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EWU courses, final exams to go 100% online after Thanksgiving break

Eastern Washington University students are reflected in a window on the Cheney campus on Friday, April 12, 2019. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com(509) 459-5047

All courses and final exams at Eastern Washington University will be online-only during the short period after Thanksgiving break, including the select few courses and lab sessions that will be held in person during the first part of the fall term.

EWU was one of the first schools in the state to decide most courses would remain online this fall, with exceptions being made for instructional experiences that require a hands-on approach.

The university announced its post-Thanksgiving plan on Wednesday, saying it’s intended to limit holiday-related travel to and from Cheney and thus curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“We made this decision after consulting with our own faculty public health experts as well as local health officials,” David May, who recently took over as EWU’s interim president, said in a statement. “By limiting in-person interactions, we will mitigate the possible transmission of infection and allow us the best possible startup environment for faculty and students in winter quarter and spring semester.”

EWU’s Thanksgiving break starts on Nov. 25, and classes are scheduled to resume online on Nov. 30. Most EWU courses last one quarter and their last day of instruction will be Dec. 4, with online finals scheduled the following week.

Students will still be allowed to live in campus residence halls after Thanksgiving, and the university said they will “continue to have access to services after the holiday break to help support online instruction and finals week.”

Washington State University in June announced a similar plan to go online-only after Thanksgiving break but recently reversed course and now plans to hold most courses online for the entire fall semester.

Gonzaga University has floated plans for a mix of online and in-person instruction this fall, while Whitworth University has promised a full return to physical classrooms and campus life with health precautions in place. Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College also are taking mixed approaches.