Order No. 178 - organisation of education

Order No. 178 of the Rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń of 8 September 2020 on the organisation of education at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the winter semester of the academic year 2020/2021.

Pursuant to Art. 67.4 of the Act of 20 July 2018 - Law on Higher Education and Science (Dz. U. of 2020, item 85 as amended) and art. 52.3 of the resolution No. 37 of the Senate of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń of 16 April 2019 - Statutes of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (Biuletyn Prawny UMK of 2019, item 120 as amended) in connection with art. 12 of the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 27 September 2018 on studies (Dz. U. of 2018, item 1861 as amended)it is ordered as follows:

Article 1

1. Teaching classes in higher education studies, postgraduate studies, doctoral studies, doctoral schools, and other forms of education at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the winter semester of the academic year 2020/2021 shall be conducted with the use of distance learning methods and techniques.
2. Distance learning classes may be conducted online (synchronously) or offline (asynchronously).
3. Classes delivered in a mode other than lectures, the form of which results from the curriculum, doctoral school, or other form of education due to their specificity or for other important reasons, may be delivered in a traditional form in the buildings of the University in accordance with the applicable safety and sanitary rules.
4. The decision to provide specified teaching classes in a traditional form in the buildings of the University shall be taken by the dean or the director of the doctoral school respectively and shall be published on the website of the faculty and, in the case of doctoral schools, on the website of the doctoral school by 15 September 2020. The final schedules of classes shall be published by 21 September.
5. Schedules of classes should be arranged in such a way as to enable students to participate in all classes regardless of their form.
6. Clinical classes and other classes that are provided on the premises of hospitals shall be conducted in accordance with safety and sanitary rules established by the director of the hospital in agreement with the dean of the relevant faculty.
7. Physical education classes shall be delivered in a traditional or a distance learning form. The decision as to the form of participation in these classes shall be made by the student at the stage of signing up for a group.
8. Foreign language classes shall be conducted in a distance learning form.

Article 2

1. The instructor conducting teaching classes in a distance learning form shall be responsible for:                                          

1)      the content of the electronic materials made available and their compliance with the law, including in particular copyright law;

2)      securing and archiving of electronic materials evidencing the course of classes to enable verification of students' learning outcomes, including for the purposes of assessment conducted by accreditation committees.

2. The instructor shall inform the students without delay about the chosen form of distance teaching by e-mail sent via the USOS system.
3. The instructor shall keep the students informed about organisational issues and provide feedback on their learning progress on an ongoing basis.
4. The instructor shall provide appropriate methods for the verification of learning outcomes and shall regularly monitor the course of student learning.

Article 3

1. In the event of technical limitations which prevent participation in distance learning classes, the student shall be obliged to report this fact to the dean for students' affairs without delay in order to establish the conditions for the use of the faculty IT facilities or alternative conditions for crediting the course.
2. The student has the right to the support provided by the instructor and the University (via the University Centre for IT Support) in the operation of the system supporting distance learning.

Article 4

1. Examinations and credit assessments that complete the classes referred to in art. 1.1 shall be conducted in the traditional mode.
2. In particularly justified cases, the instructor may, on their own initiative or at the request of the student, take a decision to verify the achieved learning outcomes specified in the curriculum in oral form with the use of information technology by means of a synchronous videoconference. The instructor shall indicate the platform on which the examination or credit assessment shall take place and the date of the examination or credit assessment (including the day and time).
3. The student may proceed with the verification referred to in art. 4.2 subject to:

1)      the consent given by the examiner to such verification where the student has applied for such verification;

2)      establishing a connection with the examiner via the platform referred to in art. 4.2 on the date set by the examiner.

4. Records of the verification of the learning outcomes shall be done by the examiner by drawing up a report from the course of the examination or credit assessment.
5. In the event that the examiner has doubts regarding the independence and objectivity of the examination/credit assessment, the examiner may discontinue the examination/credit assessment.
6. If the examination or credit assessment is discontinued due to technical problems, the examiner shall attempt to reconnect with the student with a maximum of three attempts within 10 minutes. If the connection is restored, the examination question shall be cancelled. If, in the course of an examination or a credit assessment, the connection between the examiner and the student taking the examination or a credit assessment is permanently discontinued, the examiner shall decide whether the delivery of the examination/credit assessment produced until the discontinuation of the connection makes it possible to assess the examination or give crediting, whether to declare the completion of the examination or credit assessment and award the grade, or whether to cancel the examination/credit assessment. The loss of connection, interruption of the examination/credit assessment and the decision to cancel the said shall be recorded in the examination/credit assessment record. In justified cases, a subsequent credit assessment or examination may be transferred by the examiner to the University premises and conducted in traditional form.

