Regular online group monitors’ council of humanitarians in question-answer mode

The monitors of the academic groups of the faculty for humanities and pedagogics were looking forward to Friday, May 1 – at the next monitors’s council with the dean Vasyl Shynkaruk, where they were able to ask all the questions they accumulated during the quarantine period.

The deputy dean, Yaroslav Rudyk, traditionally started the council, voicing all announcements and reminded the important dates that students need to remember for successful session preparation, timely payment for tuition and accommodation in the hostel, etc.

The meeting was continued by the dean of the faculty for humanities and pedagogics, who answered more than two dozen questions of the seniors and representatives of the student's self-government of the faculty in one and a half hours of communication. Some of the questions were asked by the students in a chat on the Cisco Webex online platform, to which Vasyl Dmytrovych wrote in writing. Here are some of them.

Will the money for these quarantine months of study and dormitory be returned?

By asking the question, the students themselves answered it. During quarantine, the training continues, moving into the virtual space. What resources does the university provide for distance learning? This is primarily the Moodle Distance Learning Platform (E-Learn), which has been developed at the university for over five years. By the way, many instructors have integrated the online Zoom platform into their e-learning courses. They also use the Cisco WebEx Meeting electronic resource, a corporate account that is pre-paid by the university, to provide video feedback. Instructors also created groups in Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, Discord, or used email; organize conferences via Skype, Google Hangouts, Jitsi. In general, the same algorithm used in distance learning was used during regular training. The instructors communicate with their students online, inform about the placement of lecture material, assign tasks, determine deadlines, evaluate students' work.

Weekly analysis of the educational process: 93% of classes were conducted, with 86% of students participating. Unfortunately, there are a small proportion of students who are committed to their direct obligation to study, regardless of the form of study - either part-time or remotely, irresponsibly.

The cost of studying at a university on a contract is actually 30-40% of the cost. And if we take into account that 82% of the structure of the tuition fee is a salary, and almost all scientific and pedagogical workers participate in the distance learning, then it is impossible to talk about the revision of the tuition fee. On the contrary, the government has decided to set a minimum indicative tuition fee this year at 60% of the cost. The rectorate seeks every opportunity not to raise tuition fees.

Regarding the return of the hostel fee for the quarantine period, I note that it is minimal at the university and barely covers staff salaries and utilities, and repairs are carried out from other sources. During all this time dormitories are functioning, payment for communal services is taking place, security and sanitary treatment is being carried out, repairs and refinements of the territory are being carried out, in particular in dormitories No. 6 and No. 8. In addition, students did not hand over rooms to the heads of the hostel. All that means that you can't talk about a refund.

How to hold career guidance, schools are closed, and why are we being forced to do so?

Dear students, you are advised to carry out career guidance. And it is the very remote career guidance that makes it possible to earn extra points for the rating, because in quarantine conditions many activities are difficult to implement, so there are not many areas where you can get additional points for the rating. On social networks where students are registered, there is a "live" communication. School graduates are more willing to listen to their peers than to instructors.

How will extra points be scored? Who is doing this? Where to see how many of them I have?

Even under quarantine, a student can earn extra points toward his or her academic rank. Extra points are accrued in accordance with the "Rules for assignment of academic scholarships at the National university of life and environmental sciences of Ukraine", which can be found by referrance.

The student is primarily interested in obtaining additional points for the performance rating. Students are required to provide information about their achievements, and the monitor, in conjunction with the academic group mentor, will summarize and verify it. Only the verified information the monitor passes to the dean of the faculty. Samples of certificates confirming the student's participation in various activities are posted on the faculty's page by referrance.

The performance evaluation of the full-time students of the faculty, each course and each specialty according to the results of this spring semester is considered and approved by the faculty scholarship committee before the exam session begins. It is published in the "Scholarship" section of the faculty page.

Padon, and where to get money, nobody works, even payment for utilities is delayed, and money for training and a hostel are required?!

Yes, for more than a month, some sites (and especially on social networks) have been practicing wishful thinking. In fact, the situation is somewhat different. The Law of Ukraine "On amendments to certain legislative Acts of Ukraine aimed at preventing the occurrence and spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)", as amended on March 17, 2020, has made certain concessions for utility consumers. However, there is no delay in payment for utilities, and only for the period of quarantine or restrictive measures related to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is prohibited, I quote, "accrual and penalty (penalties, fines) for late payment for housing and communal services».

If the student's family is in a critical financial situation, then if the relevant documents are submitted to the dean's office, a step-by-step tuition payment is possible.

Why are student conferences paid?

The organizational fee paid by the participants of the scientific and practical conference covers the costs of organizing and publishing the working materials – electronic version of the program and conference materials (abstract of the scientific reports).

Why under the quarantine we have 5 times more tasks?

Quarantine for universities – a phenomenon not ordinary, it was announced for the first time. Although the university is successfully developing its Moodle Distance Learning Platform (E-Learn), neither students nor instructors were morally ready for total distance learning, because they simply had no such experience.
I think that the impression that the tasks have increased significantly is due to at least two reasons.

First. Before quarantine, students' learning activities easily "fit in" to a day mode where one had to plan time to go to university and return home, time to complete homework, personal chores, and more. Spatial restriction has offset this clear delineation, and paired with distance learning requires the student to be more self-organized. Are you all ready for this? The question is rhetorical. And also your room should be equipped with a training class-room (working study).

In addition, this impression is obviously due to the fact that instructors use all possible modern means of online communication Moodle (E-Learn), Zoom, Cisco Webex Meetings, Google Сlassroom and others, and for correspondence with students all possible messengers and social networks. And also phones, emails and more. And the written answers replaced the oral ones.

Second. You have friends studying at other universities and you have the opportunity to compare: how do they have them? And compared to other universities, it seems that the students have deluges of tasks.

Everyone has already understood: the computer will never be able to replace "live" communication and "live" mastering of material in life. And everyone misses it.

What date will the session start?

According to the explanations of the Ministry of education and science of Ukraine, the exam session should be held remotely according to the schedule of the educational process defined by the rectorate. The “Interim procedure for holding the summer examination session of the 2019-2020 academic year at NULES of Ukraine under quarantine has been approved.

For non-graduates of all specialties – from May 18, 2020 to June 6, 2020.

For bachelors graduation courses there are differences in the duration of semesters and, of course, in terms of exam sessions: the 3 and 4 year students (abbreviated) "Social Work" and 2 year (abbreviated) "Vocational Education" exam session begins on May 04, 2020.

All schedules of the study process and the schedule of the examination session for each specialty can be found in the section "Schedule of classes/Summer examination session 2019/2020" on the faculty's website.

Pay attention! The session involves organizing remote writing and examining the written part of the exam, passing assignments, followed by interviews with students using modern video communication tools.

Will academic detention be held in the summer?

Distance-based practical training is inferior to classroom (full-time) mostly because there is not enough direct contact between the instructor and the students, among the students themselves, the atmosphere is lacking, as already spoken by the vast majority of students.

If the government permits the resumption of classes from May 12, 2020, the university plans to conduct, within a fortnight, a practical training session to adjust already acquired knowledge and consolidate skills. And then there will be an exam session.

If, on May 12, 2020, the university does not resume normal operation, the session will be held in accordance with the approved examination schedule. Accordingly, there will be no summer training.

For prompt and complete information, follow the announcements on the faculty website.

Svitlana Kharchenko, Yaroslav Rudyk,
deputy deans of the faculty for humanities and pedagogics