keewart posted:To add.....another issue will be players that need to take a larger load of classes in the fall and classes with labs, so they can take a reduced load in the spring.
To build on this point: My school initially tried to continue holding classes that had an unavoidable in-person component (labs, engineering workshops, architecture, sculpture...). That proved impossible. (Duh--"History majors need to practice social distancing, but those of you in STEM fields can come to campus part-time" didn't fly.) I don't think college administrators around the country have a clear idea how to handle giving credit for interrupted coursework that requires in-person components. The class I teach has no lab-type element. The rest of this spring is going to be a lot less productive than a typical semester, IMO; but my students can complete enough work that no one is going to seriously question giving them three credit hours. That may be a lot less clear for other courses.
I'm not advocating penalizing students for circumstances beyond anyone's control. And in the end, I think schools will just award credit--if only to avoid any question of having to make tuition refunds. But some profs or schools may disagree, and if you are taking a course with a strict sequence (say, Physics 102, which is a prerequisite for all upper level Physics classes), they could have a point: Students may miss out on crucial topics/skills.
My guess is most profs will essentially treat the second half of the semester as "pass/fail" because each student faces a different array of disruptions. (I have students with elementary school-aged kids who are now home while mom or dad try to take online classes. Others will lose their hourly jobs and have no income. The list of issues is endless.) There are a lot of unknowns, and there will be ripple effects in academics as well as baseball.