Thread by @DearPandemic

(1/13) Q: Help! My kid is supposed to start or return to #college in the fall. Will colleges even be open? Our family isn't that excited about Zoom U.

A: While very few colleges have announced firm plans, we compiled as much information as we could find in this thread:

(2/13) With so much #uncertainty about what the next academic year looks like, students and their families are having to make big, expensive decisions with little information.

What are some of the options schools are considering? The main scenarios are:

(3/13)
1. Open in-person instruction with changes to accommodate #Covid_19
2. Postpone the start of fall semester by weeks/months.
3. Online/remote instruction in Fall 2020, & re-open campus for Spring 2021.
4. Cancel fall semester and run a full academic year from Jan-Aug 2020

(4/13)
Most schools seem to want to avoid Option #3 (more Zoom U) at all costs. @Macalester in MN stated that remote instruction is their "last resort" option. On the other hand, @calstate-Fullerton has already announced plans to at least start the Fall semester remotely.

(5/13)
@LifeAtPurdue's president Mitch Daniels announced Purdue would re-open with in-person instruction and on-campus living, "determined not to surrender helplessly to [the pandemic's] difficulties but to tackle and manage them aggressively and creatively."

(6/13)
Speaking of creative: @Beloit_College will proceed with a "modular" semester: 2 half-semester modules where students take 2 full-credit courses (rather than 4 courses over a 15-week period).
We're likely to see more creative/hybrid solutions announced in the coming weeks.

(7/13)
If your college announces plans to re-open in the #fall and you're wondering how that will work, and whether you (or your kid) will be safe, here are 6 questions to ask the administration:

(8/13)
1. What measures are in place to accomplish physical distancing in dorms, dining services, athletics, and classrooms?

2. What type (diagnostic vs. serological) and level (tests per day) of testing will be done on campus, and is that capacity in place now?

(9/13)
3. What provisions will be made for isolating cases, and quarantining possible cases/exposed individuals?
For example, has a dorm or hotel been designated for quarantine (ideal), or will students be expected to quarantine in their existing living arrangements (yikes!)?

(10/13)
4. How are more vulnerable members of the campus community being protected? (This includes all those over 60 and those with underlying conditions or compromised immunity).

(11/13)
5. Will the campus be open to visitors, for example, for conferences, admissions events, athletics events?
Will visitors be screened in any way?

(12/13)
6. Finally, how will a decision be made to close campus again if cases increase?
What indicators or metrics will the campus use to decide that it is not safe to remain open, and how will those metrics be collected and communicated?

(13/13)
This link lists Fall 2020 plans from college campuses that have announced them: chronicle.com/article/Here-s…
#COVID19 #CollegeStudent #coronavirus