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DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - Classes at Nova Southeastern University in Davie have resumed, and the university has taken several precautions and initiatives for the fall semester.
Inside a freshman class at the campus on Thursday, a handful of students attended in-person lectures while the rest of the class, some in Texas and New Jersey, tuned in online.
“We have 18 students in this class,” a professor said. “There’s five of them sitting here in the class. The rest of them are in Zoom.”
The class is part of the university’s Bend Flex program, where some students can come to class while others can remain home and learn online.
“A lot of students are staying at home wherever they are across the country, and they will actually tune into Zoom, which is our online learning platform, while the in-person students are actually in class with the professor,” Brandon Valerio, a biology major, said.
However, the decision whether to attend class online or in-person remains up to the students and professors.
“When I walked into the classroom for the first time yesterday, all the seats have spacing, and they have stickers that say you can or cannot sit here,” Valerio said. “You can only sit in the designated spots that are allowed, and the professor, meanwhile, is standing in the corner with the camera on her so all the online students can be interacting.”
The university is limiting how many students can learn from inside classrooms.
“Normally, our average class size is about 30 students, and because we have absolutely no lecture halls for undergraduate students, so right now, our capacity is around 15, I believe,” Valerio said.
The university spent $20 million to prepare for the fall semester. The money was spent on upgrading technology, in-class tracking cameras and touchscreen computers.
“We have upgraded over 750 of our classrooms, so they can participate in this Bend Flex program,” Nova Southeastern University Chief Operating Officer Harry Moon said.
Students are required to wear masks while on campus and can be tested for the virus on campus if and when it’s needed.
“The students that are learning remotely really in their heart want to be here,” Dr. Brad Williams, the vice president of student affairs, said. “They decided as a family, for personal reasons that they want to stay home, and that’s certainly fine. In any other situation, they would be here.”
Around 38% of the university’s students have chosen to learn remotely, and only one student is allowed in each room of the university’s residential halls.
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