Burman University will switch to online delivery starting March 23 – when students return after reading week.
Jr Ferrer, marketing and enrolment services at Burman University in Lacombe, said the university wants to be proactive instead of reactive and ensure the safety of all students and faculty.
Friday is the last day of classes, before students go on a reading break for a week.
Once students return, the university will switch to online delivery instead of learning in-class for the remainder of the semester, which is around end of April.
The decision came down to timing of the one week break, and the need for the institution to get ahead of the pandemic.
“We look at the national landscape and see the cases are climbing higher and higher, be it in Ontario, B.C., and also here in Alberta, as well as the U.S.,” said Ferrer.
“We just want to make sure we do our part to ensure safety on campus as well as those around us in central Alberta,” explained Ferrer, adding with the reading week just around the corner, there may be students who may consider travel during the break.
Over the one week break, the faculty will work closely with the university’s IT department to ensure everything will run smoothly for students once they’re back.
Ferrer does not expect any disruptions from moving to online learning.
The faculty has decided those taking hands-on courses will carry on with what they’re doing. Ferrer said for instance practicum students – like those attending the School of Education at Burman are teaching at other schools as part of their program.
“So if the schools they’re placed in are continuing on, the practicum students will continue to go to those schools,” he explained.
Thursday morning the Lacombe university also decided to suspend out-of-province upcoming trips, for both faculty and students. Some of those trips included going to British Columbia, Florida and Maryland.
There are about 466 students that attend the central Alberta university. Ferrer explained over 30 countries are represented on campus every day.
On Wednesday Red Deer College said the institution is monitoring the COVID-19 closely.
“While the risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus in Alberta is low, RDC will continue to monitor the situation using information and guidance from Alberta Health Services (AHS) and World Health Organization (WHO).”
A webpage has been created to inform and update the College community about the coronavirus along with any further developments.
For more information, visit rdc.ab.ca/coronavirus.
In Canada, Laurentian University in Sadbury, Ont., announced its plans to move to online delivery Wednesday. Some U.S., schools have also announced their plans to hold classes remotely including UCLA, Harvard, Yale, Georgetown and Stanford.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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