COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questiones

1. Will the classes be held online or in the university buildings in the upcoming academic year?

We have not made any final decisions about teaching modes in the upcoming academic year, yet. The mode of teaching will depend on the pandemic situation in the country.

Decisions about the organization of classes are made by the Deans of individual Faculties. They must take into account the proper implementation of the curriculum, reliable verification of the same learning outcomes that apply to teaching in the form of classroom activities and current sanitary safety requirements.

2. What will online classes involve?

You can attend online classes without leaving your home. As a rule, they are conducted in a way that requires real-time participation, we communicate via computer, Google Meet and use electronic materials. Make sure you are in a comfortable place with as few distractions as possible. Be prepared that online classes are as substantive as classroom classes.

3. Can I participate in online classes at the SWPS University building?

We try to include online classes in the timetable so that there is no need to stay at the university during them. If you still want to be at the university at this time, remember that it is not certain that it will be possible to comfortably participate in the classes - online classes do not have a room for students, and in the common spaces you are subject to sanitary restrictions, also regarding the appropriate distance and the permissible number of people.

4. How should I prepare?

Follow announcements on the Virtual University. Plan your participation in class according to the class schedule there. Take care of a comfortable place to work, see how it looks in the webcam.

Take care of technical capabilities to participate in classes, First, make sure you have access to the Internet.

Prepare your computer equipment, headphones are also important, preferably with a microphone (e.g. such as for a phone). For some activities a phone is enough (e.g. listening to a lecture).

5. How do I know when I have classes?

Apart from the fact that we are switching to online teaching, everything else works as usual, i.e. we all have a class schedule visible on the Virtual University. At the time when the class is scheduled, open the Virtual University and click on the "Classroom" button next to that class, see if there is any information from the lecturer and join the meeting on Hangouts Meet (click on the link there).

6. What should I do if I attend a meeting and classes are not taking place?

We ask you for your understanding - a lot is happening and we are also organizing online classes throughout the University for the first time so if something goes wrong, e.g. you will join the classes and they will not take place, just report it through the Contact Zone / Inquiries.

7. I am not able to link from my class schedule on Virtual University to a lesson in Classrooms. What should I do??

If your class schedule has been updated and you do not have access to Classrooms, please contact your teacher. The teacher can manually give you access to a given Classroom. Contact information of your teacher is available on Virtual University or in your syllabus. Important: Please ensure that you are logged in into your student account on the Virtual University Platform.

8. Do I always have to enter Classroom to participate in online classes?

No, but almost always. If the classes were held in the building so far and there were no arrangements for remote learning, then the first place of your online meeting is Classroom, in which:

1. the lecturer can leave information on how you will continue to work
2. you will find a link to the Hangouts Meet meeting that you should join during the scheduled time of the class.

In the case of classes in which you have already developed methods of remote contact (e.g. diploma seminars or e-learning), the use of Classroom will not be necessary, although also in these cases we ask class lecturers to leave you some information in Classroom.

9. Is online attendance checked?

Attendance at remote classes is treated like attendance at a classroom. For some time, the lecturers will take into account that we are all learning new methods of cooperation and that something may go wrong. But try to be present in class.

Your presence and attention can also be checked during classes: we know how much harder it is to keep attention during remote work so lecturers can ask questions and tasks during classes to facilitate participation.

10. Are assignments posted by lecturers in Google Classroom mandatory?

The conditions of fulfilling your course requirements are defined in the syllabus. If you are unsure if a given task is mandatory, please contact your teacher.

11. What do I need to know to participate in online classes?

Discover Google Hangouts Meet - this will be your main new tool for participating in live meetings. It will be useful for sure.

During teaching, the lecturers may also use other Google tools, such as Documents, Sheets or Presentations - they are all available to you as part of the University account @st.swps.edu.pl. The lecturer can also conduct classes on the University platform Learn Online. You can also access it using the @st.swps.edu.pl account. If you can, take some time to learn about these tools.

12. Do I need special software to participate in online classes?

All you need is internet access from a phone, a computer or a tablet. To access all Google tools, just log in to Google using your SWPS University e-mail address in the st.swps.edu.pl. domain.

13. Can we participate in classes via Skype or Zoom?

Online classes take place only using Hangouts Meet.

14. As students, as part of online classes, do we have access to Microsoft Office 365?

No, the University does not provide Office for students. However, all students have access to a set of Google tools, including Docs, Sheets, and Slides, which have similar functionality to the corresponding Microsoft Office applications.

