With higher education institutions choosing whether to continue online learning for another semester, return to campus for in-person courses or implement a hybrid model amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Roger Williams University (RWU) is allowing students to choose.
Under the “Learn, Work and Serve” (LWS) model, students have the option to take classes remotely or in-person, participate in an internship or research opportunities.
“Instead of focusing on RWU, will we open or not, we began designing our fall semester by asking what students need,” said Dr. Ioannis Miaoulis, president of Bristol, R.I.-based RWU. “Will students want to return to campus? Will they be able to? How do our students learn best? Those questions drove us to not just think about being in person or online in a binary way.”
To accommodate various students’ learning styles, there will be a mix of in-person, remote and hybrid courses available for students to choose from. RWU offers more than 1,100 courses a semester.
“Our course delivery is going to be nimble for reaching students wherever they are,” said Dr. Brian G. Williams, interim chief of staff and vice president for enrollment management and marketing at RWU. “And if they prefer that certain learning style, there’s enough courses.”
Students will individually meet with the school’s admissions office to plan their semester by expressing their preferences for learning and goals for their coursework.
“We’ll then work with our staff and faculty across campus to look at our existing opportunities or see if it’s possible to create new ones to meet the student’s learning goals,” said Miaoulis.
