PROVIDENCE – Brown University and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth respectively announced this week that their institutions have altered their fall instruction plans that will involve more fully-online courses.
Brown announced Tuesday that in-person instruction at the Ivy League university will be delayed until October. It will also implement a phased approach to bring students back to campus.
UMass Dartmouth, meanwhile, said Monday it will move all its lecture-style instruction to fully remote, while labs, studios, clinicals, and other instruction that require on-campus facilities will remain on campus.
Brown and UMass Dartmouth’s decisions to change its upcoming plans are due to rising cases of COVID-19 in both Rhode Island, Massachusetts and across the country.
Brown University
Brown said all undergraduate classes will be taught remotely from Sept. 9 until the week of Oct. 5. Brown said only a “limited number” of students will be brought back to campus later this month in the first phase of its new plan to bring back students to campus, with most undergraduates beginning classes “from other locations.” Returning undergrads will come back to campus in late September to start in-person instruction, Brown said, and this approach will not impact graduate and medical students.
If COVID-19 cases have decreased locally from their current level over the next 14-day period and the number of students who test positive for the virus is “sufficiently low,” Brown said that it will go back to its originally planned trimester academic schedule. This adjustment will also not impact first-year students, who are expected to take classes in the spring and summer terms.
However, if the health situation doesn’t improve by Sept. 11, Brown’s fall semester will be taught entirely remotely, the university said.
“I want nothing more than to see all of our students back on campus,” Brown President Christina H. Paxson said in her letter to the campus community. “However, we must make decisions that prioritize the health and safety of the Brown community as well as the greater Providence community. I recognize that this year will be unlike any other, but we remained committed to delivering Brown’s world-class education.”
UMass Dartmouth
While most UMass Dartmouth’s original reopening plan that it announced in early July will remain in place, switching to mostly online courses was one of two major changes the university made, said Mark Preble, the university’s acting chancellor. The other major change, Preble said, is there will be a further reduction of students living on campus.
To limit the impact and determine residential status, Preble said UMass Dartmouth will prioritize those students who are required to travel the greatest distance to take on-campus instruction, as well as students who, due to personal circumstances, rely upon on-campus housing, dining, technology and other services.
On-campus facilities will operate in a limited capacity, with access being restricted “in some cases,” Preble said. UMass Dartmouth’s campus de-densifying is needed to ensure safety for all at the university, Preble said.
“Our experience in the spring made it clear that the impact of a remote learning environment can create hardships for our students who do not have access to a conducive living/learning environment and/or technology,” Preble said. “In the coming days, we will be working with our deans, department chairs, faculty and staff in the Division of Student Affairs to provide support for our students who are disadvantaged by this decision.”
Preble said UMass Dartmouth plans to host a virtual town hall Tuesday to discuss the updates.
Some local colleges, including Rhode Island College and Johnson & Wales University, also recently announced that most of their fall classes will be held online only.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
