As students reach the midterm of the fall semester, plans for spring, clouded by uncertainty of in-person classes, ensue. Although the spring semester officially begins Jan. 11, advance registration occurs between Nov. 16 and Jan. 7.
The Spring 2021 Schedule of Courses posted on Oct. 30 is currently available on student ONE.UF accounts. An email sent on Oct. 13 instructed students to review the “Registration Prep” link for information regarding current directory information, degree audit, excess hours, holds, registration start time and advisor’s contact information.
Registration start times vary but are based upon the number of credits a student has. The earliest registration date is next week on Nov. 16. Meeting with an academic advisor, creating a graduation plan and/or seeking out a Student Success team is encouraged for successful spring 2021 planning.
With COVID-19 measures in mind, a schedule of full in-person classes is unlikely. However, the university promoted an increase in face-to-face learning for students. UF will be adopting the HyFlex model in an effort to integrate hybrid courses, so some students may experience face-to-face learning, while others will remain remote.
HyFlex, short for Hybrid-Flexible, is a course approach designed to accommodate student needs through combining online and classroom-based components. HyFlex grants students the opportunity to choose whether they would prefer to attend class in person, online or both.
A HyFlex lecture would consist of an instructor lecturing to both students in-person and those remotely on Zoom. This model is likely to be abundant among students’ spring schedules due to class size caps. In a classroom of 40 students, only a single-digit number of students will be physically present in the room, and the rest will watch from the webcam.
According to an email sent by Dr. Gillian Lord, Department Chair of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, “Physical distancing requirements, classroom-based enrollment caps will be significantly reduced, with as few as four spots being available for face-to-face SPN sections,” the email read.
Advance registration is based on the number of credits, so seniority will play a major factor in which students are able to choose their in-person classes. Students may not possess the option to opt-in for face-to-face learning, leaving them with extra distance learning fees to pay, whether or not they would prefer in-person instruction.
For every online class in which a student enrolls, they will be charged a distance learning fee of $8.30 per credit hour. Therefore, if no in-person sections of a course remain during a student’s registration time, they are left with the remote learning option and an excess fee.
Students not currently residing in Gainesville have the decision to return to campus or remain remote at home. Upon registration, if in-person courses are requested, housing for Spring 2021 would be a necessity.
Many questions regarding the next semester go unanswered: Will the professors be provided with the correct training to use the HyFlex technology? Will students benefit from the split attention of professors? As classes integrate face-to-face interaction, will student organizations do the same?
As students register for their spring courses, they must keep in mind their graduation plan, critical tracking courses and whether they prefer to stay remote or attempt to gain access to the limited seats within a lecture hall.