15. What should I do if I have a class scheduling conflict?

Apart from the fact that we are switching to online teaching, everything else works as usual, i.e. class schedules are visible on the Virtual University platform.

If you have a class scheduling conflict, choose a class you wish to particpate in and contact the lecturer whose class you will miss, to agree on how to make up for the missed class and to obtain learning materials.

16. Where can I submit my comments if I am not satisfied with an online classe?

You can send your comments to the program coordinator via the Virtual University Contact Zone. The information will be forwarded to the coordinator. Any comments on the quality of teaching must be signed by the sender.

1. How do I enter the right Classroom?

The easiest way to do it is through the schedule at Virtual University. If classes are held online, at the time they are scheduled, go to the Virtual University and click "Classroom" next to the class. In Classroom, you'll find the address of the Meet meeting to join.

2. I re-take my diploma seminar, but I still don't see it in my schedule, so I don't have access to Google Classroom. How can I get into these classes?

The repeated diploma seminar takes place on an individual basis and is not presented in the schedule. Contact your thesis supervisor directly to determine the date and method of contact during the consultation.

3. My schedule shows classes that do not appear in Google Classroom. There is no link  to the Classroom in the Virtual University either, so I cannot participate in the lesson. How can I join the class?

First check if the lesson is not taking place in a physical classroom. If it is, the classroom number should be displayed on the class schedule, and Classroom link may not be available. However, if it is an online lesson, please take into account that access update may take as long as about one hour. If you still do not have access to the Classroom for a long time after your timetable has been updated, contact your teacher. The lecturer can make Classroom available to you manually.

4. If I have a scheduling conflict with my part-time studies and the lecturer agrees to my participation in classes with full-time students, is it technically possible for me to take part in them? Is only a link to the class sufficient?

If the teacher has allowed you to participate in a different mode, they must also make Classroom available to you. Forwarding the link alone may not be enough.

5. I have a problem accessing Google Classroom. Doesn't display any items. What should I do?

Check if you are logged with the university address (at the @st.swps.edu.pl domain). If your login is correct, you should enter Google Classroom. If your login is correct, start by checking that the class is not taking place in the classroom in the building - if so, the classroom number will be shown on the class schedule, and Classroom may not be available. However, if these classes are online, take into account that the access update can take up to about an hour. Only if you still do not have access to Classroom for a long time after your schedule has been updated, contact the lecturer. The teacher can make Classroom available to you manually.

6. When I enter Classroom, I get the message: "You cannot access this service. Please contact your organization administrator for access."

Check if you are logged with the university address (at the @st.swps.edu.pl domain). If your login is correct, you should enter Google Classroom.
In case of technical problems, please contact the lecturer who will forward the application for further clarification, if necessary. It's also worth checking out the other questions and answers in this kit. The Q&A database is constantly updated.

7. What if I chose the wrong Google Classroom role, i.e. "teacher" instead of "student"?

Your qualifications will be sufficient to participate in the class, you do not need to do anything.

1. I am not able to participate in an online lesson due to technical problems. What should I do?

In case of technical problems, please contact your teacher as soon as possible and discuss the ways of making up the missed lesson.

2. Google Meet allows for joining a meeting with audio over the phone. Can I particpate in the class this way?

No, we strongly advise against using this option. It involves connecting to a telephone number in the United States and using it in Poland may result in high fees. For those who attend classes in other countries, we recommend that you check the terms of this service in advance on Google's help pages.

3. Can I practice using Hangouts Meet somewhere?

Yes.

• Open a web browser - Chrome is the best due to the compatibility with Google applications.
• Enter https://meet.google.com and log in with your University account.
  Click on ‘+ Join or start a meeting’.
• Follow the instructions, give the browser permission to use camera and microphone, continue until a small screen with the ‘Join now’ button appears - then join the meeting.
• You can invite other people and practice using the application together.

