As the Summer 2020 Term is now underway at University Canada West, we wanted to share our plans for the Fall Term, which starts on Oct. 19.

Since the onset of COVID‐19, the safety of our students, staff and faculty have been at the forefront of our response. We have adapted our teaching delivery methods and supports to ensure students can continue to succeed. We are planning to implement blended learning delivery for the Fall Term. This means that many students will have both online classes and limited on-campus learning. Students will do preparation work in the MyUCW Student Portal for their course before attending on-campus learning sessions with professors in our classrooms.

We’re introducing comprehensive safety measures as we prepare to welcome students back:

• Masks will be mandatory for everyone on campus.
• Student Health Ambassadors will help enforce physical distancing measures.
• Signage related to physical distancing and other measures to reduce the risks related to COVID-19 will be clearly posted throughout the campuses.
• We are installing protective barriers in areas where students and staff interact.
• Hand sanitizer will be available at each entrance, classroom and common area. Our cleaning schedule and protocols have been increased. High touch areas such as doorknobs, handrails and desks will be sanitized frequently.
• There will be limited seating capacities in our classrooms and we have scheduled extra time between classes to allow for a sanitizing cleaning.
• Directional signs on the floors will allow students to maintain physical distancing while getting to and from their classes.

These safety measures and more are all part of the detailed reopening plan that you can find on our website here.

We are expecting the on-campus portion of the blended delivery to take place at both at our West Pender and our new Vancouver House campuses. We will continue to follow the advice and guidance of the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and the BC Ministry of Advanced Education about our plan to reintroduce on-campus learning. We will only reopen if we can do so in a safe and responsible manner.

You can watch the video on our reopening plan below:

For students unable to join us in Vancouver for the Fall 2020 Term, they will still be able to take their classes online and join us on campus at a later time. We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus starting in October.

Sincerely,
Brock Dykeman, UCW President