Summer 2020 courses through UNC will be taught remotely in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a Thursday email from Provost Bob Blouin.
This will include Maymester, Summer I and Summer II courses, Blouin said in the email. The College of Arts and Sciences will continue to offer the spring 2020 pass/fail option for students through the summer, while the deans of the graduate and professional schools will be able to decide whether to do the same.
Students will be able to enroll in nine credits in Summer I and Summer II without approval from their dean to "allow greater opportunity for students to progress to degree," Blouin said in the email.
Blouin said this decision to move summer classes online will allow professors to get ahead on developing remote learning strategies.
The University previously extended spring break by a week and moved to remote instruction indefinitely due to the pandemic, and later closed residence halls for students unless they qualified for an exception.
All spring and summer 2020 study abroad programs through the University were also canceled due to the pandemic. Blouin's email said more than 1,650 undergraduates were impacted by coronavirus-related study abroad cancellations, as well as many graduate students.
"Our preference is to maintain all current Summer 2020 course offerings to preserve the widest range of academic options possible," he said in the email. "We will be following up with some department chairs and instructors individually to fill gaps and possibly add courses in specific disciplines."