Article 5

1. In particularly justified cases, the instructor may, on their own initiative or at the request of the student, take a decision to verify the achieved learning outcomes specified in the curriculum in written form with the use of distance learning techniques. The examiner shall indicate the platform on which the examination or credit assessment shall take place and the date of the examination or credit assessment (including the day and time).
2. The examiner shall organise the examination or credit assessment referred to in art. 5.1 in such a manner as to ensure the independence of the student's work and the monitoring of the course of the examination/credit assessment.
3. Records of the verification of the learning outcomes shall be done by drawing up a report from the course of the examination or credit assessment by the examiner.
4. In the event that the examiner has doubts regarding the independence and objectivity of the examination/credit assessment, the examiner may discontinue the said.
5. In the event that the examination or credit assessment is discontinued due to technical problems, the student shall inform the examiner without delay about these problems via the USOS mail.
6. In cases referred to in art. 5.4 and art. 5.5, the examination/credit assessment shall be invalidated by the examiner. In justified cases, a subsequent credit assessment or examination may be transferred by the examiner to the University premises and conducted in the traditional form.

Article 6

1. Distance learning shall be provided with the use of the following tools to deliver distance learning classes and conduct credit assessments and examinations:

1)      Moodle e-learning platform;

2)      BigBlueButton video conferencing system;

3)      MicrosoftTeams;

4)      other platforms and tools in so far as they are used on the basis of contracts concluded by the University or its units with providers of these services.

2. Technical support for instructors delivering classes with the use of the tools referred to in art.6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.3 shall be provided by the University Centre for IT Support.

Article 7

1. All classes shall be provided in accordance with the schedule set by the dean for a given semester, on the dates specified for each teaching group.
2. Office hours and staff consultations may be held remotely with the consent of the faculty dean or the director of the university teaching unit.
3. In exceptional cases, the dean shall agree on a change in the schedule of classes, office hours, and staff consultations at the request of the instructor.
4. The instructor shall inform students about changes in the schedule of classes, office hours, and staff consultations via the USOS system.

Article 8

1. Supervision over the proper provision of the teaching process with the use of distance forms of teaching shall be exercised by the dean of the faculty in agreement with the head of doctoral studies - in the scope of education in doctoral studies; the head of post-graduate studies - in the scope of education in post-graduate studies. In doctoral schools this supervision is exercised by the director of the school.
2. An employee of a dean’s office designated by the dean or an office employee of a university teaching unit or the doctoral school designated by the director of that unit or the director of the doctoral school (distance learning coordinator) shall keep records of the classes and persons who provide classes in a distance learning form in relevant studies.

Article 9

1. Teaching classes delivered in a distance learning form shall be settled in accordance with the allotment of teaching classes as set out in the individual workload sheet of an academic teacher on condition that students have been provided with the opportunity to achieve learning outcomes prescribed for the course and that the class has been entered into the records and approved pursuant to the principles laid down in art. 9.2 and art. 9.3.
2. An academic teacher who has delivered classes in a distance learning form shall, immediately after the completion of all the classes scheduled for completion in a distance learning form in the academic year 2020/2021, submit a written report on their completion to the dean or the director of the university teaching unit, as appropriate. The report shall be drawn up according to a template specified by the dean or director of the university teaching unit and shall be kept in the records of the faculty or university teaching unit.
3. On the basis of the report referred to in art. 9.2, the dean or director of the university teaching unit respectively, shall confirm the provision of classes pursuant to separate regulations in force at the University.
4. In the case of classes conducted in a distance learning form by persons employed at the University under civil law contracts, the provisions of art. 9.2 and art. 9.3 shall apply accordingly.

Article 10

Order No. 147 of the NCU Rector of 1 July 2020 on providing teaching classes with the use of distance learning methods and techniques at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in the academic year 2020/2021 (Biuletyn Prawny UMK of 2020, item 259) shall be repealed.

Article 11

The order becomes effective as of 1 October 2020 except for art. 1.4, which shall become effective on 8 September 2020.

R E C T O R

Prof. dr hab. Andrzej Sokala

Order No. 178