President John R. Broderick appointed a Public Health Policy Task Force, Executive Policy Team and a Steering Committee on Academic and Student Involvement to develop ODU's Blueprint for reopening.
Campus leaders, in collaboration with faculty and staff, will begin adopting the following measures, but we will need everyone's commitment and engagement to be successful. All of us share the responsibility for keeping our community safe.
Governor Northam appointed an Education Work Group, which is charting a path for the reopening of Virginia schools. As we receive guidance from this Education Work Group, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Health Department, we will continue to provide regular updates, including any modifications, as conditions may warrant.
ODU's Blueprint includes:
Spring Semester 2021 Reopening Plan
Classes originally scheduled for in-person learning this spring are now being taught on campus. A list of face-to-face courses is available on our website at https://www.odu.edu/blueprint/updates/courses.
To promote a safe return to campus, all students enrolled in face-to-face courses or living on campus will be tested for COVID-19. Students will receive an email from the Student Health Center to schedule their screening tests. Additionally, they will be tested regularly for COVID-19 throughout the semester.
Fall Semester 2020 Reopening Plan - This plan has been reviewed by the State Council of Higher Education and has been found to be compliant in containing the required components of the 'Higher Education Reopening Guidance
On July 6, Old Dominion University submitted this reopening plan for the fall semester to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). The reopening plan provides details in a range of areas, including instruction, housing, dining and athletics.
Steering Committee on Academic and Student Involvement Reopening Plan
Guidelines for instruction during the fall semester from Old Dominion University's Steering Committee on Academic and Student Involvement, chaired by Dean Kent Sandstrom. Classes will be offered in one of three modes: entirely face-to-face, entirely online or a flexible hybrid approach. The University will open on August 29, 2020. Fall Break will be eliminated and the Thanksgiving break (no classes held) will run from November 25-29. After Thanksgiving break, all classes will be delivered online through December 11.
Human Resources Return to Campus Guide for Employees
A comprehensive guide to help employees prepare for the fall semester.
Town Hall PowerPoint (7/23/2020)
The full PowerPoint presentation from the Town Hall sessions presented on Thursday, July 23, 2020).
#ReignResponsibly
All members of the Monarch community have a shared responsibility to practice health and safety guidelines established by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Old Dominion University.
News & Updates
- August 10, 2021: New masking and vaccination requirements
- June 8, 2021: COVID-19 Updates // Vaccines + More
- May 19, 2021: COVID-19 Update // Change in face mask guidelines
- March 8, 2021: Fall 2021 Announcement
Guidelines
- Old Dominion is mindful of the health and safety of its students and employees.
- The University will continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Virginia Department of Health and the Governor's Office. Physical distancing and other recommended protective measures will be implemented across campus, including in classrooms, office areas and all buildings. Facilities will be sanitized and disinfected.
- Old Dominion will employ campus-wide COVID-19 testing procedures.
- Instructional faculty will continue to provide quality learning opportunities for students.
- Fall classes will begin on August 29, and final examinations will end on December 18. The University will hold classes during what traditionally would have been Fall Break to accommodate the compressed fall semester.
- Some courses, such as additional lab sections, may be scheduled on weekends because of physical distancing requirements and the need to reduce student density in smaller instructional spaces. Programs will be given flexibility to accommodate their students and design approaches more tailored to their needs.
- Some students will seek on-campus courses and "normal" classroom learning experiences, while others will prefer to study online. The University plans to continue providing in-person and online instruction to as many students as possible, while following state and federal guidelines for health and safety.
- The academic testing center will be available, with some modification in hours and capacity. Students will also have access to the Writing Center, tutoring services, maker spaces and computer labs, with modifications in hours and capacity.
- Department computer labs with specialized software, such as Adobe Creative Cloud, will be available.
- Technology to support both synchronous web course delivery and course recording (lecture capture) will be added to classrooms. Departments will identify classrooms where the technology is needed and send their requests to ITS.
- Faculty members who want to teach online courses will be accommodated when possible. Chairs and deans will work with faculty to establish their teaching responsibilities and modes of course delivery.