The University of Washington announced this week that it is switching to online learning for the rest of the semester due to concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. More than 50,000 students will be shifted out of the classroom.
According to a report by the New York Times, the University of Washington announced on Friday that they moving their courses online for two weeks. The decision, which will affect 50,000 students in the University of Washington system, comes amidst a national panic over the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
“Starting Monday, March 9, classes at UW campuses will no longer be meeting in person thru the end of winter quarter March 20. Campuses will remain OPEN,” the university wrote in a tweet. “This action is to support social-distancing steps the region is taking to fight #COVID19.”
University officials around the country are considering plans to modify in-class learning for the remainder of the semester. Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart said that the university is considering multiple options as a response to the novel coronavirus. Like other universities, Yale is awaiting guidance from government authorities.
“In making any decisions about new actions we might take in response to Covid-19, such as the implementation of social distancing or a full or partial closure, Yale leadership will rely on guidance from federal, state and local authorities, and from our own faculty and staff experts,” Peart said.
Marilynn Johnson, a history professor at Boston College, was forced to return from a study abroad program in Venice after the virus started to spread in Italy. Johnson said that universities are scrambling during spring break to find a plan to combat coronavirus.
“Everybody’s making contingency plans back in the U.S. over spring break,” Johnson said. “I think people are anticipating that the same thing may happen in the U.S. that’s happening in Europe. They’re suddenly going to come back and find out that there’s a ban on large gatherings, and that the universities have suspended in-person classes.”
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