Ca' Foscari welcomes back students with a new plan

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In compliance with Ministry regulations, classes in the first semester will be held both face-to-face and online, with the goal of welcoming as many students as possible in our classrooms.
The new plan approved by the Academic Senate, is based on the following principles:
- Flexibility in the definition of the number of people allowed in each class, in response to possible evolutions of the ongoing health emergency and the resulting social distancing measures;
- equal opportunities to all students in accessing face-to-face classes;
- fruition of online classes for all students who are not able to access university venues due to logistic, health or economic reasons. 

The University has set up an online system for classroom seat reservations: thanks to the EasyLesson online booking system and through the MyUnive app, available in the Android and Apple stores, students will be able to book their place from one week before the lesson takes place.

The booking system will update in real time to allow for the maximum attendance allowed, taking into account any numerical variation (number of students who have selected the course in their profile, cancelled bookings, possible recalculation of classroom capacity). Last minute bookings are possible and can be made from 16 hours before the start of the lesson.

Bookings will generate an access card with a QR CODE, which will also be sent by e-mail, to be shown at the entrance of the premises.

For those unable to attend, classes will be streamed and recorded, making them readily available to everyone, even at a later time on the Panopto video content management platform. Students connected via Zoom videoconference will be able to interact both verbally and via chat with the teacher, following the classroom management rules that the lecturer will establish for each course. The technological equipment in the classrooms will allow the best conditions both for attending lessons in-person or remotely and for teaching.

To this end, the University is investing in new devices such as whiteboards and document cameras, additional softwares and videoconferencing systems. 

The dual method will also be applied to workshops, mentoring and practice classes. 

Rector Michele Bugliesi: “Ca’ Foscari will reopen to restore full meaning to higher education, which can only happen through face-to-face teaching and communal study and by freely sharing ideas with other students, professors and all the members of the academic community”

CA’ FOSCARI'S STUDENT HARDSHIP FUND

The University has allocated €4.5 million to support existing and newly enrolled Ca' Foscari students to cope with the difficulties suffered by them and their families in recent months, guaranteeing regional study grants for all eligible students and contributions towards the costs of rent, transport, connectivity and purchasing a new PC. Specifically, you can apply for the following contributions:

  • connectivity: a contribution of €100 towards the purchase of a new personal computer or for internet costs, on a fixed or mobile network;
  • a contribution of choice towards residency and mobility:

    1. a contribution towards travel passes for city or intercity transport, for a total of 50% of the cost, and up to a maximum of €250.
    2. a contribution towards the costs of renting, for an amount of €600.

The call for applications for these contributions will be available soon.
In addition to these special measures, find out all about study grants and other incentives.

Alongside this special budget, the University has also launched a crowdfunding campaign aimed at all those who can and wish to help the students. All money raised will go to students in need and Ca’ Foscari will triple the total contribution.

SAFETY FIRST

The recovery plan has also established a special protocol to regulate access to university facilities, to enforce safety and prevention measures, in compliance with state and regional regulations. 

  • During classroom activities, students must maintain a social distance of at least 1 metre between seats and wear a mask at all times.
  • The places that are not to be occupied in order to guarantee social distancing will be specially marked.
  • Each classroom will be equipped with a dispenser of hand sanitizer that students and teachers must use to sanitize their hands before entering. There will also be a bottle of liquid sanitizer and paper in each classroom for sanitizing shared equipment, such as microphones and computers.
  • Temperatures will be taken upon entry, with access to the classroom or to the building refused for anyone with a temperature over 37.5 °C.
  • The air recirculation in the rooms has already been reset and the air exchange will therefore be guaranteed by opening windows, where possible, and introducing cool air using the ventilation system.
  • The rooms will be sanitized daily and repeated mid-morning and mid-afternoon (in the case of opening 8-20) for the surfaces most used, such as door handles, elevator buttons, surfaces in refreshment areas, stair handrails, toilets and shared devices.
  • Access to Ca’ Foscari facilities (whether they be a campus, complex or building) will be granted only to those students who have made a seat reservation for one or more classes held at said facility during the day.
  • Proof of reservation must be shown at the entrance of each venue, where you’ll also find thermal scans, hand sanitizer and, should you need it, disposable protective equipment.
  • Buildings, as well as single classrooms, will all be equipped with signs that indicate the correct way to enter, exit and sit in class.
  • Students who have been granted access for the day will be allowed to move freely within the premises, always following indications and safety measures.
  • The total number of students allowed in each building will guarantee a safe environment even in communal areas.
  • Presence in class is limited to students who have made a seat reservation. The lecturer won’t be required to verify said reservation, but they will have the power to suspend the class in case of overcrowding
  • All staff will be informed on behavioural, organizational and prescriptive aspects of the anti-transmission measures and trained to handle suspected cases.