Dear students,
We understand that the current situation has led to a number of uncertainties and challenges:
- lack of flight availability,
- risk of flights canceling and financial consequences /challenges in payment return etc./
- health risks when traveling back to Armenia,
- financial issues of your families to support you in leaving abroad /ticket purchase, apartment rent, mandatory health check requirements, etc./
- risk of the second wave and repeating complete lockdowns etc.
We inform, that taking into consideration all of the above-mentioned challenges, as well as the MESCS and Embassy advice, the EIU’s Scientific Council decided to continue offering the studies for international students completely online while restarting the studies for Armenian students /leaving in Armenia/ in a blended format.
This decision is quite difficult for us, as we are fully committed to delivering as much on-campus learning and the widest university experience possible. We do hope, that in the upcoming two months the situation will improve and we will have an opportunity to invite you back to Armenia for on-campus learning. This decision is made for only a short period of time (until October 30), as we will evaluate the situation and, in case of possibility and considerable improvements, we will restart the face to face classes for international students also. We will provide additional information about the format of studies to be adopted after October 30 at the end of September.
Timetable
We are on track to release timetables and you will receive it soon.
Online learning
- Online learning comprising online seminars, discussion, and directed activities, will take on average 22-30 hours per week, with the rest of the time focused on self-directed learning and assessments.
- Courses and modules will be delivered on the Microsoft Teams platform (as in the previous semester) from September 15. This is where you will access your learning materials and connect with lecturers, tutors, and others on your course easily.
Assessment
The assessments will be completed and submitted online. You will be advised about your specific assessments by your Lecturer.
Online presence
For quality assurance purposes, the university will require the students and faculty to always have the video turned on during the classes. The students are responsible to ensure a fast internet connection and resolve all the technical issues by September 15: otherwise, the lecturer is authorized to mark the student as not present.
Return
In case if the student is in Armenia or wants to return back and take part in the online classes from Armenia, we will support in receiving or renewing the visa and residence permit.
Laboratory work
We do understand, that the virtual labs and online experiments do not replace the hands-on experience. The practical presentation and virtual lab work will be delivered during the upcoming two months, but we plan to fill in the gap later.