TCU will allow instructors to go online-only or hybrid, if they want, for one week
Professors at Texas Christian University will have the option to host their classes online, in-person or in a hybrid model for the week of Jan. 10 due to the current surge in COVID cases, but will be required to return to in-person classes the week after, according to a screenshot of an email posted to Twitter.
A spokesperson for TCU confirmed Friday the university is offering this option to professors and said the school will continue to offer free vaccines and testing and will require masks to be worn indoors.
Professors who decide to go online for that week will be required to follow protocols for student equity, according to the email. If professors have to isolate or quarantine during the semester, they will be allowed to move classes online temporarily.
The email also encourages professors to record classes and make the recordings available to students who are isolated or quarantined until they are able to return to class, or stream lectures on Zoom for students who cannot attend in-person because of quarantine or allow students to make up classes they missed using methods the instructors established prior to Zoom.
The message reminds professors that the TCU Student Government Association requested in fall 2020 that the university require in-person-only classes to encourage students to be on campus, “thereby enhancing the experience for all students.”
TCU has confirmed nearly 8,000 students to have received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Jan. 7, according to the university’s COVID dashboard. The university reports 71 total confirmed active cases of the virus on campus, with 43 students and 28 employees found to be infected and currently isolating. Of those active cases, 20 are among students living on campus.
The University of Texas at Arlington announced Thursday it will start its spring semester online-only, with in-person classes resuming in February.