Arizona State University is testing a pilot program where students in classes with in-person lectures will instead watch and participate in lectures using video conferencing software as coronavirus, commonly referred to as COVID-19, continues to spread.

Edgar Manriquez, an ASU senior majoring in biomedical engineering, told The Arizona Republic that he received an email from his general genetics professor saying their class on Wednesday would be held online through teleconferencing software called Zoom.

The program, which can be launched through an ASU online student portal, allows professors to livestream their lectures while students can submit questions and answers through the online chat.

Manriquez lauded ASU for taking a proactive approach in preparing for the coronavirus should the outbreak spread through the Valley.

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"ASU has been really good about dealing with COVID," Manriquez said. "They let the entire student body know what the deal was with the first cases in AZ that happened to be an ASU student, they've made great efforts to encourage healthy hygiene in students, and now it looks like they are taking proactive steps to put students' safety and education first."

Manriquez said he would like ASU to provide free flu vaccines as well, but otherwise felt ASU was preparing for the coronavirus appropriately. He said he's not worried about getting infected and echoed the Centers for Disease Control's recommendation to wash hands frequently and avoid face touching.

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As for attending a lecture through Zoom, Manriquez said the teleconferencing program sometimes has issues when everyone is connecting but is typically fine otherwise.

"And as far as etiquette it’s fine because the host of the video call can mute mics and the chat if they’d like," Manriquez said. "But otherwise everyone is respectful especially since Zoom logs the user name of who asked questions and who is talking."

Katie Paquet, an ASU spokeswoman, confirmed the university is testing the remote program.

"We are working to ensure that we have the capability to continue classes remotely in the event we need to as a result of the Coronavirus or any other emergency that would require this," Paquet told The Republic.

When asked how many classes were affected, how it would handle those with mandatory labs, and what the university's findings are regarding its ability to operate remotely, Paquet said the school is still working through those details.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

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