The University of Wyoming intends to restart on-campus education this fall, with a mix of in-person and online courses and measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Under a plan the UW Board of Trustees approved Wednesday, classes will begin Aug. 24 and end Dec. 4, as scheduled. However, students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving; all courses will move to fully online instruction beginning Nov. 23, and final exams will take place through distance technologies.

The plan also calls for students and employees to be tested (with negative results) for COVID-19 within 7-10 days of their return to campus. The university is arranging for saliva tests to be mailed individually to students and employees before the start of the semester; details on that testing will be provided later this summer. Online COVID-19 training also will be developed for students and employees to take before the semester begins.

Faculty members and academic departments will also work to develop the best mix of in-person and online instruction, with classrooms scheduled to provide for social distancing. Every student will be offered a combination of online and face-to-face learning to allow for greatest flexibility to provide students the in-person experience.

“UW is looking forward to welcoming students back to campus for the fall semester. While the united work of everyone to go online in March resulted in a successful spring semester, the message is clear that we need to return to the on-campus experience,” Acting President Neil Theobald said. “Over the last few months, our students, staff and faculty have helped develop a plan that puts us on a path to do so as safely as is reasonably possible during the era of COVID-19.”

During the semester, all employees and students will conduct daily temperature and symptom checks — self-reporting through a phone app that will be made available by the university. Also under consideration is a second, optional tracking app that allows users to be notified when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. No identities are disclosed.

While in communal spaces on campus, students and employees must wear face coverings, provided by the university; visitors will be encouraged to do the same.

The plan to return to campus for the fall semester is contingent upon securing funding for implementation from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the State of Wyoming. The plan, developed with input from the Wyoming Department of Health, is designed to be adaptable to allow for up-to-date information and changing conditions.