The University of Wollongong has announced a decision to shift all of its undergraduate and postgraduate courses to remote delivery mode and will bring forward a mid-semester break to make the change.

The university said its mid-session recess, originally scheduled to last a week in mid-April, would now extend for two weeks from 23 March as staff worked ¡°intensively¡± to ¡°transition¡± its programmes.

¡°These are extraordinary times,¡± said vice-chancellor Paul Wellings.

Wollongong¡¯s move came after the University of Queensland (UQ) imposed a week-long ¡°pause¡± on all its classes from 16 March.

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UQ said it would use the time to fast-track transition to online delivery of lectures and other course activities ¡°where possible¡±, although it planned to resume teaching on campus from 23 March ¡°unless otherwise advised by health authorities¡±.

¡°This is a big call, and one I have not taken lightly,¡± vice-chancellor Peter H?j told students in a weekend email. ¡°We offer more than 300 programmes and around 3,300 courses, and the scale and complexity of achieving the changes are significant.¡±

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Australian National University (ANU) vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt has conceded that ¡°we may have to move fully online in the not-too-distant future¡±, while outlining plans to maintain face-to-face delivery in ¡°appropriate¡± small group activities.

In a videotaped?, Professor Schmidt said ANU wanted to minimise the fallout from an inevitable coronavirus diagnosis. ¡°While we haven¡¯t yet had our first Covid-19 infection on campus, it is bound to happen soon,¡± he said.

¡°We have seen at other universities the need for many people to self-isolate when a Covid-19 case occurs in a large class. We are working to ensure even if a case does occur in our community, others are unlikely to be affected.¡±

He said ANU was aiming for fully online delivery of many large classes as well as smaller classes and tutorials where ¡°social distancing¡± was hard to achieve. The university was also investigating ways to make ¡°contact tracing¡± easier.

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ANU and many other universities have cancelled large events, such as graduation ceremonies and student competitions, after the federal government last week advised against non-essential gatherings of 500 people or more ? advice that has since turned into bans in jurisdictions such as New South Wales and Victoria, with non-compliance punishable by large fines and even prison.

James Cook University said on-campus classes would continue as scheduled for the time being. ¡°The university does not conduct lectures that exceed 500 students,¡± it explained. It said it was looking at remote study options ¡°where possible¡± and that online work and learning was available to staff and students with particular health concerns.

Southern Cross University said it was now ¡°open and fully functioning¡± after a staff coronavirus diagnosis forced campus?closures?last week. ¡°However, where possible courses are actively being transitioned to online delivery mode,¡± it said, adding that ¡°staff who can work effectively from home have been encouraged to do so.¡±

It said its on-campus cleaning regime had ¡°stepped up to the highest level of deep-cleaning¡±.

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com