There are 10 technical things you should practice:

• Leave the meeting and join it again: everybody sometimes accidentally ‘leaves’ during an online meeting so practice it.
• Turn the microphone off and on: it is necessary to attend meetings of more than 5 people when you only need to leave the microphone of only one person turned on.
• Say something and listen to someone, check how it is heard; take out and turn on the headphones again, see how what you hear changes and how you are heard.
• See how you look, check different settings, choose the one that will be most convenient for you.
• Turn the camera off and on: if you want to do something that may interfere with the reception of others, you can turn the camera off for a while and turn it on again when you feel that this will no longer be an interference for others.
• Choose how people are displayed on the screen; Google automatically chooses the best presentation method for a given number of people but see how those methods differ.
• Do you want to see only the lecturer all the time? Pin and unpin one of the participants, even yourself: by pinning the window you can see it all the time and you cannot see anything else; it is easy to do it by accident so practice it sooner, it will be easy for you to quickly restore the correct image.
• Start the presentation and end it: it will definitely come in handy, you can show your entire screen or selected window through hangouts, you always have to choose something; learn to do it.
• Expand the list of participants in the side panel and hide it back, see how the presentation of people on the screen and in the list differs.
• Open chat and close it, write something in chat: chat can be used to report in class, especially when there are many participants.

That is all. If you practice these things, you will use Hangouts Meet freely.

4. Can I record classes and lectures?

No, students are not allowed to record classes (video or audio). Such action would constitute a violation of the rights of the persons participating in it, including the personal rights of the lecturer and students, as well as the regulations concerning the protection of personal data. Moreover, using such a recording would infringe the copyrights of the SWPS University or the lecturer. A student's action in the form of recording classes or using such a recording may be the reason for instituting disciplinary proceedings against the student.

Classes may be recorded by the lecturer only in selected situations, e.g. in order to make them available for viewing by students who cannot participate in them fully, e.g. students with disabilities or their assistants. Certain rules apply to students with disabilities or their assistants who need to record a given activity for their own use. They must inform the tutor that they are recording the class and follow the recommendation to keep the recording to a minimum. For example, if the target is transcription, only audio should be recorded. More information about the rules applicable to students who use support to ensure full participation in the education process can be obtained from the section for health and people with disabilities of the Help and Activity Center, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Even in this case, students are not entitled to further share the recordings with others.

5. Can I change my Google Account username to the nickname I feel better with?

No, it is against university rules. According to the regulations of studies, only students enrolled in this subject are allowed to pass a course, and the use of a nickname makes it impossible to check whether a given person meets this condition. The teacher may refuse the person who is hiding behind the nickname to participate in the classes.

The "weight" of the transmission depends mainly on the quality of the transmitted video. Typically, the transmission network automatically adjusts the transmission quality to the bandwidth, which allows you to enjoy meetings efficiently, even with weaker connections. For Google Meet, you can also manually change the resolution of the uploaded video or set the download to audio only. This is done using the Settings option in the menu on the right at the bottom of the meeting screen, available after opening the joining meeting window and during the meeting.

6. What is the estimated transfer (f.e. 100 MB, 1 GB) for online classes and what it depends on?

Lectures are most often conducted by the Google Meet service. Based on our experience so far, we estimate the transfer in this service at up to 300 MB per hour when downloading video and 3 MB per hour when downloading audio only. However, please treat these estimates with caution as we are just learning about the conditions involved in running a large number of Meetings in a short period of time. Also, if the classes use different solutions or parallel meetings, the transfer size may be different.

It is also against the rules to let users from outside the university to online classes. Only users logged in with a swps account have the right to use the classes.

7. What should I do if I do not have a very good internet connection at home and online lectures will keep being interrupted?

Try connecting again. If the problem keeps repeating, ask someone in your surroundings to help you. Report the problem to the lecturer.

8. Will I be able to ask a question in real time during classes, e.g. on Hangout Meet?

You can ask questions during online classes. The lecturer will determine the rules of interaction in the class.

9. Can I participate in online classes by phone or tablet? Can I participate in the classes by connecting from an Android smartphone or an iPhone?

You can participate in online classes using any mobile device - smartphone, tablet or computer.

10. Is having a webcam mandatory to participate in online classes?

As we expect everyone to attend classes in person in order to communicate and show to others ensure access to the webcam or smartphone camera. However, in exceptional cases, you can participate in classes without a camera, if you will be able to contact audio (speaker and microphone).

1. What will online Physical Education classes look like?

Online PE classes are conducted in a new formula - exercises at home under the supervision of a coach. Enrollment is done automatically - you do not have to sign up for these classes yourself. Information on the organization of these activities is provided in the syllabus. In addition, people who, in accordance with the applicable regulations, are permitted to replace PE classes with an e-learning theoretical course, may participate in the e-learning course instead. If you are in this group, you must submit the applicable request via the Virtual University.

2. Who can I contact if I have problems regarding classes on the Learn Online platform?

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..