PORTLAND, Ore. — When school starts back up in the fall things are going to look different.
Colleges and universities throughout the area already have plans. PSU just released its plans late last week.
For Portland State University students, expect more flexible, technology-friendly options.
They include both fully online courses and those adapted to be online, in-person courses with social distancing and flex courses where professors may have some students in person and some remote.
Right now PSU is working to update more than 150 classrooms to allow for remote participation and social distancing if necessary.
Hundreds of teachers are also getting more training to sharpen their remote teaching skills.
Meantime, Oregon State University also has a tentative plan. The idea is to provide on-site, in-person instruction. Many courses might be a hybrid of in-person and online learning to account for social distancing.
The University of Oregon has a similar plan that includes in-person learning for classes that have fewer than 50 people. Courses with more than that will either be remote or a hybrid.
PSU, OSU and UO have said students will be able to live on campus and that there will be virus testing, as well as contact tracing available. Face masks will be required for all faculty, staff, students and visitors in buildings on campus.
Another common theme we’re seeing is flexibility and the recognition that things could change.
Our news partners at the Statesman Journal also did a write up on fall plans for higher education institutions.