Prof. Singhal: In the Face of the Pandemic, Universities Should Go Online
August 5, 2020
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In an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun, Kalyan Singhal, the McCurdy Professor of Operations Management in the Merrick School of Business at the University of Baltimore, urges colleges and universities to embrace online learning as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten lives.
"University campuses are not isolated from their surrounding towns and cities," Prof. Singhal writes. "Students shop in local stores, dine in local restaurants, drink in local bars and walk on local streets, often unmasked."
The risk of college students infecting friends and family members, he says, will be reduced significantly if campuses elect to deliver education in the virtual environment.
UB has announced that it will host only online classes for the fall semester, and allow employees to telework through the rest of the calendar year.
"Universities in Maryland and Virginia should also take this narrowing opportunity to move classes fully online, except, perhaps, for those that require laboratory facilities," Prof. Singhal adds. "If a university still has a reason to continue hybrid classes, it should provide its students the option to complete their classes fully online without going to the physical classroom."
Read Prof. Singhal's op-ed in the Sun.
Learn more about Kalyan Singhal and the Merrick School of Business.