Fall Term Planning

This message is being posted on behalf of Jonathan Driver, Vice-President Academic and Provost, pro tem. 

To students,

In this uncertain time, it is important to know that SFU is committed to maintaining our high quality education and research programs while protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.

The provincial government recently announced a process for easing some of the COVID-19-related restrictions in B.C., as well as guidelines for colleges and universities. Accordingly, SFU has made the following decisions for the 2020 fall term:

1. Most classes will continue to be delivered through remote methods. This decision creates certainty for students and instructors, safety for those with higher levels of health risks, and access to learning for students who cannot travel to BC at this time.
   
   
2. If allowed by government and health authorities, and provided that personal health and safety can be maintained, we will open selected courses for in-person instructional activities where the learning objectives cannot easily be replicated through remote instruction. Examples may include laboratory-based classes, field trips, and graduate student classes where in-person participation is essential. To avoid having an unsafe number of people on campus, we will limit the number of in-person courses. Working with faculties and health and safety experts, we will identify which in-person courses and activities will be allowed, and we will share that information as soon as we can.
   
   
3. Similarly, and subject to the same health and safety guidelines, some co-curricular and extra-curricular programing (co-op and recreation, for example) may proceed on an in-person basis.
   
   
4. Building on our experience gained in the spring and summer terms, we will ensure that remote learning and teaching provides a high-quality experience, and ensure that students who expect to graduate in the 2020/2021 academic year are able to meet their degree requirements.
   
   
5. We will continue to enhance remote learning support for students and instructors.
   
   
6. We will look at ways to simplify and/or streamline academic requirements to enable students to progress through their programs more easily.
   
   
7. Student supports and services will continue to be delivered remotely, with some services offered in-person, subject to health and safety guidelines.

We continue to work on a number of processes, innovations, and safety regulations to support our university community, so stay tuned for further updates.

Campus service information and FAQs continue to be updated at www.sfu.ca/covid19 as information changes, and student support information is available at http://www.sfu.ca/students/support.html.

Jonathan C. Driver, PhD, RPA
Vice-President Academic and Provost pro tem
Simon Fraser University