online.
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@Jane Smith It would likewise be a problem for all performing arts courses
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Common sense is required. After spring break any student who is incubating the virus will present within 4-17 days more or less. If schools add an extra week to Spring Break they may well cut of a major transmission vector. If they don't they may have to close of the rest of the semester. Tough choices and transparent information is required, immediately.
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That does not take into account asymptomatic cases.
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@Marty Milner
Not if they spend the time to party.
So many major universities are moving toward online learning, or at least incorporating more if it in instruction. I wonder if this will accelerate the trend.
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@jrinsc
Let's hope so. Perhaps it will help slow down the obscene cost increases that have made college not affordable for millions.
I certainly hope other universities go to online classes too.
I am a professor and so many of my students and colleagues travel internationally that it is only a matter of time until the campus has a major outbreak.
Most students will probably be fine, but it will spread to parents, staff and faculty and it will take lives.
If we switched to online classes, this would be a life saving move.
I doubt though, that our university administration would do switch to online classes unless it was suggested by the CDC.
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I’m also a professor at a city university. I teach clinical health care courses. How should we move the clinics - WITH LIVE PATIENTS - online?
Thank you, but this can NOT apply to all schools.
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NYU has also prohibited international travel unless it is essential. Faculty will not receive money from research stipends meant to cover work-related costs. The faculty received information about distance-learning programs and some departments took the initiative to set up meetings so technical support staff can train them on how to use Zoom before we all disperse for spring break (Zoom is the program the administration suggested). Of course some types of courses don't translate to a video format. And one problem universities are having when recording classes for students in countries where they cannot come to the US is the time-difference. So the class is recorded and the student sees it later. This is a horrible situation and the students are suffering.
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Southern Methodist University in Dallas has implemented the same policy as NYU’s— no university related (read: funded) travel abroad. The policy extends indefinitely.
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@Miriam
" So the class is recorded and the student sees it later. This is a horrible situation and the students are suffering."
Agree it's not the ideal learning environment, not what the students signed up for, and not what they paid for.
But it is a better solution that ill and dying relatives.
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Amazing that UW has the tech ready to switch to online classes with short notice. Or rather that they had the foresight.
Seattle and regional area government on all levels has been impressive in their response. Shows the value of good government. We have the scientists speaking at the press events, not politicians, and it goes a long way to calming nerves. Governor is now asking for those without insurance to be covered for testing, and that insurance companies not charge any co-pays for testing. UW is also moving fast to create its own testing method.
We're just waiting for the federal government to catch up.
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@Mary, most universities (and not just in the US, but in Europe and Asia) have been using online learning platforms (Desire to Learn, Canvas, Blackboard) for at least a decade or more, and many classes are already taught as hybrids (face-to-face/online). For students other than those who need to access to labs and studios with specialized equipment, the transition to online learning should be seamless. And most university library collections are heavily digitized now. Scholarly journals have been digital for ages, most scholarly books are digital as well as analog, and millions of books from the pre-digital era have been digitized (with plenty of help from Google).
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I already teach both on-site and online, and even my school, very comfortable with online classes, can’t just snap its fingers and move everyone over to remote classes. On the other hand, the administrators who would make that decision aren’t really on the front lines of how that would work.
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I have a family member at UW’s graduate school. Last week he said the university had plans ready to move to online classes when needed. Smart foresight indeed.
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Bellevue College in King County, Washington, is also moving to online learning for the rest of the winter quarter. BC has an annual enrollment of 31,000 students.
The only not awful thing about the Seattle being the initial epicenter in the US, is that our state may be setting the precedent for how to address the crisis and they are doing a good job. They have a research and fact based approach that is transparent and they are removing insurance funding barriers for testing and treatment. Still a long way to go, stay healthy everyone!
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