The University of North Florida plans to use a mix of in-person and remote classes for the fall semester, while also reducing capacity for classrooms, athletic events and student housing as it maps out a strategy for reopening during the coronavirus pandemic.
UNF announced plans to reduce class sizes and establish capacity limits for classrooms to adhere to social distancing guidelines, and plans to shift to online-only course instruction for the final two weeks of fall.
The steps are part of a draft blueprint presented to the board of trustees in a conference call Monday morning, and subsequently approved by the board.
At present, the blueprint said, UNF plans to use remote, in-person and hybrid classes for the fall, and said that “experiential” courses would be the ones given the greatest emphasis for face-to-face instruction.
Compared to past years, in which UNF estimated that some 75 to 80 percent of its classes were delivered face-to-face, the school expects these courses to make up no more than 50 percent of the total in the fall.
In some cases, UNF could move classes to larger rooms to prevent overcrowding.
Crowds at Ospreys sporting events are expected to be “limited,” though the limit was not specified. Those criteria will be determined based on local authorities as well as UNF’s athletic conference, the ASun.
New procedures for athletics include testing and screening of all athletes — nearly 400 in all — as well as a reduction in air travel.
Also restricted: occupancy for on-campus residency. That capacity, UNF said, will be reduced by 11 percent compared to fall 2019. The university will limit guests on campus, and large social events and activities will face similar curbs. The college is also halting all study-abroad programs for the semester.
Students, faculty and staff will also be required to wear masks when in common areas indoors. The plans call for daily screening using a mobile application for students, faculty, staff and vendors.
The school said it has trained five employees in contact tracing methods in the event of a positive test at UNF, and has reserved 10 rooms as quarantine or isolation rooms if needed.
The university is also preparing contingency plans in case the fight against the coronavirus encounters a setback.
The key dates for the fall semester remain unchanged, from Aug. 17 to Dec. 11. However, instruction from Nov. 30 onward will be exclusively remote.
Other colleges in the city are also adjusting their plans due to the coronavirus. Two weeks ago, Jacksonville University and Edward Waters College both modified their calendars for the fall semester, moving the start of classes forward in a bid to avoid what some epidemiologists fear could be a second wave of COVID-19 in late fall.