UNC announced it will be moving all summer courses offered this year to exclusively online instruction.

According to a message addressed to the campus community on Thursday afternoon, Maymester, Summer I and Summer II courses will all be taught through remote instruction this summer in an effort to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to protect the health of students and faculty. It’s the latest move made by the university, which suspended in-person instruction indefinitely in March and postponed its spring commencement ceremony slated for May.

Provost Bob Blouin, who wrote the message, said more than 1,650 undergraduate students have been impacted by the cancellation of the university’s spring and summer abroad programs, with many additional graduate students altering plans as well.

“We recognize that these are uncertain times and look to summer with great hope for a reprieve from these unprecedented circumstances,” Blouin wrote. “With a strategy in place that provides students with the academic options that they need, we will help them rebound and earn their degrees.”

Blouin revealed in the announcement UNC will be offering students nine credit hours per summer session this year instead of the typical six credit hours. In addition, students can enroll in those amounts without the approval from their school’s dean.

Grading for these remote summer courses would be done in the same fashion as students’ current spring courses. While UNC’s summer courses are typically prohibited from pass/fail grading, Thursday’s release said it would be extending its Emergency Grading Accommodation to the upcoming summer courses as well.

To learn more about the emergency grading accommodation, you can visit the university’s website.

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