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While freshmen and upperclassmen can be at any campus in Houston they choose, students won’t have their ideal college semester in the fall. The city’s universities have all drawn up plans for students to learn while protecting themselves against COVID-19.
For the University of Houston, President Renu Khator has made it clear that students can anticipate in-person classes in the fall, with some adjustments to follow social distancing guidelines. “The university plans to move ‘large’ classes primarily online. While no decision has become final for the university, 50 students is the proposed threshold for in-person classes.
If the university decides to move forward with in-person on-campus attendance, important social distancing guidelines will be put in place for students and faculty. Big events will be no more, including events like reunions. Even with the advanced precautionary measures taken, some students are still very nervous about attending campuses in the fall.
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As for neighboring Texas Southern University, the school has now implemented a temporary admissions standard – accepting any graduating student in the top 25% of their class, allowing for significant COVID-19 related exemptions for new freshmen who meet the specific criteria. These students would not need to submit SAT or ACT scores. The school’s updated school calendar is now a modified 13-week schedule. With this schedule in place, students will complete the entire semester before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The university will offer in-person courses for the fall semester, as well as hybrid (in-person and online) and online-only formats. Social distancing measures will be in place at the start of the new semester, along with “enhanced cleaning protocols” as mentioned on their website.
“As much as I would love to attend my classes face-to-face and be on campus, I worry about the safety of students and faculty alike,” student Tatyana Gago said.
Rice University intends to follow suit. The campus will open in mid-August with the entire population on campus. All courses will be delivered in a hybrid format, both in person and online. Class sessions will be recorded for students who choose not to attend in person.
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According to university president David Leebron, the process of equipping classrooms with the technological infrastructure for distance learning is currently underway.
The rice will also include social distancing measures, including contact tracing, preventive isolation of potentially exposed people and testing protocols.
As for Prairie View A&M, the school announced the schools plan for the fall in a recent memorandum. The notice said the campus would follow similar precautions as Texas A&M. The school is also going the extra mile by requiring faculty to complete mandatory training for online and hybrid fall courses.
Although all universities will follow stricter attendance guidelines in the fall, there are fewer details about what college will look like for students who depend on on-campus housing, and whether learning remotely is implemented, what does it mean for students with difficulties or difficulties. no reliable WiFi computer access. The virus has exposed students to a much larger educational gap.
Parnia Razi, a graduate student at the University of Houston, expressed concerns about class attendance in the fall.
“I’m not comfortable going back to school in the fall,” she said. “My partner I live with is immunocompromised so we’ve had to take the pandemic very seriously from the start. I know that despite social distancing efforts and masks, there are still issues like public restrooms and meals , both of which are immediately higher risk.”
Risks are high for attending campus in the fall, so more and more students are learning to adapt to completing assignments and tests online, but distance learning is not convenient for everyone – some students need the physical classroom to really understand what is being taught.
“I don’t prefer online because I’m used to being in the room with my teacher and my peers. I feel like I learn better when I’m surrounded by my classmates on the campus rather than online,” Gago said. “With my first experience in an online classroom, there was less engagement and it made the learning experience less exciting.”
Human connection is a factor for some students in their learning experience. The online classroom environment is not the same as in person. Students learn in different ways and distance learning does not always allow for these opportunities.
“I struggled with online learning when COVID first broke out in March of the spring semester. I don’t always understand things quickly, so it’s important that I can really internalize what I’m learning. learn,” said Mackenzie Ferguson. home learning was cool at first, but I realized early on that I needed a physical classroom. I find myself even more easily distracted working from home than working on campus.”
The fall semester will present challenges, and universities will adapt and develop more initiatives over time to keep their staff and students safe.
Over the weekend, Harris County banned gatherings of 10 or more people through the end of August. As cases increase, universities will notify the community of final plans for the fall semester.
