Update: University confirms no face-to-face teaching from 23 March

Pulp covers USyd’s latest COVID-19 response

The University of Sydney has notified students that they are halting in-person teaching from 23 March (next Monday) due to the spread of COVID-19. In an email sent by Vice Chancellor Michael Spence this afternoon, students were told that all teaching and learning would be delivered online. 

Practical course components will reportedly be moved online or delayed until later in the year, with the exception of some clinical placements and workshops. Classes will be updating students through Canvas about the specific online arrangements for their courses. This comes after many classes began moving online in anticipation of the decision, using the videoconferencing platform Zoom to run tutorials. 

University facilities, including libraries and research spaces, will stay open for staff and students to use, however “social distancing measures” and “enhanced cleaning protocols” are in place.

The University has faced criticism from staff and students, including in a statement from the SRC yesterday and from Pulp, for its delayed decision to cease face-to-face teaching. This decision also follows the University’s first COVID-19 patient and the self-isolation of a number of students.