Circular no. 1/2020 of the Governing Board on the management of the epidemiological situation

1. Introduction

Taking into account the document entitled “Sectoral Recommendation for the Organization of teaching in Higher Education in Health Crisis Situations” (hereinafter: “Sectoral Recommendation”) issued by the Ministry for Innovation and Technology on 17 August 2020 as well as the opinion of the Rector's Cabinet, The Governing Board of Széchenyi István University has made the following provisions for the safe management of the epidemiological situation due to the Covid-19 virus.

The scope of the circular extends to all students, staff and guests of the University.

2. Operating rules

2.1 General rules and recommendations in all university buildings

2.1.1. Conditions for entry:

• Only persons who fulfil all of the following conditions may enter the university buildings:
• They have a mask (scarf) suitable for covering the mouth and nose.
• Their body temperature is below 37.5 ° C.
• They do not show any of the typical symptoms of coronavirus. (koronavirus.gov.hu)
• They have complied with state-level measures regarding coronavirus e.g. post-arrival quarantine or Covid test obligations.

• They have submitted the declaration in Annexe 1, completed accurately and truthfully, if requested by the organizer of the given university event.

2.1.2. Rules for Social distancing rules and wearing a mask:

• Organizers of educational and other events should strive to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 m in rooms and enclosed spaces

• Everyone on campus should strive to keep the maximum distance from others as much as possible.
• Wearing a mask is mandatory.
• Exempted from wearing masks are those people who are
  • speaking at length in the course of academic activities e.g. lecturers, practice teachers or students giving a presentation at a seminar. In this case, the distance of 1.5 metres from the presenter must be maintained.
  • in their own office and can keep a 1.5 metre distance from other people there.
  • consuming food or drink within a 1.5 metre distance.

2.1.3. Disinfection rules:

• Disinfection units should be installed at entrances and corridors and their use should be encouraged.
• Frequently used, hand-touched devices should be disinfected hourly during working hours. (Entrance doors, door handles, elevator operator interface, etc.)
• Increased attention should be paid to the ventilation of the premises (educational, Hall of Residence, communal). The principle is to ensure that fresh air is admitted as far as possible and to avoid closed air circulation.

2.1.4. Other recommendations:

• Warning signs about rules and recommendations should be posted.
  • We recommend to both lecturers and students the installation of the VirusRadar application (https://www.virusradar.hu). (The program was commissioned by ITM. It can be downloaded to mobile phones and helps trace people who have recently been in contact with recognized Covid infections.) 

2.2. Special rules and recommendations for university Halls of Residence

2.2.1. Rules

• On moving in, it is mandatory to complete and hand in the declaration in Annexe 1 and to submit to a temperature check.
• The receiving of guests in the Halls of Residence is suspended indefinitely and only residents are allowed there.

2.2.2. Recommendations:

• Lifts should be preferably used by one person but not more than three people at a time.
• When entering the room, it is recommended to wash your hands in hot water or disinfect them as appropriate in 

      accordance with the rules.

2.3. Special rules for Freshers’ Week

• At registration, it is mandatory to complete and hand in the declaration in Annexe 1 and to submit to a temperature    

      check.

• All participants are required to attend a body temperature check every morning during the event.
• During registration, participants must use their own pens and a maximum of 150 people can be in the Aula at a time.
• When queueing, e.g. during meals, the use of a mouth mask is mandatory.
• During pre-registration, participants must accept the epidemiological regulations, which contained the primary

      information on epidemiological measures.

3. Regulation of education in Autumn 2020

3.1. Basic educational measures

• It is mandatory to obtain a student card.
• To support students’ academic progress, on the Moodle page of each active course, the minimum level of continuous data provision detailed below is mandatory.
• All instructors should provide online consultation on GoogleMeet channels.
• GoogleMeet is also recommended for online classes, but may be waived if you need a feature that is not available in GoogleMeet and does not require students to install a paid app.
• It is recommended to use as widely as possible the methodological teaching tools (lecture videos, online lessons) included in Annexe 4.

3.2. Implementing the teaching period

Of the regulatory frameworks set out in Annexe 3, No1 will enter into force on 1 September 2020, the detailed rules of which are as follows:

• The student is not obliged to participate in person at lectures, practical sessions and non-full-time consultations.
• Mandatory personal participation in laboratory practicals may be required.
• Mid-term in-person examinations can only be conducted with a number of students corresponding to a quarter of the room capacity, for a maximum period of 45 minutes.
• Participation in closed tests (mid-term in-person and online assessment) cannot be made mandatory, and the subject requirements need to be modified accordingly.
• The deadline for the completion of continuous assessment courses is extended to the end of the examination period.

3.3 Content of Moodle pages

3.3.1. Minimum expected content

• By the start of the first contact hour:
  • subject matter
  • precise definition of required literature
  • method of obtaining grades (under conditions valid at the beginning of the semester)
  • time and mode of online consultations
  • time and place of personal consultations (if the epidemic situation allows)
  • forum
  • During the semester:
    • Lectures: week by week selection of the study material in the required literature with page numbers; presentations to be in downloadable form.
    • Practice exercises (calculation or problem-solving): the topic of the exercises from week to week, some related sample tasks, problems.
    • Project-type subjects: group assignments, setting of individual tasks and availability of related background materials, submission deadlines. All this in a schedule that adapts to the tasks so that the student looks at the Moodle page and is aware of what they need to do to complete it successfully.
    • Laboratory: schedule, background materials for laboratory measurements, delivery deadlines.

• At least 3 working days before mid-term examinations:

• precise determination of date and place
• group assignment (if any)
• sample tasks that are of the same difficulty and theme as expected in the examination

• 1 week before the start of the examination period:

• a description of the exact details of the examination ie time, place, personnel etc
• sample tasks that are of the same difficulty and theme as expected in the exam

3.3.2. Recommended content of Moodle pages

It is also recommended to use Moodle pages for:

• Communicating the results of mid-term exams
• Communicating solutions of the issued sample tasks
• Providing links to video materials
• Evaluation of content of PDF uploads
• Online self-tests
• Organizing student group work
• Assessment of anonymous assignments by students

 The circular shall enter into force on the day following its adoption by the Governing Board on 26 August 2020.

         Dr Bálint Filep                                   Dr Péter Földesi                                       Dr Zsolt Kovács

               President                                          Rector                                                   Chancellor

ANNEXE 1.

ANNEXE 2.

ANNEXE 3.

ANNEXE 4.