Weber State University announced its plan to continue the current flexible course delivery methods into spring 2021 on Sept. 17
The decision was made after reviewing feedback from surveys sent out to students and faculty on Sept. 2 about their experiences with the first couple of weeks of fall 2020, as well as preferences for spring 2021. The university said it also reached out to other Utah institutions to inquire what was working for them.
The survey received 1,137 student responses and 304 faculty responses, and the feedback was positive regarding the first two weeks of the fall 2020 semester and the delivery of courses during that time.
The flexible course delivery methods system provides students with a variety of options for their school scheduling needs and preferences while also limiting the campus crowds, providing socially distanced classroom spaces and establishing protocols for symptomatic faculty, staff and students.
In addition to the current system, there will be special consideration in regards to prioritizing face-to-face options for classes that benefit from in-person and hands-on instruction. Students also asked for multiple delivery options for classes so that each individual could have the choice of virtual, hybrid, online or face-to-face according to their preferences.
Additionally, faculty that choose the “flex” delivery method have been asked to provide a description of how the class will be structured before registration, so that students may know and take that into consideration when forming their schedules.
The university recognized that it is still early in fall semester, but said that making this decision now will help them be adequately prepared for spring semester and ensure that students can still begin to register for classes in October.
