While the world is still battling the effects of C19, some of our communities in Fiji have also been left reeling from the impact of Cyclone Harold. My thoughts and prayers are with families affected and my gratitude goes to the national recovery teams who are working around the clock to restore order. Within our FNU family, I would also like to thank the ICT and Estates and Facilities team who have got us up and running very quickly post the cyclone.

The University has had to make quick decisions in the past few weeks to respond to the rapidly changing circumstances around the world and particularly in Fiji, and I understand this can be a confusing time for many. As per my last update, the University will be re-opening its virtual doors next Monday 20 April 2020 for online learning and I trust the following will provide a clear set of guidelines going forward:

WEEK 9 BEGINS ON 20 APRIL 2020

• Unless advised otherwise, there will be no face-to-face classes when the University resumes, and should, by exception, some form of blended mode be seen as absolutely essential, there will be specific instructions guiding this delivery given by the relevant Deans and/or Heads of Schools/Departments/College Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching), and Course Conveners or equivalent (e.g. Principal Lecturers). ALL courses/units will be otherwise offered fully online for the remaining semester via Moodle.

• A PR has been released to students advising them of online resumption of studies, and they will be encouraged to contact their relevant course coordinators for specific details. Accordingly, ALL COURSE COORDINATORS ARE REQUIRED TO BE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST STUDENTS TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY IN ENSURING STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THEIR CLASSES ONLINE. Please seek guidance from any of the abovementioned senior faculty if you are unclear on any issue.

• Due to the complex and dual-sector nature of the University, a decision on assessments and examinations will be released soon in consultation with FNUSA. Please note that the principle guiding decisions and actions on assessment must be that students must not suffer in their studies as a result of the Coronavirus which is no fault of their own. For example, there will be cases where students may have difficulties in completing assessments due to lack of suitable ubiquitous devices and/or lack of access to the internet. Lecturers, in consultation with the responsible officers referred to above, must look at creative ways of enabling students in these categories to progress in their programmes and courses.

• Lecturers, please continue with your online preparation for the remainder of Semester 1.  Note that if any of your units comprise a 50% or more practical component then liaise with your Dean/Head of School/Department/Principal Lecturer who may consider deferring this component and addressing the theory parts online first. Deferral of the practical component may involve an intensive block mode on a face to face (f2f) basis assuming restrictions have been lifted. If not, other options will need to be explored and agreed with your relevant Dean/Head of School/Department/Principal Lecturer.

Also note the following:

• All lecturers should provide an email contact or ensure that students are able to contact them via Moodle and they;

• SHOULD NOT start convening f2f classes or face to face tutorials/discussion groups at the resumption of University on 20 April.

• SHOULD NOT come on to campus unless necessary to collect teaching resources or reference materials.

• SHOULD NOT convene any f2f staff meetings unless otherwise advised. National containment measures must be adhered to at all times.

• SHOULD maintain contact with departmental colleagues through their respective Viber or other digital groups and share good practices.

In addition, lecturers:

• Do keep track of your students’ access to the internet and the FNU Moodle network. Should any student have real problems of access, do get their student details and pass this information on to the Dean’s office via your respective Heads of Schools/Departments/College Associate Deans (Learning and Teaching), and Course Conveners or equivalent (e.g. Principal Lecturers)  to enable suitable options to be explored.

• If any of your units have assessments in them requiring field trips or collection of field data for assessments to be undertaken in this next half of this semester, then these have to be changed. Also, note that there should be no marks allocated for ‘attendance’ and all units requiring a %age of attendance for minimum course requirements should be removed and changed on Premium as well as other student management systems where applicable.

As the national University, our main aim is to ensure that no student is disadvantaged because of this situation that we find ourselves in and we must all be committed to making sure that we work towards this as team. The University has done very well so far in managing this tough situation, and I am most thankful for your continued support.