Coronavirus: Stranded students force unis to delay term, shift lessons online

Universities will be able to offer temporary online study options to overseas students isolated by the coronavirus outbreak.

Taiwanese student Isla Chen in Sydney on Friday. Picture: Britta Campion

Monash University will delay the start of first semester classes for one week as the coronavirus outbreak restricts the ability of students and staff to make classes.

The university announced on Friday that orientation week ­activities would also be postponed. It said staff and students might not be able to return in time for the start of the semester due to the virus.

“The novel coronavirus has created an unprecedented situation where some of our community of students and staff will not make it back in time from affected areas or isolation in time for the commencement of semester one, 2020,” the university said.

Classes would now begin on March 9 instead of March 2. The delayed week’s classes would be taught online. Monash delayed classes as it emerged the higher education regulator had eased its rules to allow universities to offer online options to students stranded in China or stuck in quarantine.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency said it would temporarily lift the restriction on international students doing their study fully online in order to give universities and other higher education providers more flexibility in dealing with the corona­virus scare.

TEQSA chief executive Anth­ony McClaran said the agency would not take regulatory action against providers that offered online courses to international students in place of regular classes delivered on campus.

“We want to support providers to manage these (coronavirus-­related) risks effectively and to help students continue their studies,” Mr McClaran said.

For the first semester or trimester in 2020, the regulator will waive the requirement that for international students studying onshore in Australia, at least one unit in each study period must be delivered on campus.

The TEQSA decision was welcomed by universities, many of which are considering online study options for international students delayed from ­arriving in Australia by the corona­virus or required to be in quarantine.

UNSW, with 15,000 Chinese students, starts classes in two weeks and has told students it will consider requests to study online from those affected by the crisis.

Most universities, including UNSW and Monash, are asking students to self-quarantine only if they have been in China’s Hubei province (the centre of the outbreak) within the past 14 days. Those in other areas of China are not being asked to quarantine themselves at this stage.

Peak body Universities Australia welcomed the TEQSA decision. Chief executive Catri­ona Jackson said: “It will ensure students who need flexible study ­options or deferred start dates can continue their studies.”

The TEQSA decision followed a request from Phil Honeywood, chair of the federal government’s global reputation taskforce, which is dealing with the impact of the bushfires and coronavirus ­crisis on Australia’s standing as a destination for international ­students.

In Sydney on Friday, Isla Chen, a Taiwanese student, began wearing a mask as concern over the coronavirus increased. Ms Chen arrived in December at the height of bushfires and brought masks from Taiwan to combat the smoke: “I didn’t expect to use it to prevent coronavirus.”

Additional reporting: Heidi Han