Teaching and Learning in Intersession SY2022-2023 (OVPLS Memo)

25 April 2022

To:                   Loyola Schools Community

From:               [Sgd.] Maria Luz C. Vilches
                        Vice President

RE:                 Teaching and Learning in Intersession SY 2022-2023 

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In the context of Alert Level 1 and (hopefully) better, we are poised to welcome everyone to more face-to-face classes, especially for undergraduate courses, beginning this Intersession (June and July) 2022.  (Please refer to the upcoming Registrar’s Office announcement on the School Calendar for SY 2022-2023).

All the courses are expected to still have their Canvas backbone to make us disruption-resilient as well as flexible (in case we revert to Alert Levels that will necessitate going fully online again.) We shall harness the advantages of F2F classes and make online learning robust support for the learning objectives of the courses. 

Mode of Teaching and Learning

The classes during the intersession will either be fully online or hybrid onsite.  Hybrid classes may be generally configured as follows:

·         the whole class is attending onsite and online, alternately

·         some students are attending physically onsite and some are attending virtually online, simultaneously

During the Intersession, classes are no longer going to be carried out on rotation like what is being done during the pilot run this second semester of SY 2021-2022.  Rather, they shall follow the normal schedule as set out by the Registrar’s Office.  Hybrid classes during the Intersession are required to have at least the following number of onsite classes per week:

·         Courses on a five-day week:  at least 2 meetings onsite a week

·         Courses on a three-day week: at least 1 meeting onsite a week

·         Courses on a two-day week: at least 1 meeting onsite a week

More face-to-face classes beyond the minimum requirement per week may be negotiated between students and faculty.  The rest of the sessions are done online. 

A set of updated academic policies will be announced in due course regarding student attendance and enrolment regulations in view of the evolving teaching and learning modes. 

Requests for Online or Onsite Classes

Students are expected to be onsite for some sessions but government regulations indicate the following exemptions:  students who are not vaccinated/partially vaccinated, and students who have significant co-morbidities or are living with housemates with the same condition. 

·         Students who are not vaccinated/partially vaccinated are not permitted by CHED regulations to attend F2F classes. They will have to take their courses online.

·         Students who have significant comorbidities or are living with housemates with the same condition. These students have the option to continue taking courses online.  Using this link https://go.ateneo.edu/RequestForOnlineModeofClasses, students should file their requests to attend classes ONLINE due to Medical Reasons.

·         The Loyola Schools actually enjoins students with significant medical conditions to take their courses online for their own welfare. Those in this group who would still want to go ONSITE should make a request using this link:  https://go.ateneo.edu/Undertaking-Students-SignificantComorbidities. Such requests are going to be vetted and approved or denied by the Office of Health Services (OHS).

On the other hand, students without comorbidities or who are fully vaccinated but who are not ready to join onsite classes for varied non-medical reasons should make a request to attend classes ONLINE due to Non-Medical Reasons. This is the link to use: https://go.ateneo.edu/NonMedicalRequestToAttendOnline. Such requests are going to be vetted and approved or denied by the department chairs or program directors and/or the school deans.

Deadline for Requests

All such requests should be made by 30 April 2022 if students want to register for courses that will be offered during Intersession 2022.  This deadline is strictly observed for the Registrar’s Office to be able to schedule, very soon, classes online and hybrid-onsite more efficiently. 

Faculty

Government regulations indicate that faculty members who are not vaccinated or who are partially vaccinated are not permitted to teach onsite. They will have to teach their courses online.  

The same government regulations indicate additionally that the following groups of faculty members may also continue to teach online:  those 60 years old and above; those with significant comorbidities or are living with persons with the same condition; and those who are pregnant.  Reasons other than these may be made known by the faculty members to their department chairs/program directors for consideration at the level of the school. Processes here will be informed by the forthcoming updated guidelines on employees’ work mode which will be issued by the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources.   

Matters related to the loading of faculty will be handled by the departments/programs in consultation with the deans of the schools.

Action from the Schools

The LS Schools are going to propose the specific mode of learning and teaching (i.e., online or hybrid-onsite) for the courses that will be offered during the Intersession. Please await further notice. 

Given that the health condition or situation of faculty members is to be considered (as earlier mentioned), it may happen that certain courses are going to be fully online even when the health status of all the students in a class does not call for fully online mode of delivery.  Provisions will be made so that students can take online classes while they are on campus for their onsite classes. Departments and programs whenever possible will offer a good mix of online and hybrid sections for courses.

Other Important Reminders

Please note that in the Loyola Schools, students and faculty members who are unvaccinated have no other option but to study or teach online.

All those going onsite during the Intersession should fill out the Co-Responsibility and Co-Accountability Undertaking https://bit.ly/LSUndertaking21-22 through the G-forms via these links:  

For employees:  https://bit.ly/LSUndertakingForm

for students:  https://bit.ly/LSUndertakingFormforStudents.

Next Bulletin

Information on matters related to the First and Second Semester classes and schedules will be released by mid-May 2022.

Have a joyful Easter Season!