University of Florida urges Professors to teach all classes online due to Coronavirus

Gainesville, Florida – In response to the evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., Provost Joe Glover sent a memo to academic deans at the University of Florida on Monday, March 9th, 2020 recommending that instructors move their courses from face-to-face delivery to an electronic delivery mode effective immediately, wherever possible.

While this is not a requirement at this time, there is a strong probability that it will become a requirement before the end of the spring semester, and so instructors are encouraged to transition now.

Instructors should continue to follow their syllabus, assignment and exam schedules, and office hours schedule.  Instructors are responsible for notifying their students in advance about the shift to the online format and to communicate regularly to them expectations surrounding assignments, exams, etc.

Help is available to assist faculty with transitioning at https://elearning.ufl.edu/keep-teaching/  

The university will make every effort to be considerate of instructor and student concerns during this unprecedented situation.  Instructors are strongly encouraged to be similarly considerate of student concerns. 

As of now, the university is planning to deliver the usual summer sessions. However, it is possible that circumstances may require all courses to be delivered online.