Confirming details for fall term

This message was originally sent to employees by Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor.

• We are confirming detailed plans for fall term for every faculty.
• Classes will be primarily online with some courses, activities and supports available in person.
• We are sharing plans on the COVID-19 Information website

For several weeks, teams in every Faculty have been working to plan in detail what their approach to the fall term will be. With change happening so quickly, I want to let you know more details about our plans for the fall term.

We are sharing these details with incoming and continuing students today so they can plan for September with confidence. You can view details of every faculty’s plan for instruction for the fall term on our website.

As we said two weeks ago, we are preparing for instruction to happen in two ways this fall – online and in person. This means while many of our courses will happen primarily online, our campus will be open to support students who choose to be in Waterloo to study, or who have courses with elements that will happen in person. For first year students, all courses will be available online, while a select few will also be available in-person.

As you know, we are putting measures in place to keep everyone safe when they come to campus, if they need to do so. This will include detailed physical distancing plans, hygiene measures and thorough cleaning regimes. In short: if our students want or need to be in Waterloo, we will be here to support their needs.

The following principles have guided our thinking for the gradual return to in-person activities:

• We will continue to prioritize health and well-being of everyone in our community.
• We will deliver quality learning experiences worthy of our students in any format.
• We will phase in in-person activities when public health authorities say it is safe.

I am extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed plans and thinking to our approach to the fall term. I am confident that we are well positioned to help our students experience the best that we can offer given the circumstances we face. Many of us hope to return to in person student experiences as soon as we can and we will keep monitoring public health guidance as we plan for winter term 2021.

We are continuing to work on our plans for the safe and gradual return to campus for employees and you can expect to hear more on this in the coming weeks.

Please continue to review the COVID-19 Information website for updates and news as we take steps to reopen our campus in phases.