Measures concerning teaching
Updated September 8, 2021
UPF will start the 2021-2022 academic year with full face-to-face teaching
The positive evolution of the pandemic and the levels of vaccination, as well as the indications of the authorities (latest resolution of the Department of Health, SLT / 2704/2021, of 2nd of September) set a framework that allows us to offer, except in exceptional cases, face-to-face teaching for all undergraduate students, from the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.
UPF has scheduled the academic year with the necessary flexibility so to be able to react and comply at all times with the rules set by the health authorities in response to the evolution of the pandemic. We will keep an eye on any changes that may occur to introduce the necessary adaptations to the teaching model at any given time.
Detailed information on each study will be published on each centre's website in the coming days.
Previous information
Updated July 26, 2021
UPF will start the 2021-2022 academic year with as much face-to-face attendance as possible
UPF has planned teaching for the 2021-2022 academic year so as to be able to offer the maximum level of face-to-face attendance that is compatible with the evolution of the health situation at all times, respecting the protection recommendations issued by the authorities and making use of all the necessary instruments to fluff up classrooms.
UPF considers that presence is decisive to take full advantage of learning, and therefore wants to get the most out of the experience in the classroom, the coexistence of students in the spaces of the University and the various resources that it allows. Throughout the academic year special attention will be paid to guaranteeing a face-to-face experience for students, who will have to attend the campus to carry out the scheduled teaching activities. Likewise, an accompaniment plan will be foreseen for those students being confined or sick.
The management and technical teams of the University, with the experience learned from the exceptional nature of this last year, have planned various scenarios to be able to react quickly to any face-to-face restrictions that the health situation may pose, adapting teaching to the evolution of the epidemiological situation, if necessary. Measures planned include virtualizing large group classes, establishing rotating shifts, doubling groups or reducing the size of class groups. These measures, however, will be applied in a flexible manner, to enhance attendance of students at the University campus.
However, current health data suggest that at the beginning of the first term some measures to reduce presence will still have to be applied. In this regard, it is expected that a large majority of the large group classes will be done online, while on the campuses the training activities will be done in smaller groups. Accurate and updated information on the situation in each study will be offered on the website of each centre.
Updated March 5, 2021
From the 8th of March, and until the end of this second term, some face-to-face activities will be scheduled for all students of the University
February 5, 2021
From the 15th of February, first-year UPF students will have reduced face-to-face activity
In accordance with the latest resolutions of the health and university authorities, from the 15th of February first-year undergraduate students will be able to do face-to-face the activities provided for in the hybrid teaching plan for the second term. This means that face-to-face classes in small groups and large spaces will be combined with online classes. Each centre will determine which subjects will be offered face-to-face and will report on it through its web pages. However, the online care plan, which provides the necessary support for cases in which it is not possible to follow the activity face-to-face, due to illness or mobility difficulties, is maintained.
For the rest of the degree, master's and doctoral courses, the measures in force so far remain; that is, the classes that are usually held in conventional spaces will be carried out in a virtual format, and only the practical classes that are carried out in technical spaces, in laboratories and in the hospital area will be done face-to-face.
The University campuses are safe spaces because all the necessary measures have been taken. We call for self-responsibility and to follow with the utmost attention both personal protection measures – well-placed masks at all times, hand cleaning, interpersonal distance – and signage to move around campuses.
As soon as the authorities indicate so and circumstances allow, the measures taken for first-year students will be extended to other students.
January 25, 2021
Extension of the measures in relation to face-to-face teaching
If, before the end of the term, the health and University authorities open the possibility of carrying out any face-to-face activity, the University will adopt it. In this case, students who continue to be affected by mobility restrictions will be guaranteed the distance learning provided for in the learning plan for the subjects of the second term.
We reiterate the call for individual and collective responsibility in this phase of the pandemic. University officials have taken all measures to make UPF campuses safe spaces; but these measures are of little use if each and every one of us does not always and everywhere maintain hygiene and distance measures and if we do not make proper use of the mask when we go to campus buildings to carry out some the permitted activities.
