Classes moving online January 10-23, 2022

Dear students,  

As we all prepare for a well-deserved break, I’d like to provide some clarity on what will happen in January. 

You may now have seen the announcement from Santa Ono about UBC’s plans for January. To support our community through this period of uncertainty UBC has announced a two-week transition period, when students will take most courses online, before all courses return to in-person learning. To be clear this means that from January 10 – 23 all classes will be online, unless instructors or programs indicate otherwise. Unless otherwise instructed, students should expect that their classes will be offered synchronously – meaning that you should expect to attend at the scheduled time. Students on co-op or practicums will follow the guidelines of their employer or supervisor and are not affected by the temporary move to online classes. Students on co-op or practicums will follow the guidelines of their employer or supervisor and are not affected by the temporary move to online classes. 

In the Faculty of Applied Science, there are a very small number of hands-on, and experiential activities that we feel are essential to preserve at this time, and these will continue in person. Programs will be reaching out to only those who will be impacted no later than January 5.   

We strongly recommend that students who leave the city for the holidays, plan to return to their UBC home by January 10. This will ensure that you can return to class on January 24 even in the event of any potential new testing or quarantine protocols or flight disruptions.  

During this transition period, our campuses are still open and available to students, faculty members and staff, including our buildings and student services (e.g. advising). We know some students may need to access campus, as their home environment is not suitable for learning. We also know some students need to access specialized labs, workshops and studios. We will continue to follow the most up to date safety plans and protocols and therefore do not anticipate any changes in our research or administrative activities. Students who plan to visit campus during this time MUST continue to follow campus safety protocols including wearing a mask, and completing a daily health assessment. 

I know this has been a challenging term for you, as well as for your instructors, dealing with a myriad of changes and uncertainty – 2021 has pushed us all to our limits. But in the spirit of resiliency, I hope this information can enable you to plan accordingly for your holiday break.  

Best wishes,  

James Olson  PhD, FCAE , P.Eng.
Dean, Faculty of Applied Science