ASU, University of Arizona Switching to Online Classes Over the Coronavirus

"The university has been busy planning and preparing for the possibility of transitioning to an online teaching and learning environment to help manage the potential spread of COVID-19."

By Steven Hsieh

March 11, 2020

Wikimedia commons user Daderot, public domain

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Arizona State University is transitioning from in-person classes to online instruction "whenever possible," ASU president Michael Crow announced on Wednesday.

"The university has been busy planning and preparing for the possibility of transitioning to an online teaching and learning environment to help manage the potential spread of COVID-19," Crow said.

The change goes into effect Monday, March 16. Classes will continue on an online basis for two weeks, at which point the school will "assess where things stand with COVID-19."

University buildings will remain open, including dormitories, computer labs, food service, health clinics, counseling services, and research labs. Public events are also scheduled to continue as planned.

"We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution. Public health officials have not yet made this a requirement for public institutions. Nevertheless, given all that we know and what we can anticipate based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we believe this is the most prudent course of action at the current time," Crow said.

There have been nine confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Arizona. The first confirmed case was a member of the ASU community who recently had traveled to Wuhan, China.

Governor Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus on Wednesday.

Update: University of Arizona, which is currently on spring break, will delay the start of classes to Wednesday, March 18, at which point it will move "from in-person instruction to online instruction wherever possible," according to an announcement from school president Robert C. Robbins.

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