(WXYZ) — The University of Michigan announced its plans for the fall 2020 semester.
University President Mark Schlissel said the semester will look and feel different than "anything we have seen before" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students can choose to either return to Ann Arbor for a "hybrid learning experience" or study from home remotely.
The Ann Arbor campus will open its residence halls for housing and dining. The Dearborn and Flint campuses will have specific plans for hybrid instruction.
The university's plan for an in-person semester relies on basic public health strategies, Schlissel said.
"We will protect our students, faculty and staff with a broad array of research-based public health measures and tools," he said in a letter to students. "We will make full use of our longstanding excellence in teaching and learning, both in person and online, and tap our innovative spirit to deliver a world-class Michigan educational experience in these most unusual times. And we will ask all of you to join in prudent health and safety actions that will embody our commitment to caring for one another."
Students on the Ann Arbor campus will be able to choose from a full set of courses, which will be offered in formats that include in-person, remote and mixed instructions.
Decisions about which courses and sections to offer in which formats will be made by schools, colleges and departments to fulfill their unique educational needs.
Large classes will be held remotely, small classes will be held in person, and medium-size classes will be a hybrid of the two.
For the Ann Arbor campus, classes will begin Aug. 31, 2020, as previously scheduled, but fall break will be eliminated. The last day of in-person classes for the semester will be Friday, Nov. 20. After a nine-day-long Thanksgiving break, classes will resume remotely on Monday, Nov. 30 and continue until Dec. 8., with finals running Dec. 10-18.
There will not be a December Commencement ceremony, Schlissel said.
View the university's full plan for the fall semester here.
For the winter term, classes will begin on Jan. 19, 2021 and spring break will be eliminated. Finals will run April 22-29.
The university is also finalizing plans and protocols for student, faculty and staff testing for infection with the virus that causes COVID-19.
Michigan Housing will set aside living spaces to quarantine and care for those with significant exposures to others diagnosed with COVID-19, as well, to isolate those diagnosed with this infection who cannot return home to recuperate.
The Dearborn campus announced it would not be participating in athletic competitions. The Ann Arbor campus is expected to announce a decision on athletics in coming weeks.
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