updated 10/9

According to the new regulation from the Czech government, the exemption from the prohibition of in-person participation in teaching only applies to medical faculties. Therefore, from Monday 12 October, until 25 October 2020 all teaching must take place remotely.

Teachers of classes exempted based on the previous regulation must inform students how the teaching will be organised during this period of tighter measures.

updated 10/7

Additional information on the implementation of remote learning based on the suggestions of the departments

Instructional recommendations

• Each subject taught must include direct contact with students via one of the electronic platforms.
• The choice of platform and choice of teaching methods is up to each teacher. It is possible to combine live streaming with other methods, eg with guided presentations, recorded lectures, materials for self-study, etc. It is not necessary that all teaching is synchronously online.
• We strongly recommend direct synchronous contact with students at least once every two weeks, but at least once every three weeks.
• Streamed teaching can (but does not have to) be recorded and made available to students for off-line use. In such cases, we recommend recording only the part presented by the teacher. With regard to personal data protection, it is not appropriate to upload and share presentations, questions or input to discussions by students.
• We recommend sharing the materials used in teaching with students, such as pptpresentations, texts, etc.
• We remind you that this semester, attendance (even remote) should not be set as a condition for passing the class.

Organizational instructions

• Remote learning should, as much as possible, take place at times according to the schedule.
• There have been cases where the capacity of subjects has been increased in good faith, regardless of the capacity of the room into which the class is normally placed. In these cases, a problem may arise after a possible return to in-person teaching. We will discuss these cases individually. In general, we ask for compliance with capacity of the classrooms.
• You can find additional support at elearning.ff.cuni.cz.

updated 9/21

Updated guidelines for the organization of studies in winter semester 2020/2021 according to the regulation of the Hygienic Station of the City of Prague No. 12/2020, which prohibits the in-person participation of students in university teaching with effect from 21 September, 2020.

Courses planned for the winter semester must be prepared for distance learning.

• Course syllabi need to be adjusted to include clearly described forms of teaching and course completion requirements. The difficulty of the course and the overall study load should remain the same as in in-person teaching.
• Direct contact with students via one of the electronic platforms has to be included in distance learning. It is not possible to only distribute the study materials for self-study. Help with preparation of distance teaching can be found at https://elearning.ff.cuni.cz/.
• At least one employee trained in distance teaching will be available to colleagues in each department.
• When implementing distance teaching, we recommend following the schedule as planned for in-person teaching (with exceptions below). According to experience from the previous semester, irregularities, changes and shifts lead to schedule conflicts and generally make teaching confusing for students.

According to the above regulation, the prohibition of physical presence does not apply to laboratory, experimental or artistic work when a maximum of 15 persons is present and clinical and practical teaching and practice (for more, see the information from 18 September).

• The head of department, in cooperation with the guarantor of the study program, will evaluate which courses open in the winter semester are not affected by the regulation. The head of the department will receive more information by e-mail.
• Due to the unpredictability of the development of the epidemic situation and possible further measures, we recommend planning these courses as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester and to consider, for example, block teaching, allowing individual internships at external subjects even during distance learning, transferring the course instruction to exterior, excursions, etc.).
• It is necessary to consider alternations in the event of a complete prohibition of in-person teaching, or to plan postponing the course to the summer semester.

Courses that cannot be transferred to distance learning and at the same time are not exempted from the regulation on the prohibition of in-person teaching, will be discussed individually with the heads of the departments.

• The head of the department in cooperation with the guarantor of the study program will prepare a list of these courses.
• Compulsory and compulsory-elective courses can be shifted to the summer semester or replaced by courses that were planned for the summer semester and which are suitable for distance teaching.
• It is possible not to teach elective courses this semester and move them to the summer semester, or replace them with other suitable courses.
• When moving between semesters, or when canceling courses, carefully consider the overall study load in the summer semester. Students should be able to fulfill their study obligations in a balanced way throughout the academic year. Excessive accumulation of courses in the summer semester could lead to a disproportionate study load in the second half of the academic year and consequently an increased rate of study failures.
• When changing the courses, try to stick to the schedules already created. For the time being, the regulation of the Prague Hygiene Station is only valid until 31 October, 2020. If we return to in-person teaching in November, it is necessary to have scheduled classrooms for its implementation. Large changes in the existing schedule could cause significant organizational complications and disrupt the smooth transition between distance and in-person teaching.

Organizational rules of study from 1 October, 2020

updated 9/17

Faculty of Arts, Charles University will start teaching in the academic year 2020/2021 in a hybrid form. Primarily, standard in-person teaching will take place. In justified cases, which are described below, it will be possible to start teaching remotely, or changing formats during the semester.

