According to Tuesday’s broadcast, a hybrid model of face-to-face operation and digital offerings would be central to predictability and safe teaching. The digitization push at the universities must also be used beyond the pandemic, because digital teaching creates flexibility, especially for students who have to work part-time or have care responsibilities. In terms of planning, it is also important that the universities communicate the respective course and examination modes in good time. For safe university operations, free PCR test offers are also needed at all locations.
Design corona management independently
The 2nd Covid-19 Higher Education Act allows the universities to design their corona management independently until the end of the 2021/22 academic year. As suggested by the Ministry of Education, the universities are focusing on as much presence as possible in the summer semester, which begins on March 1st. In practice, at some universities this means that the lecture halls are fully occupied, while others initially start with half occupancy. Especially in the case of large lectures with many participants, there should continue to be hybrid formats in which the course can be followed online at the same time.
When it comes to entry requirements, most universities start the summer semester with a 2.5G rule (vaccinated, recovered, PCR-tested) or 3G rule (vaccinated, recovered, tested). Only the University of Vienna waives this requirement. For the time being, masks are still mandatory everywhere. The specifications are to be evaluated every two weeks. The chairwoman of the university conference, Sabine Seidler from the Technical University of Vienna, expects the G-controls to end by the end of March.
Source: Nachrichten
