5000 students return to campus as UNNC ensures campus safety and teaching equality

04 May 2020


example image alt text

3rd May: UNNC campus saw a second group of students safely return, bringing the total to 5000 students ready to resume face-to-face teaching, more than 70% of the total number.

The University has been strictly following the local epidemic prevention and control protocols, allowing students to return voluntarily.

While students have to ensure disciplined self-study, they are still permitted to delay their return or not return at all at this time. The University will continue to provide online teaching for stay-at-home students. Around one thousand students have applied for a delayed return.

UNNC has also been collecting information on students’ travel arrangements, answering questions and providing as much support as possible.

Professor May Tan-Mullins, Vice-Provost for Teaching and Learning, emphasised that no students would be academically disadvantaged or advantaged, regardless of whether they are physically at UNNC or off-campus.

To ensure a level playing field for all students, the University will resume small classes with campus-based students whenever possible and provide digital access to absent students to enable simultaneous participation in lectures and live discussions. Lectures will also be recorded for students living in different time zones.

Moreover, the current semester will be extended by an additional two weeks, to ensure that teaching quality is consistent. In terms of assessments, students on and off-campus are to take the same set of test questions simultaneously. New digital technology has also been procured to ensure the equality of assessments, whether taken online or offline.

The health and safety of our students and staff remains UNNC’s overriding priority. The University has also expanded the overall Health and Safety Procedures with a deeper focus on the teaching environment. For example, lecturers are to collect masks prior to classes, as well as reminding students to observe personal preventive hygiene and that they fully understand emergency contingency plans.