Autumn 2020 Updates 

As part of The Ohio State University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Provost formed the University Classroom Planning Committee. This group was made up of representatives from the following partners to prepare classrooms for a safe return to campus:

Athletics | Facilities Operations and Development | Office of Academic Affairs | Office of the Chief Information Officer | Office of Distance Education and eLearning | Office of Legal Affairs | Office of the Registrar | Planning, Architecture, and Real Estate

Once the decision was made to return to campus for fall semester, members of these teams had two months to collectively identify adequately sized spaces; evaluate, design and stage the classrooms; implement the necessary technology; account for air quality and filtration; schedule increased cleaning; and provide sanitation solutions in every room. The following is an abbreviated list of tasks accomplished by this team to illustrate the depth and partnership required in this effort:

Some spaces that are not usually utilized for instruction were also added into the pool of classrooms, such as ballrooms in the Ohio Union, Mershon Auditorium, the 4-H Center and the Fawcett Center for Tomorrow. Regular classrooms which were too small to be effectively used as classrooms were set for physical distancing then designated as “drop-in” spaces, to be used by students who have back-to-back online and in-person classes.  

In the two months prior to Autumn Semester, the Classroom Services team completed the following work:

• Developing a proposal, in coordination with regionals and departments, for CARES funding to support technology needs on all campuses.
• Evaluated technology and space in 360 pool classrooms and 167 potential additional instructional spaces
• Designed physical distancing layouts of all spaces to be used
• Applied approximately 22,000 stickers to designate which seats to use for physical distancing, reminding students and instructors to clean tools and desks and designate instructor areas
• Set up approximately 128 “novel spaces” for use as classrooms, including furniture, labeling and technology installation
• Installed webcams in all classrooms to allow for use of Zoom in hybrid classes and for quarantined students
• Deployed document cameras to allow whiteboard functionality to be viewable simultaneously via Zoom and by in-person attendees
• Photographed and documented all features for all classrooms for display on the classroom search website
• Staged public computing spaces for physical distancing
• Staged all Digital Union locations for physical distancing
• Launched a new video studio in the Denney Hall Digital Union supporting the creation of online course materials.
• Completed full renovations of Hagerty 159, 180 and 186 and installations into the newly constructed Fontana Labs building
• Hired and trained a new student support staff, including COVID procedures, and supporting instructors in the use of Zoom in classrooms
• Coordinated 150 support professionals across campus via Teams to support classroom spaces
• Loaned microphones to assist with voice lift for instructors wearing masks
• Added 19 buildings across campus to our zone system for quick support of classroom technology issues

Partner groups such as the registrar's office and FoD also completed tasks such as: 

• Moving nearly 10,000 pieces of furniture
• Addressing HVAC and filtration in every building
• Providing wipes in every classroom
• Cleaning rooms twice per day
• Providing instructors personal teaching items such as chalk, markers and erasers in their PPE kits.

Recently Completed Renovations