The following message was sent to the Drexel community on March 12.
Dear Students and Colleagues,
The COVID-19 outbreak, now officially designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization, calls for extraordinary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In light of this, Drexel is announcing several changes to ensure our students’ health and safety while they continue their educational progress.
For college and school undergraduate and graduate quarter programs (all except Kline Law and Medicine):
As previously announced, final exams scheduled for next week will be moved online.
In addition, spring break will be extended by one week, during which time our enhanced protocol for cleaning of campus facilities will continue.
When spring term resumes on Monday, April 6, courses will be taught remotely using web, video and teleconferencing tools already widely adopted by faculty. We are working closely with the deans and faculty to ensure students continue to have an academic experience that is rewarding and challenging.
At Week 3 of the spring term, beginning Monday, April 20, the University will reassess whether to resume face-to-face courses in Week 5, which begins Monday, May 4.
We plan to maintain our graduation schedule for June 10-11.
We believe it would be best for all undergraduate students who live in campus housing to return home and take their final exams online from there next week, as instructed by their professors and college departments.
At the same time, we recognize that some students will not be able to leave for a number of reasons. Some students may be unable to travel due to restrictions and for others, it may be safer to remain here. Be assured that if you are not able to go home, the University’s residence halls, dining services, libraries and other campus services will remain open for you. You can take your exams online from your campus housing.
Instructions for graduate students are currently being formulated and will be shared shortly.
All research activities and campus offices will continue normal operations and will be evaluated for any potential disruption. As a further help, the Barnes & Noble bookstore on campus has agreed to provide free shipping for all student textbook purchases.
The spring break extension does not apply to students in Kline Law and Medicine, which operate on a semester schedule, and that schedule will be maintained. Medical and Nursing students will continue their clinical rotations, unless otherwise noted. Due to the fluidity of the situation, students should check with their supervising faculty member regarding clinical or practicum placements.
Students with questions about spring-summer co-op should get in touch with their co-op advisor. Students with accommodations who will be utilizing the Disability Resources testing center should communicate directly with the Office of Disability Resources.
As we transition temporarily to remote learning, please be assured that we will do everything in our power to ensure that this public health emergency has as little impact as possible on course completion and our students’ pursuit of their degrees. Should additional steps be needed to further curtail face-to-face interactions, our faculty has the technology and know-how to maintain a rich virtual learning experience and ensure academic integrity. Drexel’s online division is a long-time leader in virtual education with over 25 years of experience, and more than 6,000 online students currently are learning remotely. We are confident in our ability to maintain the highest academic standards.
Details on all the precautionary measures enacted thus far can be found on the Drexel coronavirus website. We will continue to share regular updates. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we deal with this complex and rapidly changing situation.
Sincerely,
John Fry
President
Paul E. Jensen
Interim Nina Henderson Provost