January 5, 2021
On the 7th of January, UPF will begin the second term teaching with most of the activity online, as it took place in the first term
Given the evolution of the pandemic in Catalonia, and in accordance with the latest provisions adopted by PROCICAT and the latest statement to the university community, UPF will maintain for its teaching activities the same face-to-face restrictions than at the end of the first term. That is, the second term will begin virtually for classes that take place in conventional spaces, and only the practical sessions that take place in technical spaces, in laboratories and in the hospital area will be carried out face-to-face. In these cases, with extreme vigilance and protection measures. Libraries will offer the service with the opening hours specified on the website.
These measures will be maintained throughout the month of January. As soon as conditions allow, and always in accordance with what is established by the health and university authorities, we will gradually return to the hybrid teaching model that UPF has designed in the contingency plan for the entire 2020-2021 academic year.
We want to reiterate a call for individual and collective responsibility in this phase of the pandemic. University officials have taken all measures to make UPF campuses safe spaces; however, these measures are of little use if each and every one of us does not always maintain hygiene and distance measures everywhere and if we do not make proper use of the mask when we go there to carry out any of the permitted activities.
At the end of the teaching period of the first term, the UPF Management would like to thank once again the effort of adaptation of the whole community –teachers, students and administration and services staff–, which has made it possible to overcome the term positively despite the difficulties and tthe uncertainty we have lived with in recent months.
Looking ahead to the second term, which will begin on the 7th of January, the will is to recover hybrid teaching, as provided for in the contingency plan for the 2020-2021 academic year; that is, teaching with large groups virtualized, seminars and practical sessions in a face-to-face mode, and 40% occupancy of the spaces, combined with the online subjects that were already planned. However, the teaching modality is conditioned by the decisions adopted by the PROCICAT and, in particular, by the moment in which Catalonia will move to section 4 of the de-escalation plan, which is when the recovery of attendance at universities is foreseen.
If on the 7th of January 2021 Catalonia had not been able to move to section 4, the start of the second term would be made with face-to-face teaching limited to practical sessions that take place in technical spaces, laboratories and hospital area, as the it has been the case until the end of the first term.
We will communicate to the university community any news that occurs in the forecasts about the beginning of the term.
December 10, 2020
Forecasts for the beginning of the second term regarding face-to-face teaching
At the end of the teaching period of the first term, the UPF Management would like to thank once again the effort of adaptation of the whole community –teachers, students and administration and services staff–, which has made it possible to overcome the term positively despite the difficulties and tthe uncertainty we have lived with in recent months.
Looking ahead to the second term, which will begin on the 7th of January, the will is to recover hybrid teaching, as provided for in the contingency plan for the 2020-2021 academic year; that is, teaching with large groups virtualized, seminars and practical sessions in a face-to-face mode, and 40% occupancy of the spaces, combined with the online subjects that were already planned. However, the teaching modality is conditioned by the decisions adopted by the PROCICAT and, in particular, by the moment in which Catalonia will move to section 4 of the de-escalation plan, which is when the recovery of attendance at universities is foreseen.
If on the 7th of January 2021 Catalonia had not been able to move to section 4, the start of the second term would be made with face-to-face teaching limited to practical sessions that take place in technical spaces, laboratories and hospital area, as the it has been the case until the end of the first term.
We will communicate to the university community any news that occurs in the forecasts about the beginning of the term.
November 19, 2020
Forecasts until the end of the first term regarding face-to-face teaching
Following the guidelines of the PROCICAT and the agreement of the CIC, UPF will maintain the virtualization of all teaching as possible until the end of the term. The activities carried out in laboratories, technical spaces and hospital areas may continue to be carried out. Exceptionally, from 30th of November, the deans and department directors may also authorize other practical teaching activities, tutorials or small format seminars, provided that the teacher responsible for the subject has also explicitly provided for online attention for students who are unable to move to campuses.
