UBC has announced that our first term (September – December) will be mostly online. We're writing today to share a few more details about what that means for UBC Science students this fall. 

You don't have to be in Canada, British Columbia, or even Vancouver for first term to continue your degree with UBC Science. You'll still be able to take a full suite of courses with our online offerings, including many labs, so that you can progress in your degree.  For the labs that can't be offered at a distance, you'll be able to take those lab courses when we return to campus.

UBC Science is a North American leader in transforming science education. We've been driving research and improvements in STEM education for years and the continued implementation of our courses online is no exception. We're deep in our planning for fall and are incorporating the feedback you provided to us after our swift transition online last term to provide a more seamless, integrated and supportive experience.

• A Faculty of Science committee, including student representatives, have been meeting in recent weeks in anticipation of an announcement that UBC is continuing online. By hosting these discussions early, we've added weeks to the time that we have to prepare.
• You reported that you found it helpful when courses were designed in ways to help you with accountability and time management; we are integrating additional tools and strategies to support you to keep up with your coursework from week to week and to actively engage in learning, even from a distance.
• Many of you requested additional support to adapt your learning and study strategies to the online environment—more resources will be available to you this fall, including the newly launched site keeplearning.ubc.ca.
• We know that UBC Science students will be located around the globe this fall and we're planning for how we can offer courses in a way that offer more flexibility for how you participate, regardless of which time zone you're in. This includes options like live streamed lectures that are recorded and available for re-viewing at a later time and more options of timing for courses and tutorials that see you, your instructor(s), teaching assistants and fellow students interacting at a scheduled time.
• A number of you identified that you wanted more ways to connect with your profs and TAs in an online environment, akin to when you attended office hours previously; we're working with instructors and departments to set up these communication pathways.
• In a small handful of departments, it may be possible to offer students who live within commuting distance limited access to a limited number of on-campus lab courses this fall. This is contingent on many factors, including direction from the Provincial Health Officer. We'll know more about the feasability of this possibility as the summer progresses.
• We've answered questions for many of you in recent weeks through our fully functional online Science Advising office—we'll continue to be available online with regular office hours. science.ubc.ca/students/advising/.

UBC Science continues to be dedicated to offering the world-class education that we're known for and we will provide you with timely updates throughout the coming months.

We hope that you and those you love continue to be safe and healthy.

Scientifically yours,
the team at UBC Science: Dean Meigan Aronson, Associate Dean Students Ian Cavers, Associate Dean Academic Sara Harris, and the staff at Science Advising & Student Engagement