Four Potential Scenarios of What Schools Will Look Like This Fall

As the fall semester approaches, schools across the U.S. are starting to make decisions on what education will look like for the students who attend. The school year won’t look the same for most students because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Harvard and Princeton have recently announced that they are planning to bring at least some students back to school in the fall.

However, both of these universities are set to emphasize online instruction for all students, which includes students who are living on campus. While the situation is still in flux for many colleges and universities in the country, there are numerous scenarios that could be used in the majority of schools this semester. The following takes a detailed look at four of the most likely scenarios.

Blended Learning

Blended learning provides students with a unique hybrid learning environment, which includes a combination of online instruction and face-to-face instruction. The schedule for these courses is mostly similar to the schedule that occurs with standard learning. Throughout the summer months, teachers from many schools have been receiving training for blended learning. Because of the threat that COVID-19 poses, it’s expected that blended learning will take the form of face-to-face instruction for 1-2 days of the week with the remaining days being entirely centered around online instruction.

Online Learning

This particular form of education involves all instruction being provided through online portals, which means that students can complete their coursework from the comforts of their own home. With this scenario, schools are able to avoid any potential issue of students being affected by COVID-19 while attending classes. However, schools must first expand their technological infrastructure to make way for online learning, which takes both time and money.

Click-to-Brick Learning

This scenario begins with a focus on online learning in the fall semester. In the meantime, school officials will continue to monitor the COVID-19 crisis as well as any statements by the local government. In the event that the crisis eases up, the school could reopen in phases, which means that some students would convert to face-to-face instruction while the semester is ongoing. When making the transition to face-to-face instruction, students would likely only be required to attend for half days or a couple days per week.

Brick-to-Click Learning

Some schools are planning to use the brick-to-click learning scenario, which means that students will begin the fall semester by attending standard, in-person classes. If a larger outbreak occurs while the school year is ongoing, the school will be ready to transition quickly to online learning. For teachers who are being trained in this scenario, a transition to online learning would need to happen within 48 hours of an outbreak.

Whether you are starting college this fall or are returning to continue your degree, it’s important that you remain aware of any changes to what school will look like at the university or college that you attend. If you want to be aware of any decisions that your school makes pertaining to the fall semester, consider checking the school website regularly for any updates. Once the fall semester begins, you could also think about receiving assistance for your coursework or tests by contacting one of our experts. These individuals will be able to help you obtain high grades and maintain your GPA.