The assessment period of the first term (10th-21st December) is maintained as planned by the centres and as disseminated among its students.
The University states once again that the UPF campuses are safe spaces, that all the necessary safety measures have been taken (hygiene, disinfection, ventilation, signage, availability of hydroalcoholic gels and masks) and that the restriction of attendance has been adopted exclusively to help reduce population mobility.
As for the forecasts for the second term, we will report on them by the end of the current term, on 21st December.
October 12, 2020
Public statement by the UPF government
In view of the evolution of the health crisis and the indications of the health and university authorities, UPF is extending the measures on teaching adopted on 15th October. Therefore, all face-to-face teaching activities are maintained in virtual mode, except the activities that are necessarily carried out in laboratories, technical spaces and hospital areas. The assessment period for the first term (10th to 21st December) remains, for the time being, as scheduled.
This extension is for a period of 15 days, as established by the PROCICAT, but we foresee that it will have to be extended until the end of the term. As soon as the health and university authorities indicate this, we will inform you.
October 12, 2020
Public statement by the UPF government
In response to the evolution of the health crisis and the indications of the health and university authorities, the UPF has activated the plan to limit face-to-face teaching as much as possible. From Thursday, October 15th, all teaching activities will become virtual for a period of 15 days, except for activities that are necessarily carried out in laboratories and technical spaces. On Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th, all face-to-face teaching activities will continue as initially planned, unless the teacher responsible for the subject informs the students otherwise enough time in advance.
How will teaching be conducted in the 2020-2021 academic year?
Hybrid teaching
The 2020-2021 academic year will be exceptional and will be organized around a hybrid teaching model. The model is a hybrid because it will combine face-to-face classes in small groups and in large venues with online classes, and interaction between students and teachers. Classes involving physical presence will be reduced insofar as possible, and conditioned by the needs of the students, the nature of the subjects, and the availability of premises. The subjects will therefore either be face-to-face (with reduced numbers on different degrees) or online (with no face-to-face classes required but involving interaction and not exclusively with synchronous activities).
Support for students
Next academic year support for students will be reinforced with more intensive actions by tutors. The reception sessions for new students are scheduled between late September and early October, and during the first term, various activities will be laid on especially for new students and those who have no prior knowledge of UPF. Also, virtual spaces will be provided for horizontal socialization and mentoring, both face-to-face and online, as well as via a specific aula global (virtual environment of each subject).
All UPF students are assigned a tutor from the start of their academic studies who will monitor their academic progress, offer advice, support and guidance in the student learning processes, according to the tutorial action plan at their centre. In addition to the tutor, several centres include the figure of the mentor, usually a more senior student who provides academic and extra-academic support, motivates and shares personal experiences to which students, especially newcomers, can relate. Alongside tutors and mentors, all students have the SAP (Psychological Counselling Service) at their disposal, which provides specific support, especially for situations of special needs, and professional counselling, provided by the Career Services, which supports and advises students on employability. Also, the academic secretary of the studies will offer support for students in the form of information relating mainly to academic procedures.
Online monitoring of courses
Although it is desirable for the academic year to develop as initially planned, physical presence at the University may be limited during the year as a result of a general worsening of the health crisis requiring suspending face-to-face academic activities, and also the unexpected absence of lecturers and students. Therefore, the University has established an online support plan for all undergraduate and master’s degree courses to ensure adequate monitoring of and support for students’ academic progress, which can be activated when necessary, regardless of the teaching method with which the subjects are initially scheduled.
Courses scheduled to be taught in face-to-face mode will not, in general terms, be taught simultaneously face-to-face and online, and virtual support will not be activated according to the preference of the student, because the subject teaching mode is established by the centre according to its deployment of face-to-face teaching. But, online monitoring will have the necessary flexibility so that those who are unexpectedly absent may follow subjects online, if necessary.
