Boston University announced that students will have a choice of remote or in-person classes this coming fall with the new combination teaching format, titled “Learn from Anywhere.”
According to the university, the new mixture learning format, titled “Learn from Anywhere” (LfA) is designed to not only help control the spread of COVID-19. The LfA program will also combat the travel challenges that students face, given that many of the students may not be able to arrive on campus in September.
This fall, Boston University’s new freshmen and returning students will be given a choice of attending in-person classes or taking classes remotely.
“BU students now have the option to either be in the classroom in person or to participate remotely from their dorm room or off-campus home, and they can exercise that remote option at any time during the semester,” BU President Robert Brown told BU Today.
LfA will allow the university to provide the necessary social distancing in it’s learning facilities. Boston University is considering dividing the class into small groups that will rotate time with in-person sessions. These small groups of students would be called “platoons.” These platoons would swap time in the classroom and learning remotely in order to maintain a small number of students in a class.
If at any point a student is uncomfortable in an in-person class, the school will allow them to attend that class remotely.
The majority of colleges in the Boston area are planning to reopen in the fall. It’s likely they’ll have a firm plan by July. When these plans are announced, we may see many colleges offering smaller breakout sessions with a limited number of students.
