UW Adjusts Delivery of Courses as Part of Fall Return Plan

To execute its plan for the fall 2020 semester, the University of Wyoming has made adjustments related to the delivery method for some courses and reduction of density in classrooms.

As indicated in the “Return to Campus” plan approved by the UW Board of Trustees, the university is moving certain large lecture course sections to be delivered completely online. Students are being notified of these changes via their UW email accounts.

While more than 800 courses have moved to fully online delivery this fall, 65 percent of UW’s courses -- more than 2,000 -- currently have in-person components. The 35 percent of courses currently scheduled to be delivered completely online is up from the historical figure of 15 percent, primarily due to physical distancing requirements stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We knew there would be a higher percentage of online-only courses than usual this fall, but we’re pleased that our students will still have mostly in-person opportunities. We have given priority to first-time students, as well as seniors and graduate students, in preserving these in-person experiences,” says Kyle Moore, associate vice provost for enrollment management. “At the same time, because of the increased number of courses offered online, students who aren’t comfortable being on campus should have plenty of opportunity to continue progressing toward their degrees.”

Additionally, the university has been working on assigning new room capacities to classrooms to accommodate social distancing requirements. These new seating capacities will allow for 6 feet of spacing for students and instructors. The reduced density will mean the experience for face-to-face classes this fall will include practices such as students rotating between spending time in the classroom and engaging in the course virtually on other days.

“Each instructor is building this rotation appropriate to their course needs and the number of students in the course,” says Steve Barrett, associate vice provost for undergraduate education.

Students will continue to have access to advising, tutoring and other services in both in-person and online formats.

“These services will be available for all students, no matter their preferred mode,” Barrett says. “Because of the unusual circumstances we’re in now, our approach is to provide maximum flexibility for everyone.”

Students are encouraged to log in to their WyoRecords accounts to learn how their schedules may be affected by these changes.

For more information about UW’s fall return plan, go to www.uwyo.edu/campus-return.