Student-teacher interaction
Teaching at UPF is face-to-face and that means there is regular face-to-face interaction between students and teachers. For online support, this interaction must be duly maintained and adapted to the online context. Maintaining interaction implies that there must be an established channel of communication for use between students and teachers. But student-teacher interaction does not have to be synchronous. For subjects taught online, the recommended frequency of interaction is weekly, and at least biweekly.
Students and teachers will use the tools available at the University to allow maintaining interaction; among others, aula global forums, communication by email, and synchronous student support sessions via video conferencing (using Collaborate or Google Meet, among others).
Course learning plan
All courses have a course plan that envisages both the content and the skills, learning outcomes and assessment instruments drawn directly from the curriculum, but the course plan does not usually include a detailed schedule acting as a calendarized learning plan. The learning plan also allows both the student and the teacher to get an idea of overall dedication to the subject.
Whether taught face-to-face or online, courses will have a learning plan, in addition to the course plan, which will involve at least: a) the weekly distribution of content and learning activities, b) the deadlines and means of submitting evaluable tasks, c) the expected return of evaluable activities, d) the impact of evaluable activities on the final mark if not explicitly indicated in the course plan, and e) the expected dedication by the student to the various scheduled academic activities.
Learning materials in aula global
The courses taught online will include the necessary materials for students available in the aula global. For the subjects taught face-to-face, it is also useful for the main materials to be available in the aula global, especially reading, multimedia learning materials and lists of evaluable activities, in anticipation of having to completely virtualize them at some time during the academic year.
The idea is not for all face-to-face course materials to be available in the aula global, because it is understood that the activities carried out face-to-face do not require preserving. Nothing prevents face-to-face sessions from being recorded and made available to students in the aula global and beyond, but neither is there an obligation to do so. However, initiatives making multimedia learning materials (MLM) produced within the context of courses available to other publics should be understood as good practices.
Continuous assessment adapted to hybrid teaching
The assessment model implemented at Pompeu Fabra University is based on continuous assessment and is student-centred, which means that the student carries out several evaluable activities during the term and receives feedback on these activities, also throughout the term. The course evaluable activities comprise, in equal parts, formative assessment, which allows students to detect possible difficulties during the term and remedy them, and summative assessment, which evaluates the results achieved at the end of a process. To monitor student activity, the teacher is provided with tools and resources integrated in course aules globals.
The University’s continuous assessment model will remain in place and training activities will be adapted to the hybrid teaching mode. If there is a need to do them online, assessment activities should not be modified, but the content of the evaluable activities will be adapted to the situation of students’ potential lockdown. Therefore, the course learning plan will consider which instrument best adapts to the learning outcomes for evaluation, the synchrony of the evaluable activities will be dosed, and to the extent possible, every effort will be made to avoid transposing face-to-face assessment tests to online tests.
Training and support for the digitization of the teaching staff
Training and support for teachers, both regarding the digitization of materials and technical and methodological support, will remain in place. In addition to personal support for teachers who so require, actions for sharing best practices will continue to be promoted as well as virtual seminars on the use of the technological tools available at the University. From the point of view of digitization, support from La Factoria will be reinforced for creating multimedia learning materials (MLM) that have significant potential for reuse.
Safe areas
All teaching facilities at the University are prepared for the teaching of classes with all the necessary safety measures for both students and teachers duly implemented. The capacity of these areas is calculated in accordance with the provisions of Universities Sector Plan and all protective measures established at the time by the health authorities will be implemented. Hand washing, safety distance and the use of the mask are likely to be commonplace throughout the academic year.
Besides the usual teaching facilities (classrooms and laboratories), if necessary the University will incorporate spaces for use as study rooms for students so that they can enjoy a safe work space at the University.
Forced virtualization plan
In the worst case, all face-to-face undergraduate and master’s degree courses must be able to be taught entirely online within no more than three days from the time the authorities might suspend face-to-face educational activities. The forced virtualization of face-to-face courses will also take place when an entire class-group must remain in preventive isolation. Therefore, all courses will have an emergency virtualization plan prepared that includes mechanisms for monitoring and interacting with students.
