We are looking forward to your return to campus for the 2020 fall semester. We have been planning since late spring to conduct our classes this fall with the best possible educational experience for you, while making health and safety our highest priority. While we all must remain flexible in response to the pandemic situation and public health guidance, we want to share information to help you plan for the fall semester.
Fall semester 2020 at UAH will follow its regular academic calendar and begin on August 19, 2020. At this time, our plan is to have the scheduled breaks for Labor Day holiday, Fall Break, and Thanksgiving Break, and return after Thanksgiving for one week of classes and then final exams. We are planning for Fall Commencement on December 14, 2020.
We have heard from students who want to return to campus and from others who are concerned about returning to campus. To meet the needs of all students, we developed a plan to provide on-campus courses while promoting safety, as well as “remote” options for those who prefer that alternative. The principles that guided our planning efforts are as follows:
- Deliver a high quality and high value educational experience at UAH.
- Promote a safe and healthy campus environment following CDC guidelines.
- Prepare to adapt as conditions warrant.
Class Schedule
To promote safety and health, and practice social distancing, we will reduce the number of students who are in the classroom during class meetings. Most undergraduate on-campus courses will utilize a “hybrid” approach that mixes regular in-class meetings with online course content to provide students opportunities to engage with their instructors and fellow students, and maintain the in-class learning experience. For example, our hybrid courses typically will meet in-class once per week, rather than twice per week, and students will be expected to complete online assignments and/or watch videos or access resources online regularly throughout the semester. These courses will have a fully online option for students who are unable to attend the on-campus class because of health concerns or quarantine. More information about the hybrid approach will be provided in the coming days via email and online at https://www.uah.edu/return-to-campus. If you have technology support needs, please contact the Enhanced Teaching and Learning (ETL) help number 256.824.3333 or e-mail the helpdesk@uah.edu,
Some UAH courses will be offered only online, because UAH is committed to social distancing and cannot accommodate larger classes in our classrooms. UAH faculty have been working diligently this summer to design quality online courses for this fall.
Changes to the course schedule will begin in early July and will be completed by July 10. The class schedule will be as close as possible to the current schedule. This means that a class scheduled for a specific day and time, such as MW at 9:40 a.m. will likely remain in the same timeslot. Fully online courses will not typically have a designated meeting time, and students will access those courses regularly throughout the semester, working at the pace set by the instructor. Please note that the College of Nursing and the College of Education Curriculum and Instruction Department have special restrictions imposed by outside agencies. They will follow the guiding principles of the Academics Plan but may have different implementations.
All students’ schedules will be automatically updated. If you have registered for your fall courses, you will likely not need to make changes to your schedule. However, after the schedules are updated, you may change your schedule to enroll in a fully online course, or in a hybrid course, according to your preference and course availability.
Health and Safety Guidelines
In compliance with UA System Health and Safety guidelines, we will expect all members of the UAH community – faculty, staff, and students – to adopt the following practices on campus:
- Physical/Social Distancing. Maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others whenever possible.
- Barrier Protection. All must wear a face covering, such as a cloth facemask or a face shield, in classrooms, conference rooms, and the common areas in buildings.
- Sanitizing/Hand-washing. All are encouraged to wash or sanitize hands frequently. Additional sanitizing stations and materials are being added throughout campus.
The goal of these precautions is to protect yourself, your fellow classmates, and your faculty. Please follow them for your own and others’ health and safety
Classrooms and Buildings
Classroom layouts will maintain at least 6 feet between each person. Signage within the buildings will indicate directions in the hallways and on stairways. When possible, stairways will be up-only or down-only. Likewise, where rooms or buildings have multiple doors, marked entrances and exits will direct traffic flow. Whenever possible, please avoid using elevators. The goal is to minimize close interactions
Academic Support
Academic support provided by Salmon Library and the Student Success Center will be available both on-campus and remotely. Other resources, such as computer labs, will be available on-campus and arrangements are being made for remote access where possible.
Further Details
Details of the UAH plan are available at https://www.uah.edu/return-to-campus, you can find details that pertain to specific aspects of campus or programs as those details become available. Please contact your advisor as questions arise.
Charge On
As UAH Chargers, our calling is to “Charge On.” This calling encourages us to seize opportunities and overcome challenges as a university community. Together, we must address the challenges presented by COVID-19 to protect the health and well-being of each other and to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 on our campus and in our community. We are committed to you, our students, your education and your successes. We look forward to seeing you this fall when you return to classes at UAH.
