Current affairs of the spring semester. What is important to know?

In the third broadcast of the Vytautas Magnus University Students' Representative (VDU SA) interview series "Dynamic dialogues" "Spring semester: what's new about studies?" VDU SA president Paulius interviewed VDU vice-rector of studies Simona Pilkienė about what students can expect in the spring semester. The vice-rector shared her knowledge and insights about what is most relevant.

Return to contact lectures

According to S. Pilkienė, it is planned to return to the auditoriums as soon as the Government allows. The Vice-Chancellor hopes that this will happen already in March: "The return will be gradual, first of all final year students and those who need to do practical work will return." When the decision is made to return to the classrooms, students will be guaranteed a transition period. "It will definitely not happen that, for example, if the quarantine ends on Sunday, we will return to the university on Monday," asserts S. Pilkienė.

According to the vice-rector, study subjects, depending on the specifics of the subject, should currently be taught from theory, and when it is possible to return to studies, then practical classes should be conducted. Teachers should rethink coursework to make this possible. It is considered that language lectures and group A subjects could be held remotely throughout the semester, if it is agreed between students and teachers.

Students who terminated their housing leases, foreign students who did not come, Vilnius students who chose study subjects in Kaunas, if they cannot come to studies or are in self-isolation, the completion of the course should be ensured remotely: "The most important thing is to talk to the administration of your faculty and inform about the fact that there is no possibility to participate in the lectures live and solutions will be sought."

If we return to the classrooms too late, for those writing theses and for those who need laboratory or other special equipment, the graduation could be postponed, perhaps postponed to September, the most important thing is not to put additional pressure on the students: "We don't plan to study in the summer, because it wouldn't be effective." in this case, the possibility of delaying admission to master's studies would be considered.

Remote space and lecture recordings

This spring semester will be the third to be organized remotely. "From this semester, the remote space is being changed - we are moving to the Microsoft Teams platform. The volume of technical equipment continues to be increased," says S. Pilkienė. When asked if the lecturers are ready to transfer lectures to another platform, the vice-rector says that they had the opportunity to participate in the training and have all the necessary information about the new platform.

Regarding the hosting of lecture recordings in Moodle, no decision has been made to make it mandatory. Some professors are reluctant to do this because of, say, publicity for students if they appear in the recording or intellectual property rights. Instructors are encouraged to post, but students must also understand that they are expected to actively participate in lectures.

Academic integrity

The issue of academic integrity was also touched upon during the conversation. During settlements, to ensure that there is no copying, teachers spend less time on settlements. The vice-rector believes that this should not be the case: "The time allocated for the completion of the task must be adequate for the level of complexity of the task. It is necessary to work on the development of a culture of academic honesty, rather than choosing extremes or introducing measures that would cause stress to students. Teachers have to focus on questions, the answers to which could not be written off."

If the student believes that the time for settlement was not enough, he should contact the faculty with his comments or file an appeal for improper organization of the settlement.

Timetables and attendance

If, after returning to contact lectures, students will not have enough time to go to other halls between lectures, then they should contact the administration of their faculty, which should at least minimally adjust the time of lectures.

It is very important to remember that attendance at lectures cannot be evaluated, because a student's attendance or non-attendance at a lecture does not indicate his academic achievements. "During the fall semester, professors marked attendance in order to control the spread of COVID-19 at the university, but under normal circumstances, attendance cannot have any effect on a student's grade. If the student did not present any specific task while not participating in the lecture, it can be evaluated, but not the fact of participation or non-participation," says S. Pilkienė.

Starting from the fall semester of the next academic year, another innovation awaits - according to the changes to the Study Regulations, students will be allowed to retake the colloquium once.

If you have any questions or problems regarding the organization of your studies, please contact the VMU Student Representation via Facebook, Instagram, email email info@vdusa.lt or report the problem anonymously.