The University of Hawaii will shift most of its classes to online lessons only for the first two weeks of the spring semester in response to the current spike in COVID-19 cases.
In an announcement Tuesday, UH President David Lassner said that courses that can be “effectively taught online” will be online-only from Jan. 10, the first day of the semester, until Jan. 24.
The temporary shift excludes lab sessions, career and technical education shop courses and other courses that cannot be conducted online. Lassner wrote that such classes will continue to be taught safely in-person.
“We are not changing course modalities but merely making this adjustment to maximize the safety of our campuses including those who may be returning from another island or farther,” wrote Lassner in the announcement. “We are disappointed to take this action but believe it is appropriate to protect the health and safety of our students and employees.”
According to the announcement, each campus will make its own determinations regarding which classes can be conducted online, based on factors such as local COVID-19 conditions, student density, the number of students traveling back to campus and more.
UH-Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin told the Tribune-Herald in an email Tuesday that about 360 of the campus’ spring 2022 courses are scheduled to be in-person or hybrid, representing fewer than than 50% of the total courses.
“Of that number, 83 (mostly pharmacy, nursing, and education courses) are being assessed by faculty to determine whether they can begin online,” Irwin wrote. “So, that means the number of courses potentially affected is 277-360. These are academic decisions that belong with the faculty and deans. As decisions are made, students will be informed”
UH campuses, including residence halls, will remain open, with on-campus services expected to continue as normally scheduled.
Lassner also urged students and employees to get booster shots as soon as they are eligible, adding that UH is “making plans to include booster shots upon eligibility as part of the definition of what it means to be ‘fully vaccinated.’”
As of Jan. 3, all students and employees are required to be fully vaccinated or have a university-approved medical or religious vaccination exemption contingent upon regular COVID-19 testing. Only students with 100% online classes are exempt from this requirement.
Irwin wrote that more than 97% of UH-Hilo students registered for in-person or hybrid courses have submitted vaccination information or received an exemption, adding that “I am proud of our campus community for the care they have taken for their own health as well as that of others in our campus community.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.