Preparations for the 2nd Semester, SY 2022-2023 (OVPLS Memo)

We seem to have all settled in this First Semester. It’s wonderful to see students, faculty, and other employees move freely around our beautiful campus.  We have come back to our common home. Thanks be to God!

Not without adjustments, however –in fact, expected. But we are here to address the concerns too. So as we prepare for the second semester, we have a few reminders to give us a better way of handling challenges.  

Back in July, I issued a memo detailing our preparations for the First Semester.  I will pick up salient points from that memo and nuance them further in view of the Second Semester.

Let me just say that this memo pertains mainly to undergraduate learning and teaching matters.  The Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs will issue a separate memo for graduate students as it deems fit to do so.

Modes of Learning/Teaching

We have officially two modes of teaching and learning in SY 2022-2023: onsite and fully online. The primary mode is onsite.

Onsite

Following the principles of Adaptive Design for Learning (ADL), onsite courses consist of both physical face-to-face meetings (the “contact hours”) and asynchronous activities on the course learning management system. They are, therefore, not fully or solely onsite, not as they were in pre-pandemic times.  Students who have been approved for fully online classes will not be allowed to register for onsite classes.

1. “Learning hours” are the sum of contact hours/synchronous sessions, the estimated hours for asynchronous or independent study hours, and the estimated time for one to complete assessments. The total number of learning hours per course is 90.
2. The contact hours of courses should total at least 24 hours but not exceed 45 hours. These represent 16 face-to-face or online synchronous meetings for a course that has a twice-a-week schedule. It should be understood, of course, that the contact hours of onsite courses are spent on physical class meetings; the contact hours of online courses, on virtual class meetings.

Fully Online*

All contact hours will be online with asynchronous components to supplement synchronous classes. Students who have been approved to attend fully online classes because of health reasons are given priority to enroll in this class.

Students approved for online courses will be pre-enlisted in their courses. This measure is to prevent them from accidentally or deliberately enlisting in onsite courses and so placing an unnecessary burden on the faculty member, their classmates, and the administrative offices. Students are therefore urged to mind the deadline for submitting requests for online status and documentation.

*The Loyola Schools reiterates that it will no longer be accepting non-medical reasons as bases for the application for fully online classes. (please refer to the 28 June 2022 OVPLS memo on REQUIREMENTS FOR ONSITE CLASSES IN 1ST & 2ND SEMESTERS, SY 2022-2023). See Registration Requirements below for more details.

NOTE 1:           The Flex mode of delivery can be offered on a limited basis – e.g. if a student is approved for online status and there is only one section of a required major in an onsite setting; when teachers of onsite courses may hold special online synchronous tutorial sessions with the online students on the class hours that the onsite class is not using for class sessions).  These special cases should be arranged internally in the departments or worked out by individual faculty members once they know the composition of their classes.  

NOTE 2:           As a general rule, onsite courses should not hold online synchronous sessions, nor should online sessions substitute physical class meetings. I would like to appeal to faculty members not to schedule online synchronous sessions. If they are meeting the students synchronously, they have to do it onsite. The classrooms are available for their use.  This appeal is in consideration of the students in between onsite classes who have to log on while they are on campus to attend what is supposed to be a course that meets onsite. Faculty members of onsite courses may hold online consultations or conduct make-up sessions online.  

Classroom Preparations

The Office of the Chief Information Officer & Vice President for Digital Information and Technology Services (DITS), Ms. Janice Bello, has been busily working on responses to IT concerns in the university.  The Infrastructure Group in her office tells us that it is safe to assume that 100% of the classrooms in LS should have WiFi routers available as we start the Second Semester. DITS is also monitoring the Internet speed on a regular basis and is making incremental adjustments in favor of higher bandwidth as the need arises.

In addition, our EducTech Committee in the LS is reviewing classroom facilities that have to do with microphones and other gadgets for the online/flex modality.    

Class Schedules

We continue to implement the Loyola Schools’ new class schedule framework. Lecture classes may be delivered as follows.

Twice a week at 1.5 hours, Monday-Thursdays

Twice a week at 1.5 hours, Tuesday-Fridays

Once a week at 3 hours, Wednesdays

Once a week at 3 hours, Saturdays

Laboratory class schedules are aligned with the schedule slots of lecture classes to minimize conflicts in student schedules. The activity period will now be on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Registration requirements

As I earlier said, in June 2022, I issued a memo that stated the requirements that should guide the registration process.  You can access the memo here: https://www.ateneo.edu/document/2022/06/28/requirements-onsite-classes-1st-2nd-semesters-sy-2022-2023-ovpls-memo

Important aspects of these requirements are restated below. We hope for your early compliance with these requirements to prevent problems during enrollment. 

1. All students who have certified medical conditions that put them at risk for COVID-19 infection, which prevents them from participating in an onsite learning mode, should submit an application for online classes through this link:  http://go.ateneo.edu/LS-requestforonline2ndsem.  Note that only students who have certificates advising them to take FULLY ONLINE activities may apply for fully online classes. Students who have already submitted certificates to request for online classes in the first semester should reapply for the second semester regardless if they already indicated then their intent to reapply for the second semester. The last day of submission is on  September 26, 2022.
    
2. Students with comorbidities, who may have a greater risk of serious illness but who wish to participate in onsite classes, are recommended to consult their private physician for appropriate measures that they may need to take to clear them as fit for onsite classes. A medical certificate stating the student’s medical condition and clearing the student for classes onsite should be submitted to the Office of Health Services through this link:  http://go.ateneo.edu/LS-requestforonsite2ndsem, using one’s official obf.ateneo.edu email.  Medical certificates should come from a licensed physician with appropriate letterhead and contact information. The last day of submission is on  September 26, 2022.
   
   Note: Students with comorbidities who have already indicated their intent for onsite classes in the second semester, with duly certified medical certificates, need not resubmit.  Those who have only indicated their intent for the first semester will need to resubmit for the coming semester. 
    
3. First year, second year, and third year students who have pending medical record requirements (e.g. Chest X-ray and immunization), should submit these before September 30, 2022 to avoid a hold order on their AISIS account.   

Forward we go

We have gone this far in our efforts to address teaching and learning in the Loyola Schools.  It’s not the work of one sector but of all in the community.  Thank you!  I trust in your continued cooperation and support.

Let’s find inspiration from one of my favorite wise persons, the Persian poet and philosopher, Rumi: “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” Let’s walk on that way together!