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College will look a lot like this for students returning to campus.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove Goldfarb School of Nursing's safety guidelines. Those guidelines were for summer classes. When guidelines for fall have been made public, the story will be updated. We regret the error.
From kindergarten classes to colleges, schools across the country are all facing the same question: How can students return to learning safely and effectively this fall? Throw in the fact that college students also live, dine, study, and socialize on campus, and university officials had to make some difficult decisions.
In most cases, administrators have been working since the spring to find the best way to reopen without jeopardizing the health of students—or losing too much of the on-campus charm that defines a college experience and keeps people enrolling.
"It was like a really big puzzle, just trying to put together all the different stakeholders and experts from whom we were getting advice and so forth," Washington University Provost and Executive Chancellor for Academic Affairs Beverly Wendland says.
The majority of colleges in the area are planning on using a hybrid approach to learning, with some classes online, some in person, and some in a blended format of rotating in-person classes. Accommodating as many students as possible proved a priority. Some students preferred online classes, where exposure was less likely, while others wanted to be back to in-person.
"You're always trying to err on the side of keeping people safe, keeping people healthy, but you also have to balance that against what you're trying to do and the urgency some students have of being on a college campus," says Joe Deighton, Fontbonne University's interim chief operating officer and vice president of student affairs.
In-person classes hinge on the ability for campuses to follow safety procedures. These include increases in cleaning, mask mandates, and social distancing. Washington University found a solution in its "Zoom-study-dine" pods, which are designed to separate students in common areas. Other schools are using Plexiglass or rethinking classroom designs. If these don't work or they're not enough, they also have contingency plans to go online again.
"If there came a point where we couldn't provide the precautions that we think we need, then we would go remote," Deighton says. "We're hoping we don't have to do that, but we're ready to do it when need be."
Of course, it really all depends on whether students are willing to follow the guidelines put in place. Different schools are using different enforcement techniques, but for the most part, they're relying on campus-goers to look out for themselves and each other. The enforcement they are doing is mainly positive, with campaigns, ambassadors, and education. "We know that a purely disciplinary environment won't work 100 percent, so we want compliance to be driven by people wanting to do this for each other," Rob Wild, interim vice chancellor for student affairs at Washington University, says. He points out that universities are already enforcing any number of campus policies, from smoking to drinking to cheating; this one is just newer and more immediate.
Still, Lindenwood University Provost Mark Arant voices a major concern: Will students actually heed the warnings? He's in the extra tough position of being in St. Charles County, where there is no mask mandate. He, and the other schools' administrators, say they're proud of their staffs and the work they've done—now, they say, much of the follow-through falls on students.
"My biggest concern is making sure everybody follows the guidelines," he says. "I believe we've got a good plan. Will there be some issues that come up along the way? I don't know. But if we can get everybody to follow the protocols—wearing the mask, the social distancing, the washing of hands—I think we're going to be able to make this."
Here's how some of the region's colleges, in alphabetical order, plan to reopen as of publication:
- Fontbonne University will use a combination of in-person, virtual, and blended classes. The on-campus semester will end early, after Thanksgiving break, with the remainder of the year, including final exams, taking place remotely.
- Harris-Stowe State University will offer three different types of classes this semester: asynchronous online, synchronous online, and a combination of online and in-person, though students may be allowed to attend in-person meetings through video conference.
- Lewis and Clark Community College is offering five class models: online classes in which students still attend set lectures, completely online courses with no meeting times, a hybrid with students meeting virtually and coming to campus for labs and other work that can not be done virtually, a hybrid in which students have no meeting times and come to campus to complete some work, or traditional in-person classes.
- Lindenwood University has both in-person and virtual classes this semester, with options for students to video conference instead of attending in-person classes. It has also adjusted its schedule to combine Thanksgiving and fall breaks, with in-person classes ending after Thanksgiving.
- Logan University is planning to use a hybrid schedule, with lecture courses online and labs being offered in a compressed in-person format. The in-person classes will end after Thanksgiving break, with online classes continuing.
- Maryville University will use a hybrid approach, with students attending classes both virtually and in person. On-campus work will end after Thanksgiving break, with the semester wrapping up online. The university, which already boasts its online classes, is also launching a series of 16-week, completely virtual courses.
- McKendree University will continue with in-person instruction for classes that can be held with social distancing in place. Instructors for larger classes will choose which method to use: synchronous classes in which some students return to class and some attend virtually; rotating sections of students attending lectures and completing asynchronous activities; or a combination of the two. The university will stop in-person classes after Thanksgiving break, with finals taking place remotely.
- Midwest Institute, as of its last update, was using remote instruction for lectures and small in-person classes for lab sections. The school has not otherwise publicly announced its plans for the semester.
- Missouri Baptist University has moved some classes online, and will offer others through a hybrid model in which some students attend in person while others watching via video conferencing. All classes, including final exams, will be online after Thanksgiving break.
- Principia College plans to reopen this fall for in-person classes. It has not yet publicly released any specifics.
- Ranken Technical College will be holding classes in person, with anyone returning to campus expected to self-evaluate their symptoms.
- Saint Louis University will hold in-person classes with online accommodations with students who need them. Undergraduates will begin and end the year early, taking final exams remotely after Thanksgiving.
- Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville will hold classes in person, online, or in a hybrid format. Capstone, lab, and other hands-on classes are the university's highest priority for in-person. Most in-person instruction will end after Thanksgiving break, with a few select classes continuing until finals week.
- Southwestern Illinois College is returning to in-person classes in the fall. Larger classes will work on a rotating schedule of which students attend lectures in person and which students watch remotely.
- St. Charles Community College has three options for how classes can be formatted: completely in-person, remote with set meeting times, or online with no set meeting times.
- St. Louis Christian College will resume in-person classes two weeks earlier than previously planned, with evening classes taking place virtually. Students will have a combined break for Thanksgiving and fall break in order to reduce travel.
- St. Louis College of Health Careers has not publicly announced what its fall semester will look like, but its website does say it will be implementing safety and cleaning procedures across campus.
- St. Louis College of Pharmacy will provide in-person classes, with the option for students to attend lectures virtually. This option does not apply for labs, which must be completed on campus. The school also pushed the beginning of the semester up a week and will end in-person classes after Thanksgiving.
- St. Louis Community College will return to both online and in-person classes, with many classes being moved to virtual platforms.
- Stevens – The Institute of Business & Arts has not yet publicly announced its plans for the fall semester, though its website says it plans to hold fall classes in person.
- University of Missouri – St. Louis will offer in-person classes, as well as both synchronous and asynchronous courses and blended classes, which use both in-person and online components.
- Washington University will hold classes in-person, online, or in a combination of both, with remote options available for those who may not be able to return to campus. Students who leave St. Louis will not be allowed back on campus, and will also have to finish the semester remotely. The school also changed its scheduling, staggering return dates for students and adding an extra five minutes between classes.
- Webster University students will be able to return to campus this fall, with classes being offered in person with virtual aspects or completely remote.
