OPSU Fall Semester Plan

The first summer session is underway with classes in session online, and the phased reopening of the university has begun. Since March, faculty worked tirelessly to make sure the student experience was a good one as we moved all instruction online for the spring. President Faltyn said, “their care and attention to our students’ needs made all the difference. Our faculty have led the way in making sure students and meeting their academic needs remain the central focus at a time of so much uncertainty.”

As our university community turns our attention to the fall semester, Deans and Department Chairs have laid the foundation for welcoming students back to campus with comprehensive planning for the fall semester. The group has been hard at work developing and adopting measures to ensure we proceed with the traditional on-campus experience in as safe a way as possible without negatively impacting student learning.

In addition to a return to traditional courses delivered in person, OPSU has confirmed that we have the capacity and expertise to create excellent online educational opportunities. The 2019/2020 academic year saw tremendous growth and success in our flagship online programs such as Nursing, with plans to bring Agribusiness, Business, and Arts and Education options to the same level of excellence in the future. Together with the unprecedented move online this spring we have decided to invest in a state of the art College of Online Programs to continue to expand online educational opportunities for students.

A comprehensive plan for the fall semester to resume on campus is in its final stages. The fall academic plan dovetails with university-wide planning, including cleaning and disinfection protocols, social distancing, and other public health measures as advised by the CDC, the State Health Department, and OMES. As with all planning in this era of COVID-19, this comprehensive plan is a living document and will evolve as the situation changes or guidance is revised.

There will be several key changes taking place for our on-campus classes to promote public health and provide exceptional learning experiences. Any changes to an already scheduled course will be communicated to students through their Aggie Scholars learning management portal. These adaptations include:

1. All on-campus courses will adopt a hybrid course delivery model with content available on the university Learning Management System. All course information will be announced on their course page in Aggie Scholars.

1. 1. In-person class meetings will be limited to 30 students. Courses that were initially larger than this limit will observe a hybrid meeting schedule, with smaller groups of students meeting in person and the rest of the class meeting virtually.
   2. Some classes will meet synchronously online, with the course meeting at the scheduled time, but in a virtual classroom environment.
2. To ensure that students travel between classes without high traffic and congestion and to allow ample time for cleaning and disinfection protocols:
   1. Some course start and end times will be altered.
3. 1. Other courses may be reassigned by building and floor to new locations.
   2. Any changes will be announced on the class Aggie Scholars page.
4. Additional sections of courses will be available online when appropriate.

OPSU will continue to provide community-wide updates at opsu.edu/coronavirus/ and through social media. For specific academic, course, or scheduling questions contact the Academic Resource Center https://opsu.edu/academic-resource-center/