TEMPE, AZ — ABC15 has learned Arizona State University began testing Thursday to see how it would continue classes if the coronavirus limits campus access for students and faculty.
The test involved faculty volunteers who taught their regularly scheduled classes using Zoom technology. If ever applied, the classroom processes and curriculum would be the same, except students would do coursework from home.
ABC15 obtained an email sent to some students asking them to participate using remote conferencing via California-based Zoom Video Communications.
It read:
Dear Students,
Our class has been selected at random to test Zoom as a learning tool at ASU. We are going to conduct class tomorrow March 5, 2020, on Zoom. The attached pdf titled “learning at asu” provides you instructions of how to use Zoom. This is the only time we will experiment with Zoom. When you return from Spring Break, class will return to our normal routine. Thank you all for assisting the university conduct this test.
Katie Paquet, Vice President Media Relations for ASU told ABC15 Thursday evening the one-day test was designed to determine how ASU can continue “essential services for students if the County or State were to determine that campus access should be limited” due to coronavirus. Paquet described it as part of a “business continuity plan” for remote operations. Continuity plans allow businesses and other institutions to continue functioning in the event of an emergency that negatively impacts full access to their buildings. It is common practice to create a plan and to test it on a regular basis.
About 7,000 students participated in Thursday’s test. Paquet said the University is in the very early stages of testing and does not have any results to discuss. There are 75,000 students attending classes and lectures across four ASU campuses and all facilities remain open.
Also Thursday, ASU issued an email to students and faculty with advice on how to stay safe over Spring Break, which is March 8 to 15. The University says at this time it expects to continue classes in-person as scheduled after break.
The first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak at ASU on January 26, 2020, started a conversation about the need for better University response with over 26,000 students signing a petition for the University to cancel classes.
Editors note: ASU originally denied any connection between the timing of the online classes and the latest developments on the coronavirus.
