Returning to the Babson Classroom
Take a look inside the classroom experience this fall, including the technology enhancements we've made to facilitate hybrid and remote teaching and learning.
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Academic Continuity
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Academic Calendar
To prepare students to safely transition home, Babson will shift all Fall 2020 classes (Undergraduate and Graduate, including at our Boston and Miami campuses) online as of Friday, November 13.
Spring Semester
We have modified the undergraduate academic calendar to limit our community’s collective exposure to COVID-19 while providing a full semester of instruction.
- Classes will begin Tuesday, January 19, with the first week being entirely on-line.
- In-person classes will begin Monday, January 25 and end Monday, April 19
- Reading days and final exams will be conducted 100% virtually.
- Starting Tuesday, April 20, students begin 100% virtual reading days followed by final exams.
The Graduate School (for those taking classes out of Babson’s Wellesley or Boston campuses) will start classes Tuesday, January 19. Classes will be fully online during the first week of the semester. Hybrid classes begin Monday, January 25. Graduate classes, including final exams, end on Monday, April 26. Please note that classes at the Miami campus end on Sunday, May 2.
Hybrid classes blend face-to-face instruction with technology to accommodate our de-densification needs, and include teaching techniques such as split attendance, small groups, and blended learning.
Hybrid classes:
- Are designed to maximize the in-person experience in creative ways that still allow for proper social distancing at all times.
- Are open and accessible to all students, regardless of whether you can get to campus.
- Include regular in-person, face-to-face faculty/student interactions with every student during the assigned class time. In-person interaction also is accessible online. They are designed to be primarily face to face, and can be attended virtually.
- Face-to-face interactions do not imply that all students in a course can or will be in person at the same time. Therefore, students who may not be able to start on campus in January (but believe they will ultimately get to campus at some point in the semester) should choose hybrid options. Face-to-face instruction will be driven by current social distancing and de-densification classroom restrictions.
- Enable students to take courses in the modality they need, whether in person or online, to accommodate their personal circumstances throughout the semester.
Fully online classes provide engaging and dynamic delivery of content completely online.
- Online courses are scheduled to begin from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET throughout the day, in an effort to provide options for students studying in different time zones.
- Students who choose the online option for individual courses must stay online for the semester.
- Online courses are designed to take full advantage of technology capabilities in order to serve students who need the flexibility online instruction provides.
Teaching and Technology Excellence
In spring 2020, faculty and students undertook a herculean task of shifting 650 in-person classes online during spring break. This emergency remote teaching scenario helped us understand both what worked well and where there was room for improvement.
Babson gathered valuable feedback from faculty and students and used that input to shape an intensive online teaching program for faculty, and online learning support for students. A multimillion-dollar investment has been made in faculty development, hardware, and software that will elevate the learning experience.
Virtual Campus
For additional academic resources, visit Babson’s Virtual Campus. It’s home to everything students need—resources, technology, and more—to engage in the Babson experience remotely.
An Inside Look at the Online Teaching Training Program
As companies pivot and evolve to meet new customer demands in an ever-changing world, Babson Associate Professor Vini Onyemah has found opportunities for his students to learn outside the classroom.
Learning Together: Resuming Classes on Campus for Fall
Learning Together will look different this fall. For most students, classes will include a mix of face-to-face class time and online learning, with a smaller number of 100% online classes.
Virtual Reality: How the Babson Community United in the Face of Crisis
In the first days after spring break, faculty members were finding innovative ways to maintain academic continuity and deliver lessons and experiences to students at their new residences.