The academic process at South Ural State University is continuing without any changes so far. The Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Doctor of Sciences (Engineering) Andrey Radionov, offered the following statement.
“This past Saturday, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation put out a decree suggesting institutions of higher education consider the possibility of moving to online schooling by using all of the elements of online education. This decree is a recommendation. Russia is a big country, the epidemic situations in the regions are different. In some places it is necessary to move to online schooling immediately, and in others there is no such need.
There have not been any cases of coronavirus registered in the Chelyabinsk Region. Today there are no grounds for switching from the standard class format and moving to online classes. But SUSU is ready to move to the online format if it does become necessary.
Our university has been working on implementing online education technologies for a few years now. We use the Moodle education system for online courses. When, for example, in the beginning of this semester, Chinese students could not come back to us after their holidays (around 120 people), we moved them to this format of online classes. We have experience in offering this for programs that are taught in Russian and in English.
Today, we are checking if we are one-hundred percent ready to move the university’s academic programs to the online format. If the Chelyabinsk Region’s Headquarters for the Prevention of Influenza, Respiratory Viral Infections, and Coronavirus decides that we must move to online classes, we will be able to complete this transition immediately.”