University of Regina students returning to online learning

Students at the University of Regina will be making their return to online learning, albeit temporarily.

According to a release from the university, students will begin the winter semester online due to COVID-19 concerns surrounding the Omicron variant.

“The university believes that temporarily moving to remote instruction in the new year is the most effective approach to preventing the spread of COVID-19 on campus and protecting the health of our students, faculty and staff,” Dr. Jeff Keshen, the school’s president and vice-chancellor, said in the release.

“While we are all eager to return to on-campus, face-to-face teaching and learning, the full university experience will have to wait a little longer to ensure we can come back to the safest, healthiest environment possible.”

Students were in class during the fall semester.

The start of classes in the winter semester will now be pushed back to Jan. 10 instead of Jan. 5 as was originally planned.

Remote learning will continue until Jan. 22, with a target date of returning to in-person classes on Jan. 24.

“The situation will be re-evaluated in mid-January, and updates will be communicated as soon as they become available,” the release by the school read. “Leading up to Monday, Jan. 10, students should check UR courses for specific information on the remote delivery of their courses and stay tuned to the university’s website and social media channels for further updates.

“Staff members who are not required to be on campus to support essential infrastructure (e.g. campus security, IT support, etc.) and who can readily shift to working remotely are encouraged to do so.”