WVU students participate in COMM 104 Public Communication Class in the South Agricultural Sciences lecture hall during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oct. 6, 2020. (WVU Photo/Greg Ellis)
West Virginia University will offer additional in-person and hybrid classes during the spring 2021 semester, which will begin on January 19.
The University will continue its strategy from the fall of reducing some classroom density and moving others online to slow the spread of COVID-19. As with this fall, the University will continually monitor the local public health situation and adjust as necessary.
In total, half of the course sections offered during the spring semester will be either completely in-person or offer an in-person component in a hybrid format. Public health experts believe continuing to offer some classes online will be more likely to result in maintaining an on-campus presence for the duration of the spring semester.
While the majority of seats will remain online, a total of 43% of seats will be offered in course sections that are either in person or hybrid. This represents an 18% increase from the fall semester. Many of these in-person or hybrid classes will be for freshmen and graduate students; whenever possible, capstone and hands-on courses for graduating seniors will also be offered in person.
In addition, 54% of online courses will be synchronous, meaning that they will meet or interact in real time. This is an increase from the fall semester.
Health experts believe the environment relating to COVID-19 for the spring semester will generally be similar to the fall, as it is unlikely that a vaccine will be available to the general population in large quantities until later in 2021. In addition to the continued threat of COVID-19, the University is also considering the complications of flu season on the campus and local community. University health experts recommend that all faculty, staff and students receive a flu shot this fall.
Students will have the opportunity to review the schedule of courses beginning tomorrow (October 20) within STAR. The University also has created a website to help students better understand the format of their classes, whether it be in-person, hybrid, hyflex, online - synchronous, online - asynchronous or low-residency courses.
Here are the following dates for when students have the ability to register for classes:
● October 27 - Potomac State College and WVU Tech exceptions
● November 2 - Graduate/Professional/Honors Day 1/ L3 / Athletes / Accessibility / Veterans / WVU Exceptions
● November 4 - L2, Honors Day 2, PSC and WVUIT Open Registration
● November 5 - L1, Honors Day 3
● November 6 - Honors Day 4
● November 9 - Seniors (90-plus hours)
● November 11 - Juniors (60-89 hours)
● November 13 - Sophomores (30-59 hours)
● November 16 - Freshmen (1-29 hours)
The add and drop dates for the spring semester have been posted.
Also, the University will not have a spring break next semester but will include non-instructional days on Thursday, Feb. 11 and Wednesday, March 3.
In addition, WVU will announce information on residence hall move-out and move-in, return baseline and spring semester testing and more in the coming weeks.
-WVU-
UR/10/19/20
CONTACT: April Kaull, Executive Director of Communications/University Relations
304-293-3990; akaull@mail.wvu.edu
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