Fall term planning | VPA & VPS Update – May 10

Under the lead of the BCIT Deans Council and the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), active planning has been underway for a safe return of our student, faculty, and staff to all campus activity as per the March 8, 2021 announcement from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) for this upcoming Fall term.

We committed to a community announcement regarding our planning decisions on or before May 10, 2021 and – with the release of the COVID-19 Return to Campus Primer on April 30, 2021 – we have been able to finalize our planning in this respect.

By fall 2021, it is anticipated that the rate of immunization will be significant and COVID-19 virus transmission will be low, particularly for K-12 and post-secondary institutions. As such, we are planning for a substantial increase of on-campus educational activity for that time.

As we have already have successfully brought 40% of our programs back on campus for in-person learning and teaching, we are confident in our ability to execute a safe return to campus as we build on the knowledge and expertise we have gained over the past year. We will continue to conduct the return to campus in accordance with all prevailing BC Health and Safety orders and under the leadership of our EOC.

During this past year of primarily remote learning, we have had the opportunity to identify some specific areas where this form of learning is particularly effective and, where this is the case these components may remain with remote delivery as we move forward. Unless a course or program is listed as “fully online” however, students should anticipate a significant level of on-campus activity and plan accordingly.

We are excited to start a safe return to our new desired state of learning and teaching at BCIT, and are looking forward to welcoming more students and faculty back on our campuses. We also understand this return may come with some anxiety for those community members who have been primarily remote over the past year. Rest assured, planning assumptions and guidance for returning to campus will be informed by a continued commitment to protecting the health, safety and well-being of the campus community.

Over the coming weeks, individual program and course areas will more clearly define the specific activities that are returning to campus and communicate regularly via our webpages and learning hub.

We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Figner
AVP, Academic Operations