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September 7, 2020 - 21:35h] Notes of the Director. Teaching Model ESEIAAT. September 2020. COVID-19

September 7, 2020 - 21:35h] Notes of the Director. Teaching Model ESEIAAT. September 2020. COVID-19

Dear Community,

As I told you last week, the current pandemic situation conditions the application of the methodology that was presented before summer, choosing to review the ESEIAAT’s Teaching Model in order to increase the security of our community.

Everyone is aware of the pandemic evolution, which is in a situation of high or very high risk of regrowth in almost all of Catalonia, a much more complicated situation than at the beginning of summer. This reality has led us to reflect and conclude that it is necessary to adapt the Teaching Model in order to reduce the degree of global attendance at the School.

The final proposal has been prepared after collecting and analyzing the information provided in recent days by different institutions, from the Ministry of Universities to the Generalitat de Catalunya and the UPC itself.

The final proposal consists of a modification of the "Scenario A - Limited attendance" which has been presented and discussed with different groups of the School (Coordinators and Coordinators of Degrees, Student Delegation and Departmental Representatives) and approved by consensus in the Standing Committee of the ESEIAAT with the presence of all the Departments and of the Heads of Area of the UTG.


The New Teaching Model ("Scenario A’ face-to- face studies limited II") has the following objectives:

  • Contribute to minimizing the global risk of finding ourselves in the situation of the last four months, with a 0% attendance.

  • Reduce the presence of students at the School (approximately ¼) with the consequent decrease in interactions between different groups in common areas, as well as the mobility by public transportation.

  • Extreme security measures, implementing in the shortest possible time the UPC protocols that are just being defined.

  • Prioritize the presence associated with laboratory practices, which is a teaching element of great added value of the ESEIAAT.

  • Maintain face-to-face assessments.

  • Pay special attention to newly admitted students.


Consequently, the final ESEIAAT New Teaching Model for the autumn term   course 2020/21 it will be as follows:

  • Subjects from Q2 to Q8 of the ESEIAAT Degrees (from Monday, September 14):  

    • Limited attendance at Laboratory sessions with relatively stable groups of up to 20 people (approx.).

    • Theory and Problem Groups, online Teaching (asynchronous or synchronous respecting schedules).

  • Subjects of the ESEIAAT Degrees Q1 (from September 28):

    • Face-to-face studies, in high-capacity classrooms and extreme security measures (according to UPC protocols).

    • Some subjects, with teaching concentrated in the computer rooms, will do online teaching (virtualization of PCs of the School) alternating with some face-to-face sessions.

  • Masters studies (start September 21):

    • First week with face-to-face studies for all subjects, in order to facilitate the reception of the students who are new at the School.

    • Rest of the course:

      • Internship sessions / Laboratories with face-to-face teaching and

      • Theory and Problem Groups with online teaching (asynchronous or synchronous respecting schedules).

    • In principle, master's degrees with less than 20 students will have face-to-studies (more information will be given after the registration process closes).

  • General Guidelines:

    • The assessment acts will be face-to-face, except for those that are usually already defined as non-face-to-face in the subjects.


In addition, the New Teaching Model contemplates the following additional considerations.

  • Maximize the speed of communication, both: general information and does relating to specific incidents, in order to make it easier for students to adapt. The preferred way of teacher-student communication must be ATENEA.

  • Minimize the use of computer rooms through virtualizing PCs.

  • Establish mechanisms to be able to reconcile face-to-face and non-face-to-face synchronous teaching when these are consecutive. In this sense, the classrooms of the School will be opened so that students who have to come to the center to participate in face-to-face laboratories have a location where they can connect via Wi-Fi to online teaching. The classrooms available for these purposes coincide exactly with the classrooms assigned to the schedules of each subject. A follow-up will be carried to ensure compliance with the classroom safety standards.

  • Take extreme precautions in corridors and other common areas to reduce contact and congestion.

  • Allow the possibility of flexibility within the dichotomy “face-to-face vs. non-contact” in particular cases that have the explicit approval of the Study Heads.

  • Right of the student to be able to follow the course in case of demonstrable confinement.

  • Possibility to enable the strips on Wednesday from 12:00 to 16:00 to recover face-to-face sessions in case of quarantine, upon request and validation by Academic Planning in order to ensure the coordination of activities.

  • Apply empathy and patience like those already shown by all groups last semester when decisions had to be made very quickly. It will have to be done again.

 

Obviously, this is not the situation we would like to be in at the beginning of the course but it is the one we have right now. And we are aware that there are still details to finish polishing and that unforeseen situations will surely appear. For this reason, now more than ever, it is vital that you are aware of the communications that we will be making from the School when necessary. Keep in mind that Protocols of action and other indications will soon appear that will mark our day to day with the purpose of making the School a place as safe as possible. Please stay tuned.

On the part of the PDI, and given that from next Monday, September 14 the majority of the subjects of the degrees of the School will begin, we ask all the Teaching staff that through ATENEA informs in detail to the Students the organization of his/her teaching plan. Please, make an effort of clarity and pedagogy to be able to make the information available to everyone by minimizing queries.

If everyone does its part I am convinced that we will help to avoid the situation we were in just 6 months ago. I think the effort is worth it, from the Direction we will dedicate all our forces to it.

Many encouragements, especially to those who have suffered / are suffering from the pandemic more closely,

Good health and don't stop caring!

A big hug to everyone!!

 

Xavier Roca 

Director of the ESEIAAT

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