James Cook U pauses campus classes next week in Townsville and Cairns
The suspension is to “help lecturers fast-track the development of online course materials.” Nursing is set to start Monday with other courses ready to go on-line, launching March 30. The remainder will start April 6. Campuses are open next week.
Uni Newcastle is moving towards teaching only on-line but for how long is not known
Vice Chancellor Alex Zelinsky tells staff, course coordinators have/are preparing lesson-plans for three teaching weeks starting Monday. Courses will go live on-line once weekly plans are quality-assured and some will be up on Monday.
Professor Zelinsky advises a decision on whether all on-line continues for the rest of semester will be made at Easter.
“It is important to note that some face-to-face activities will still go ahead – like laboratory sessions – and we are working through these details. Our university campuses will of course remain open for those students and staff who wish to use our spaces,” the vice chancellor adds.
As of yesterday, Uni Newcastle has had no COVID-19 cases on campus
Griffith U has suspended all classes with 100 plus people
GU says this conforms with the Federal Government ban on such-size indoor gatherings, although it does not apply to HE. Classes covered are already being moved on-line. Campuses stay open.
Uni Adelaide lectures on-line but students can turn-up for tutes
All lectures are on-line as of Monday (most already are). Tutes will follow Monday week. However, students will have the option of taking tutorials on-line or in-person. In-person pracs can’t meet social-distancing requirements and are off until April 27 when, “full practical experience, critical to our world-class education, will be restored.” The university does not state how.
Uni Adelaide is adding “student representation” to the Incident Response Team.
While students have a choice about turning-up, otherwise, the campus is open. “We have obligations to research programs and to essential services,” Vice Chancellor Peter Rathjen says.
Charles Sturt to go on-line
On-campus classes will move on-line after mid-semester break, which is being brought forward. The last day for in-room teaching is today week. The first for all-remote is April 14. This applies for the remainder of first semester. “At this stage,” campuses remain open.
So will Curtin U
Coursework teaching is “paused” next week, “to allow a smooth transition to on-line learning.” Classes are back March 30. The university says campus remains open and that it will loan laptops, provide digital texts and grant bursaries for internet access, “to help disadvantaged students remain connected.”
Uni Adelaide promises support for casuals in a shut-down
Continuing and fixed-term staff who are in self-isolation, are suffering COVID-19 or caring for a victim can access “temporary additional paid leave.”
If campuses are shut-down or there is an “ongoing disruption to teaching” Uni Adelaide says it will pay casuals for the hours they were rostered to work over two weeks.
As does Uni Newcastle
Vice Chancellor Alex Zelinsky told staff yesterday management has committed to ten days “safety net” leave for all staff – all staff, and that includes casuals.
Uni Melbourne has a case but continues
The first COROVID-19 case at Uni Melbourne was announced yesterday. The staff member was last on campus Friday and the people they saw then are contacted. The building involved is closed to Monday and has had “a deep sanitising clean.” The staffer is said to feel ok now.
Uni Melbourne advises it continues to “work closely” with Victorian authorities, “to ensure the health and safety of all our students, staff and visitors.”
But the nearest thing to acknowledging the possibility of campus having to close is a statement that the university “will continue to act” on government advice.
QUT announces COVID-19 case
Last night the university announced its first COVID-19 infection. It is a business student who was on campus last Friday but contact with 50 or so people was so casual that Queensland Health says they need not self-isolate. QUT had already announced it was pausing classes next week.
ACU announces an infection but stays open
A student suffering COVID-19 was at the Strathfield campus, in Sydney for two hours Monday and one Tuesday. The university is “working with NSW Health” to notify people in contact with and there has been “an intensive two-step clean” of all relevant areas.
The university has been open all week, and is so today. However, there are no classes next week, as academics gear-up to teach all on-line
La Trobe U gets serious with sport cancelled
To “mitigate” contact risks and to “focus the resources of the university on the core activities of teaching and learning” LT U cancels all campus sport and rec until April 28. Perhaps they expect things to improve by then.
And Monash prepares for the worse in research
Monash U Provost Marc Parlange advises researchers on how to brace for impact. Most of it is a higher form of “clean hands and files backed-up” but some suggests Professor Parlange fears things could go bad.
He tells researchers to plan to keep projects going with, “significantly reduced on-campus staffing load.” And he wants them to be able to “protect and preserve essential research data, samples and compositions in the event a major disruption.”