I am writing to all of you, students of the master's degree course in Bioengineering, to provide information on how the teaching activities will take place in the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year.
Given the experience with the last semester, as teachers we believe that the university cannot be reduced to just looking at streamed videos from home. The relationship and personal interaction with the teacher and with your fellow students are essential elements of the university experience. This aspect is even more crucial for those of you who just enrolled in our university.
For this reason, we intend to resume teaching in presence as much as possible, in full compliance with all safety regulations.
Here is how we will do it. The spacing rules require that classrooms be occupied at no more than 20-30% of their capacity. In practice only the larger classrooms will be usable, therefore it will not be possible to offer all classes in presence.
We will be able to offer almost all the courses in presence, with the exception of those shared with other degree programs, which have a greater number of students, and the elective courses, which are attended by different groups of students.
In practice you will come to the university to attend classes only for a few days (or half days) every week. You will attend the remaining classes from home.
We can accommodate for everyone attending in-person classes, but we are aware that some of you (e.g. living out of town, or abroad) may prefer distance learning. This possibility will still be guaranteed, because all in-person classes will also be streamed (Microsoft Teams). To this purpose, each classroom will be equipped with an adjustable tilt-and-zoom camera aimed at the teacher and the blackboard. Individual teachers may also decide whether to make the recordings available.
Of course, if the situation will get worse all teaching activities would go back to 100% distance mode as in the last semester.
Before the classes begin, for organizational reasons, we will ask each of you to express your explicit intention to participate or not in in-person activities.
Details of the class hours will be published shortly for each year of the course.
For all training activities to take place in safe conditions, your responsibility and collaboration will be essential. During your stay in university facilities you must wear a protective mask and scrupulously comply with all the procedures that will be communicated to you.
Have nice and safe vacations and see you in September!
Vittorio Sanguineti
Head of the Master’s program in Bioengineering