Instructions for the implementation of full-time teaching

Students and teachers are required to comply with all hygiene measures in accordance with government regulations. The information is continuously updated at https://koronavirus.ff.cuni.cz/.

In the case of quarantine of the teacher and/or a significant number of students, it is possible to repeatedly change the format of teaching from in-person to distance and vice versa during the semester. Students must be informed about these changes in a timely and proper manner by e-mail or other pre-arranged form.

The teacher will allow students who have found themselves in quarantine, or for other relevant reasons cannot attend classes (eg foreign students), to continue study with the use of alternative forms, eg connection to classes via one of the electronic platforms. Teachers and students are obliged to stay in touch with each other. According to the instructions of the teacher, students may complete alternative assignments.

Neither teachers nor students have to present a medical certificate after the quarantine/illness has ended. They will follow the instructions of the hygiene station and the general practitioner. We appeal to the personal responsibility of all members of the academic community to stay at home in the event of symptoms of respiratory disease and thus prevent the possible spread of the disease.

We recommend carrying out any internships and excursions planned according to the study plan as soon as possible. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider

1) their possible shift during the academic year, or holidays, if the epidemic situation would prevent their implementation according to plan,

2) the possibility of alternatives, where possible.

Especially for subjects intended for first-year students, we recommend, with regard to their adaptation to the new environment, the start of in-person teaching. Alternatively, it is possible to organize at least a one-time introductory meeting within the department.

Recommendations for the preparation of syllabi

All syllabi of subjects taught in WS 2020/2021 should take into account the possibility of transition to distance learning. The aim is to be prepared for a possible transition to complete distance learning during the semester. The modification of the syllabus must be completed and posted before SIS (information system) is opened for registrationof subjects.

The syllabus must clearly formulate the requirements for meeting the completion of the course in the case of in-person and distance learning. Both forms of teaching and completion must have similar study load and workload for students.

For this semester, we do not recommend requiring attendance as a condition of course completion. Excused absences, with some exceptions, cannot be based on a medical certificate.

Initiation and implementation of distance learning

In justified cases, teaching in WS 2020/2021 can be launched and implemented in a completely remote format. After approval by the head of the department (základní součásti ZS) in cooperation with the guarantor of the study program, the Dean may be asked to convert the subject into a distance format. The request should be submitted to the Dean by the Head of the department through the Vice-Dean for Studies by 23 September 2020 (detailed information will be received by the head of the ZS.)

It is possible to request distance learning especially in the following cases:

1. “Large subjects” – A subject with large capacity of students, where, due to the spatial possibilities of the faculty, it is not possible to provide a classroom guaranteeing compliance with hygienic rules and at the same time it is not possible to divide students into parallel groups for capacity reasons.

2. “Health risks” – A subject taught by a teacher who belongs to one of the high-risk groups and for operational/professional or other reasons it is not possible to ensure his/her replacement by another colleague.

3. “Foreign students” – A subject in which the participation of a significant number of students who will not be able to attend full-time teaching can reasonably be expected. The assessment of a significant number of students is in the competence of the head of the department in cooperation with the program guarantor.

In case the subject must be taught in several parallel blocks, it is possible to request a fully remote format for one of them and conduct the other one in person.

The schedule of applications is set so that before the opening of the studying system (SIS) for the registration of subjects, it is clear to the students in what format of the subject they enrol.

Distance learning must include elements of direct contact with students through one of the electronic platforms. It is not possible to implement teaching only by sending materials for self-study. If possible, the teaching times indicated in the full-time teaching schedule should be followed.

updated 15/9

As of now, Charles University will start teaching in person, unless otherwise stated. However, we are aware of the deteriorating epidemic situation and, in justified cases, we would like to enable the possibility of distance teaching from the start. This option will apply to the following situations:

• The nature of the course allows it to be converted into a remote format without disturbing the students’ study plans and/or changing the objectives and results of the course.
• The teacher belongs to one of the high-risk groups and the head of the department (ZS) confirms consent for the transfer of the subject to a distance teaching format.
• The course syllabus in SIS must be revised for distance learning, with clearly defined conditions for the fulfillment of assignments and a description of teaching methods. Instruction must include interactive elements and contact with students via one of the electronic platforms. It is not possible to implement the course only in the form of submitting documents and self-study.
• In addition to online teaching, consultation hours should be clearly defined through one of the electronic platforms, where the teacher will be regularly available to students for at least one hour per week.