Though the fall semester is more than three months away, some University of Maryland history professors have already announced they will be holding class online.
After hearing from faculty members who were concerned about teaching on campus in the fall, history department chair Philip Soergel said the department sent out a survey, asking professors whether they would prefer to teach in-person or online. The department heard back from about 13 professors who indicated they would like to teach online, Soergel said.
“Once we had their responses, we approached the registrar’s office and the College of Arts and Humanities and they agreed that the courses should go online,” he said. “It was not a university decision.”
In a statement on May 8, University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman announced that the system is planning to resume at least some in-person instruction in the fall. Officials will share plans for the fall semester by the end of this month, he added.
At this university, decisions about the fall semester won’t be made department by department, university spokesperson Katie Lawson wrote in a text message. Instead, the university will coordinate with the system when planning for the fall.
“[W]e continue to plan for many scenarios,” Lawson wrote.
