Dear Students,
UCLan Cyprus is ready to welcome all our new and returning students for the new academic year 2020/21, which officially starts on 28th September 2020. We will have an induction week from 21st September, which is especially designed to allow you to meet your faculty and tutors, to prepare you for your programme of study and to offer you some training on the adoption of alternative teaching methods, so that you can flexibly participate in the hybrid (blended) education model.
As we have demonstrated during these unprecedented times and the global effort to manage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, our top priority has been the health, safety and well-being of our university community, and of course, to ensure that you can continue to attend teaching and learning so that you can progress with your studies and career development.
In line with directives and guidelines issued by the Cyprus Quality Assurance Agency and the professional bodies which accredit some of our programmes, we are fully committed to maintain the highest quality academic standard of our programmes of study. In light of the Covid-19 related health and social distancing measures, we have adapted our teaching and learning methods to ensure all our students can continue to attend their studies either through face to face and/or remotely, via online delivery.
In a nutshell, during semester 1 of academic year 2020-21, our conventional face to face courses will adopt the ‘blended learning’ mode. This means that teaching and learning, will be offered by faculty in class as per academic calendar and planned timetable respecting restrictions on the number of students allowed to be physically present in the classroom or laboratory. Simultaneously these teaching sessions using Microsoft Teams will be live streamed to reach those students who cannot attend on campus due to pandemic related difficulties e.g. health medical issues, lockdown and travel restrictions, visa delays and complications in the case of international students etc. Moreover, our classrooms have been equipped with state-of-the-art smart technologies which can support blended teaching and learning and allow faculty to record sessions so that our students can access them at a later stage and enhance learning.
Finally, adhering to quality assurance principles and in compliance with professional body requirements, it is envisaged that mid-term and final exams for semester 1 will adopt alternative assessment methods and predominantly take place online; thus, students will not be required to be physically on campus. More specific information on examinations and/or assignment-based assessments will follow in due course.
Life on Campus and beyond
Students and staff will follow the Health and Safety Protocol which adheres to the Health Directives issued by the Cyprus Government Authorities. The University has taken all necessary steps and measures to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and the regular disinfection of the campus in order to safeguard the health and safety of our university community – students, faculty, researchers, professional staff and visitors.
All people entering the university premises must follow the instructions of our trained officers who will guide on the use of antiseptic and wearing of masks in all common areas of the University, as well as screen for temperature when possible. All social distancing measures will be maintained during classes and in all common areas. It is vital that everyone wears a mask.
All administrative and support services of the University are operating as usual, but for health and safety purposes students are requested to seek support via e-communication and telephone. You are kindly requested to follow University Protocol with respect to participating in sports and recreational facilities and you need to register with University authorities any overseas travelling plans.
At this stage, we are grateful for your cooperation and spirit of shared responsibility so that we can continue to work together to master the Covid-19 challenges.
We wish you a safe and enjoyable new academic year. Let us keep on learning and developing so that we can broaden our growth horizons.
Best wishes
UCLan Cyprus Team
