Skip to content

[March 15, 2020] ESEIAAT statement regarding COVID-19

Dear university community,

As you already know, the extraordinary measures derived from the COVID-19 outbreak the ESEIAAT’s face-to-face teaching classes has been suspended for a period of 15 day extendable. In fact, we are working with the hypothesis of recovering the School’s activity on April 14 (after Easter).  This means that all face-to-face academic activities: internship activities, laboratories and face-to-face evaluations scheduled until April 14, are canceled.

Following UPC guidelines, academic activities would be carrying out online.  We are aware that we are basically designed to be a face-to-face teaching university, but under these circumstances, we have to do everything possible to guarantee students that they will be able to follow the academic path for which they were enrolled.

According the Rectors Statement on 03/14/2020, UPC’s buildings and facilities will be closed from 03/16/2020, until further instructions, except for the Vértex and Rectorate buildings. Consequently, all ESEIAAT’s facilities will be closed form 03/16/2020 for at least 15 days. This fact does not imply suspending activities, since as in the same Statement indicates that PAS and PDI will carry out their work activities remotely, except for those object of minimum services that will be communicated by the Management. Going to UPC’s campuses will be avoided as far as possible.

To adapt to the new casuistry and the speed at which new news are emerging, a series of measures have been taken from the Management, which I detailed below:

Modification of the Academic Calendar

This March 13, ESEIAAT’s Permanent Commission urgently approved a calendar academic alternative in were incorporates this suspension and temporally modifies the dates of partial and final exams, etc. Enclosed you will find this calendar in three records (degrees, masters and TFE’s).

I call your attention to consult the details, but I would like to highlight that:

  • The partial exams are reschedule for April 23 to April 30.
  • The 2Q will last two more weeks (until June 12).
  • Final exams will be held from June 15 to June 30.

It should be note it that if the current forecasts changes, the calendar would be conveniently modified

 

 

Teaching activity

As face-to-face activities have been canceled, it is necessary to look for alternatives to guarantee to continue with programmed teaching process as much as possible. Therefore, we are making available to the students the necessary resources and attention in the learning process. Thus:

  • It is needed to provide the students with the necessary materials so that they can make the correct use of the subjects. It is recommend to use the ATENEA functions and other ICTresources that have been recently activated in order to implement the classes (for example Google’s G Suite). We will be sending you more information in the coming days.
  • Information must be guaranteed to the students about the teaching activities and evaluations that are been carried out through the different communication channels (for example ATENEA).
  • In parallel, the students must regularly review ATENEA to be updated about new news.
  • From the School, during this period, we ask the teachers to inform us what will be the virtual teaching mechanisms that will be implemented for each subject. In this regard, a message will be sent shortly to the departments’ representatives, School’s interlocutors.

 

  • The laboratory internships that have no way to be done home-office during March 13 through April 14, it can be recovered throughout the course during Wednesdays from 12:00 to 14:00 and/or from 14:00 to 16:00h. To make a correct programming, the coordinators of the affected internships, will have to, explicitly, request the number of internships to recover to the Planning Deputy Director (sotsdirectora.eseiaat.algaba@upc.edu). For those subjects that only carry out laboratory practices, each case will be study so the time slots can be extend it.
  • If the suspension/closure affects the correct development of the TFG or TFM, the contents and/or titles might be modify.
  • The semi- face-to-face Master’s Degree in Management Engineering will have a new calendar.

 

Non face-to-face learning Activities

  • All the degrees and masters’ Academic Commissions, that have been programmed and that have not yet been done for this period, are suspended.
  • The administration and services staff will not be physically at School’s buildings (as far as possible) they will be carrying out their work activities remotely.
  • All the activities of support from the scholarships that have to perform their tasks at School are suspended.

 

Mobility

  • The mobility actions granted and have not commenced is suspended.
  • The ESEIAAT’s Directorate is communicating to the centers of origin of non-UPC students the current situation.

External internships

  • The students who carry out external internships, they will have to follow their companies’ protocols. The School will guarantee the monitoring.
  • If the companies’ suspends the students activities, the end date of the internships will be delayed so the student can reach the number of hours established.

 

Communication

We will keep you informed, mainly via email, of everything that affects our community as soon as we have new news. For any query or clarification, I would appreciate it if you contact us at direccio.eseiaat@upc.edu, in order to centralize all the information.

The news of the present emergency are accelerated, but it is important that we remain calm, and that we follow the health authorities’ advices. However, the School will do everything possible to adapt and minimize the academic effects regarding to the extraordinary measures that will be appearing.

Both, I and the Head of the UTG, are convinced that working collectively, we will find the most appropriate solutions at all times and as in other circumstances complicated, we will come out reinforced.

We deeply appreciate your understanding, as well as the many samples of collaboration that we have received during these two days. 

Thank you very much for your collaboration, and first of all take good care of yourselves. A big hug for everyone.


Xavier Roca

Director ESEIAAT



Filed under: