WSU Tri-Cities in-person learning plans for fall 2021 courses

By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – With safety being of utmost importance, Washington State University Tri-Cities plans to offer many more in-person courses for the fall 2021 semester.

All in-person classes, activities and support services will adhere to health department guidelines for wearing masks, social distancing and sanitizing protocols. For students who are unable to attend in-person because of COVID-19, virtual learning will remain an option for all courses.

“With the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, and with strict safety protocols and measures, we feel we can safely offer in-person learning experiences for our students,” WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. “WSU Tri-Cities is known for its exceptional hands-on and career-connected learning opportunities. We look forward to resuming many of these activities, while still maintaining virtual options for students that need them.”

Course plans

WSU Tri-Cities classes with 24 or fewer students enrolled will be scheduled as in-person or mostly in-person – meeting requirements for COVID-19 room capacity/social distancing.

Classes that have more than 24 students, but without currently planned lab/discussion sections, will feature some in-person and some online components. Faculty members will communicate with students registered in these courses for what the course components will look like – both in-person and online.

For courses with enrollment that exceeds 24, but is less than 40 and there is a room available, fully in-person delivery may be possible.

For classes with more than 40 students enrolled and with regularly-scheduled labs or recitation sections, the lecture component of the class will be taught remotely (virtually) and the lab/recitation sections will be scheduled in-person.

For all courses, the delivery method will be noted on the fall 2021 schedule beginning in early April. An announcement will be made once the fall schedule is updated and posted.

SAT and ACT scores no longer required for admission, scholarship application

WSU Tri-Cities will no longer require SAT and ACT standardized test scores as an admissions or scholarship requirement, per recent approval by the WSU Board of Regents.

As part of her presentation to the WSU Board of Regents, Provost Elizabeth Chilton shared data from the university showing that GPA is a better predictor of success at WSU than standardized test scores. Both six-year graduation and first-year retention rates are higher for students with a high school GPA above 3.5 than for a student that scores above 1,200 on the SAT.

To apply to WSU Tri-Cities, visit tricities.wsu.edu/apply.

Media contacts:

Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu