Cal State Fullerton Moves To Online Classes: Coronavirus Outbreak

FULLERTON, CA — Cal State Fullerton joined other area universities to transition to online classes in a measure toward combating the spread of new coronavirus. Chapman, Pepperdine, Cal State Long Beach, Coast Community College District schools, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton have joined with UCLA and USC Wednesday all are moving toward holding all online classes.

With spring break around the corner, Cal State Fullerton changed its initial response to the new coronavirus outbreak, President Fram Virjee announced Wednesday. After the majority of California Universities transitioning to online classes, Virjee and Cal State Fullerton decided to follow suit.

Though the university has had no presumptive or confirmed cases of the virus commonly referred to as COVID-19 on campus, Virjee said, "rapidly changing information and guidance provided by the CSU Chancellor's Office, along with health officials" encouraged them to be "equally dynamic" in preventing the spread of the virus.

Cal State Fullerton will begin transitioning to online classes beginning Thursday, encouraging its faculty "to commence the delivery of non- face-to-face teaching modalities to the full extent that it is feasible and in service to course requirements." The virtual classes will be mandatory next Tuesday and Wednesday for a technical equipment test, then return to a voluntary basis March 19-20.

All face-to-face and virtual classes at CSUF will be suspended March 23-24, while all in-person courses will be suspended beginning March 25 through April 26.

When he originally stated the university would stay open, Virjee acknowledged "that 'where we are' at the writing of this email could very well change 20 minutes after I send it."

The university's "proactive efforts over the past few months" have enabled them to adapt to "the fluid nature of this situation, making us well positioned to address challenges" like transitioning to online learning, according to Virjee.

Remote classroom learning will include webcams in general classrooms and guidelines for educators on "alternative teaching methods."

At Chapman University in Orange, officials announced that classes will be moved online, but the campus will remain open. Orange County Health Care Agency officials say the risk of contracting coronavirus is low in Orange County, but the move to online classes is meant to "minimize the potential exposure on campus," said Chapman spokesman Amy Stevens.
Chapman human resources managers are "evaluating eligibility and capacity for remote work" for university employees. Sports and other campus- related events with more than 100 spectators will be canceled, Stevens said.

Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, Golden West College in Huntington Beach and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa are also moving toward shifting all of its classes for about 40,000 students online, said Erik Fallis, a spokesman for the Coast Community College District.

Next week, teachers who are able to shift to online education will do so, Fallis said. Most classes will be online after spring break, which ends March 27, he added.

"Some classes will need to still meet in person just by the nature of that class, so we'll look for other options for social distancing," Fallis said.

UC Irvine announced Tuesday next week's final exams will be administered remotely and it will switch to remote courses for the spring quarter.

Like other UC campuses, UC Irvine will cancel all campus events and gatherings of more than 100 participants, and athletic events will be held without spectators.

“The deep and meaningful bonds we share as a Titan Family are made that much more poignant during times of uncertainty and suffering, not just in the care of and commitment to our fellow Titans, but for all humanity," Virjee said. "Together and in the spirit of our mission, we must now infuse that sense of family — along with the tenets of compassion, empathy, and kindness it invokes — to treat and comfort those most affected by this virus, here and around the world.”

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.