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:
- the lecturer can leave information on how you will continue to work
- 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.