As coronavirus concerns rise in US, colleges look online for continuity

As U.S. colleges consider how the global coronavirus outbreak could affect their campuses, some are asking about how they could shift courses online to limit its impact on instruction. That's according to education technology companies and consultants, who told Education Dive they are seeing an uptick in those inquiries. "It's happening very quickly, so it's definitely become top of mind for a lot of schools," said Phil Hill, an ed tech consultant with the firm MindWires, adding that "there are a lot of schools who are sort of being forced to think about it, and they really haven't yet," he said. So far, the effect on colleges in the U.S. has been limited. Lake Washington Institute of Technology, in Washington state, closed Monday and Tuesday to clean its campus after nearly two dozen staff and students were exposed to the coronavirus. Other institutions are facing pressure to cancel classes or are limiting visitor access as concerns grow about the domestic impact of the virus.