McGill University, like universities worldwide, has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, McGill announced that it will offer its Fall 2020 courses primarily through remote delivery platforms. The semester will start as scheduled.
“Students and their families can be assured we are planning for robust and high-quality teaching even if the modes of delivery will be modified for this term,” said Prof. Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), in a statement to the community. “Our commitment is to allow new students to initiate, and returning students to continue without interruption, their respective program of study principally through remote learning platforms.”
As the COVID-19 situation has evolved over past months, McGill academic leadership and teaching staff have been fully dedicated to developing programs and courses that will offer the needed flexibility to undergraduate and graduate students alike, regardless of where they are located in the world. The University is also developing ways to remotely deliver activities such as small classroom-based seminars, conferences, tutorials, workshops, or reading groups.
In addition to formal academics, the University is planning on ways for students, from afar, to connect with extraordinary classmates, learn from world-renowned experts, and exchange with other curious, and brilliant minds from all around the world.
In recognition of the campus life and engagement activities that are part of the full “McGill experience,” the Provost wrote that “My team and I are working assiduously to create opportunities for students’ extracurricular engagement.”
He added that, should public health restrictions on social gathering be lifted, the University will examine the possibility of limited on-campus student life and learning activities in the fall. Were such activities to take place, they would respect careful safety protocols.
“I realize this coming term will be different,” wrote the Provost, “but it will be McGill just the same, with all of its academic excellence and strength of community for which our University is known.”