Other informations
UPF will start the 2020-2021 academic year with hybrid teaching, but with as much face-to-face teaching as the health situation allows
UPF will begin the 2020-2021 academic year with face-to-face teaching, insofar as this is compatible with the health situation, and with all the necessary instruments to reduce the number of students in the classrooms and guarantee the measures recommended by health authorities. Reducing the size of class groups, establishing shifts, splitting groups, virtualizing master classes, and adapting and conditioning spaces are some of the measures that will be taken.
Special attention will be paid to ensuring a face-to-face experience for first-year students entering the campuses for the first time. All students will have a learning plan that will also provide the necessary support for cases of illness and the impossibility of following the face-to-face activity.
UPF has been working for years to adapt its educational model to the new social and labour requirements. As a face-to-face university, UPF wants to get the most out of the classroom experience, but proposes to do large group classes online, while suggesting to keep training activities in small groups on campus, where attendance is crucial for the students to make the most of their learning process.
However, the Management and the technical teams of the University, with the experience learned from the emergency of this last term, foresee several scenarios to be able to quickly react to the possible restrictions in face-to-face presence that the sanitary situation might require.
Teaching in the third trimester completely online
The University will offer all third-term teaching, which began on the 30th of March 2020, only in non-classroom format, aware that there is no certainty that campuses can be opened again before the end of the academic year, on the 16th of June. This online teaching provision also includes ongoing assessment activities, but no general decision has been made as to possible final exams. However, the centres have the autonomy to advance this decision. These considerations can be extended to the centres affiliated to UPF.
From the outset, the University started working on a contingency plan to facilitate the transition from face-to-face teaching to non-classroom teaching. Tools and resources for teachers and students have been made available, and teacher support services have been reorganized to provide remote support.
UPF also made recommendations and gave guidelines for non-classroom teaching, control and review of exams, protection of personal data and other related issues.
Bibliographic resources available during the closure of UPF campus
As long as the Library facilities are closed and the document loan cannot be used, the electronic content remains available.
Exceptional measures for internships
As a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak and given the measures adopted by the partner companies and organizations that affect the habitual development of internships, the Pompeu Fabra University has proposed partner organizations and companies, in order not to detriment the training of our students, to enable the possibility of carrying out the internships in a non-face-to-face mode or postpone the internships until later, when the episode of coronavirus is under control.
The same request has been made to all the services, units, departments and research groups that host trainees at the Pompeu Fabra University.
Exceptional measures for the exams of the second term of the 2019-2020 academic year, scheduled for the period 18-28 of March
Given the situation created by the COVID-19 epidemic, and considering the high probability that in the coming days measures will be needed that may affect the usual development of an exam period, UPF has decided to suspend the face-to-face nature of the exams scheduled between 18th and 28th of March.
An alternative system for the evaluation of the second term is established, which consists in postponing the exams or in replacing them with non-face-to-face evaluable activities. Each centre will specify its alternative system and will inform its students through the Campus Global from Friday 13th of March.
Consequently, following the planned calendar of the academic year, there will be no teaching activities on UPF campuses during these dates.
Updated information on the situation at UPF is available on the University’s website (https://www.upf.edu/).
From Monday 9 March clinical internships and other medical training activities that take place in the area of the Mar Health Park have been suspended temporarily. Meanwhile, supplementary training activities will be programmed to optimize the students’ knowledge of the health crisis triggered by infection with coronavirus COVID-19. This decision is part of the criteria agreed by the deans of the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences of Catalonia (See attached document).
Exceptional measures for thesis readings
The UPF PhD School has provided a procedure whereby the thesis readings scheduled until the end of April may be defended, if deemed appropriate from the direction of the program, by videoconference of the doctoral student and the three members of the jury.
On the other hand, a protocol is being prepared to facilitate the deposit of doctoral theses online. Measures to present presentations and defenses of dissertation projects or research plans through video conferencing will also be studied.