Cancelled classes due to coronavirus

[eigen]

CDC preliminary estimates of influenza-related deaths in USA, October through February: 20,000-50,000.

Current count of Covid-19 deaths in USA: 26.

I wish my university's administrators would treat influenza like Covid-19.

Honestly, this is such a non-equivalent comparison.

For one, the current count is a very early number- if you look at the spike of deaths, they happen well into the progression of the virus, rather than being at the outset.

For another, this is the very early stage of a spread for something that is expected to get much, much broader based on any epidemiological model we follow.

What we do know about SARS-cOV-2 as a virus is that it spreads on par with or slightly better than the Flu, and is more contagious when people are asymptomatic than the flu. This means it will spread a lot deeper into the population.

We also know that it results in much more severe illness than most seasonal flu viruses. The death rate is somewhere around an order of magnitude higher.

That suggests that if we don't take this seriously in the early stages and do something to halt the spread, we would expect to see significantly more deaths than the seasonal flu, especially among those over 60.

[Caracal]

Yet K-12 schools remain open, I assume? If so, that's doing things backward.

K-12 schools are weighing the risk of spreading infection against:
a) eliminating access to food for students on free or reduced school lunch.
b) sending kids home to working parents who are unable to stay home with them and/or older caretakers who are more vulnerable to the virus.

I don't know what the right thing to do is, but there are considerations for K-12 schools that colleges/universities don't have to factor in.

The other thing is that the role of kids, especially young kids in transmission is an open question. We know that kids generally get very mild versions, but in China there didn't seem to be much transmission from kids to other people either. That could be wrong and kids might be sources of transmission,  but if they aren't that's another argument against shutting down schools.

[spork]

MIT, Harvard, Smith, and Amherst are ending on-campus classes after spring break. Official pronouncement seems to be "don't expect to be back on campus for the remainder of the semester."

I think we'll see all the uber-elites shutting down "out of an abundance of caution."

[Wahoo Redux]

Word came out today: We have an extra week of spring break to move our classes online for the remainder of March, at least.

[nescafe]

I just recorded/uploaded my first online lecture this afternoon. I have no idea how well/poorly I did, and I'm not going to watch it to learn.

As of now, my university has ordered final exams canceled but hasn't given us instructions for what to do after spring break.

[namazu]

Most of the universities in Ohio are cancelling in-person classes (at OSU and OU, through March 30, unclear for some others): https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200309/universities-around-ohio-suspend-in-person-classes-because-of-coronavirus

Johns Hopkins, which has a big public health school, is as well, "through at least April 12": https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/10/hopkins-coronavirus-online-instruction-spring-break/

Good luck to all who will have to convert courses to online with little notice!

[Anon1787]

My university is discussing the distinct possibility of cancelling in-person classes (2 campuses in our system have done so but most have not). Faculty have been instructed to "finalize" our contingency plans even though most of us (me included) have never had to move our classes online before. All travel has been suspended.

[lightning]

Yet K-12 schools remain open, I assume? If so, that's doing things backward.

K-12 schools are weighing the risk of spreading infection against:
a) eliminating access to food for students on free or reduced school lunch.
b) sending kids home to working parents who are unable to stay home with them and/or older caretakers who are more vulnerable to the virus.

I don't know what the right thing to do is, but there are considerations for K-12 schools that colleges/universities don't have to factor in.

We (I) often forget that public schools have added social and family services to their mission. Thanks for the reminder.

[apostrophe]

Yet K-12 schools remain open, I assume? If so, that's doing things backward.

K-12 schools are weighing the risk of spreading infection against:
a) eliminating access to food for students on free or reduced school lunch.
b) sending kids home to working parents who are unable to stay home with them and/or older caretakers who are more vulnerable to the virus.

I don't know what the right thing to do is, but there are considerations for K-12 schools that colleges/universities don't have to factor in.

We (I) often forget that public schools have added social and family services to their mission. Thanks for the reminder.

Yes. School might be the safest/least chaotic space for children, and school food might be the *only* food some of these kids get all week.

[rxprof]

The governor of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Health declared a state of emergency for the state and encouraged universities move to online instruction. All 14 public universities are "aligning" with this recommendation and taking action.

[marshwiggle]

The governor of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Health declared a state of emergency for the state and encouraged universities move to online instruction. All 14 public universities are "aligning" with this recommendation and taking action.

For perspective from the Ohio Department of Health, as of today:

Confirmed Cases
in Ohio: 3
   
Persons Under Investigation
(PUIs) in Ohio: 15
   
Negative PUIs
in Ohio: 14

Cumulative Number of Individuals Under
Public Health Supervision: 255


(Cumulative number of travelers referred to the Ohio Department of Health for monitoring; includes travelers who have completed their self-monitoring period.  These individuals are not exhibiting symptoms of illness.  Sources include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine and travelers who have voluntarily contacted local health departments upon arrival in Ohio.)

Ohio population: 11.7 million in 2018

and in 209, there were 597 murders in Ohio. Source: These Are The 10 Murder Capitals Of Ohio For 2019

[marshwiggle]

And in 2019, there were 597 murders in Ohio. Source: These Are The 10 Murder Capitals Of Ohio For 2019

correction.

[no1capybara]

I'm in Ohio too, we have suspended classes until Monday so we can transition to online until March 27th, then we will re-evaluate the situation.

Fortunately I've done hybrid classes before but still need to figure out exactly what I want the students to learn in the next 8 weeks.  Especially since I bet things are going to change again - either ending the semester early or staying online until the end of the semester.

Fun and games, I'll adapt.

[mamselle]

I'm not teaching French this term, it would be interesting to figute out how to do pronunciation work, which is usually done on-the-spot with feedback during in-class reviews of homework, assigned soliloquies (《series》), dialogues, and short readings.

To say nothing of my usual practice of starting class with a folk dance, court dance, popular song, etc.

I can create WordThread files for teaching, and have done so in the past, but might need to do in-person short private lessons on Zoom for detailed return demonstrations.

My experience with Zoom as a meeting modality is not positive; too many people have different equipment and mixed abilities to use it, just for starters.

Hmm...

M.

[OneMoreYear]

I'm not sure if I should start a new thread, or it's OK to ask here, but my University will go online starting next week.
One of the classes I am teaching is discussion/seminar style. The primary problem I foresee is that I am hard-of-hearing (CI user), and while my hearing is good enough for face-to-face classes (sometimes I request repetition), I can't hear well over most video software.
For my lecture-based courses, I can use a chat feature and read the questions that students send my way, but I'm not sure what to do about a seminar. Any thoughts?