In an email sent last Friday, Provost Noel Wilkin asked that all university faculty begin thinking about how they would teach the remainder of a semester online if the university decides to suspend in-person classes amid growing concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.
In the email, Wilkin wrote that “now is a good time to begin planning for how you (faculty) would respond to the potential impacts of COVID-19, if it becomes necessary.” He added that a committee to “address the continuity of academic planning” has been formed and will be chaired by Tony Ammeter, associate provost and director of outreach and continuing studies. The email also contains a link to a university web page that provides faculty with resources on how to teach classes online.
Among the areas of assistance are “shifting content online, delivering lectures online and collecting assignments online.” Wilkin could not be reached at the time of publication.
The email spurred Susan Duncan, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law, to hold a meeting with law professors, gauging how they would respond if the university decided to suspend in-person classes. She reiterated that the meetings were only precautionary, and that the law school would follow the university’s direction in whatever decision they make.
“Even if it never happens, it’s nice to know you have a plan in place,” Duncan said.
To date, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state of Mississippi. However, in bordering states, four cases have been confirmed in Tennessee and one in Louisiana.
The deliberation on whether or not to temporarily transition classes online comes at a time when the over 20,000 students – both undergraduate and law – are away from campus on spring break. As students depart from Oxford for domestic and international locations, there is growing concern that as students return, so will the virus.
In a March 4 email to the student body, Provost Noel Wilkin “strongly discouraged” students from traveling to countries under varying levels of government warning, including China, Italy, Japan, Iran and South Korea.
This decision also comes on the heels of Harvard University’s announcement on Tuesday that all students must leave campus by Sunday, March 15 in an effort to “de-densify” the campus. Classes at Harvard will resume online on March 23.
Harvard is not the first university to insist students take classes remotely. Ohio State University, Stanford University and the University of Washington are among a growing list of universities nationwide that have temporarily suspended in-person classes amid coronavirus concerns.
James Thomas, an associate sociology professor on sabbatical for the semester, said he is dubious of all of higher education’s response to the outbreak.
“I’d be willing to bet any faculty looking at that page is probably overwhelmed with the amount of information, but lack of guidance in how to use it. It looks like the university borrowed heavily from (North Carolina State University and Indiana University) – that’s pretty common,” Thomas said.
“In my field, we call it isomorphism: how institutions of the same ilk tend to mirror one another’s processes,” he said. “The problem is that this can oftentimes become a feedback loop, and institutions like ours look for how to proceed by watching others.”
Thomas added that he believes the university is “operating in good faith, and giving the campus the information available at the time.”
If university administrators decide to temporarily transition to online classes, the University of Mississippi would join Ohio State University as the only other educational institution to shut its doors without a confirmed case of coronavirus in their state.
The Provost’s office established a university web page devoted to sharing updates on the virus both globally and in Mississippi, including best practices on hygiene and what to do if you become sick. It was last updated on March 9.
