As the fall semester pushes through one of the most unusual times in higher education, many colleges and universities that have opted for an in-person semester have not only had to face the changes to in-person teaching and services, but also COVID-19 testing and outbreaks. Two out of three colleges with in-person classes have either no clear plan or are only testing students who are at risk, according to data from more than 1,4000 colleges gathered from the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College. Yet, health experts advice that frequent and rapid testing of students is the best way to control a potential campus COVID-19 outbreak.
Even if students are to be tested regularly, as Ken Peterson, the provost at Furman, told NPR, a “negative” test results gives students psychologically a false sense of security. This has led to students less likely to continue social distancing, wearing a mask, or taking other safety measures because they feel they have been labeled “safe” which could lead to campus-wide outbreaks. It means that campuses leaders and student services professionals are needing to be laser focused on tracking student behavior, needs, and testing.
Additionally, contact tracing and providing support for on-campus students has been lagging because there is no higher education standard for reporting and testing. However, as InsideHigherEd reported organic systems of accountability have been created such as We Rate COVID Dashboards, a website with an associated Twitter account, grades universities based on nine criteria. Updated every weekday, We Rate COVID Dashboards asses COVID-19 university dashboards for reporting on the number of positive COVID-19 cases, the number of COVID-19 tests conducted, and the frequency of the tests which are all broken down by faculty/staff, students, country, number of individuals in quarantine/isolated etc. Ultimately, it means a lot of stress for those working in higher education.
Symplicity is hoping to ease the stress of campus leaders with our COVID-19 Case Management tool. Symplicity’s COVID-19 Case Management tool can empower universities to know they are doing all they can to help institutions overcome the challenges of the pandemic. With our COVID-19 Case Management tool institutions are empowered with comprehensive workflows to manage all the moving parts of an on-campus environment during the pandemic that engages stakeholders and students early and continuously, aligning with state guidelines and each institution’s policies and procedures.
Our COVID-19 Case Management Tool
- Provides a single location for students to alert the institution that they are COVID-positive;
- Informs academic departments and faculty of classroom and exam adaptions for impacted students;
- Provides college leadership with valuable data on COVID-positive cases and their status;
- Reports on students and employees with temporary adjustments and expirations;
- Assesses students at risk and campus hotspots, and more!
With this COVID-19 case management solution, Symplicity is hoping to help the higher education community face the uncertain path together.
If you’re interested in learning more and seeing if your institution qualifies, email info@symplicity.com or schedule a conversation
