Coronavirus

Calendar week 03 / 2021

Update of 22.01.2021 for employees - Consequences of the extended lockdown

Dear Colleagues,

Since Tuesday, we have known that the lockdown will be extended until 14 February 2021. The decision to do so was made by Chancellor Merkel and the minister presidents of the federal states. Of especially great concern are the Coronavirus mutations, which are many times more contagious.

This is why we are also extending our “reduced basic operations” policy for the university. This will be in place, however, for one month longer than the lockdown – until 14 March 2021. This is due to the period of validity of the new federal Coronavirus Regulations for Occupational Health and Safety (see below).

As of today, we do not yet know whether there will be a change in the regulations currently governing studying and teaching. However, we are assuming that there will be no fundamental changes to this. We will let you know as soon as we have more information.

For workplace health and safety, the new federal Coronavirus Regulations for Occupational Health and Safety are now available (draft as of 21 January 2021). This governs issues of Home Office, as well as other topics. The ordinance does not fundamentally impact our university regulations, as the following rules are already in force: only those who have to work on site for operational reasons may be on campus. Everyone else is to be in Home Office.

The Coronavirus Regulations for Occupational Health and Safety also define what precautions must be observed when working on site for operational reasons. Generally speaking, we also comply with these requirements. Something new, however, is the use of face coverings. If a distance of 1.5 meters cannot be maintained while performing work, you are now required to wear a medical-grade face mask or an FFP2 mask. The university has ordered a large quantity of so-called “surgical masks”, and three masks will be made available each day to staff members who have to perform work on site. As needed, the affected divisions of the university can pool their mask orders and send them to Bielefeld University’s Occupational Safety, Health, and Environmental Protection service (AGUS) at arbeitssicherheit@uni-bielefeld.de. Distribution of masks to employees is decentralized and is to occur at the divisional level.

And now for our urgent request: wear these surgical masks or your own medical-grade masks if you come into close contact with colleagues on the job and cannot maintain social distancing of 1.5 meters. Community masks are no longer permitted in this context due to the new federal regulations. There is one more change: elevators in university buildings may only be used by one person at most, effective immediately.

The general regulations of “reduced basic operations,” which will be in effect at Bielefeld University through 14 March 2021, include the following:

• For technical services and administration, presence at the university is to be limited to the necessary minimum. Staff in technical services and administration are to work from Home Office to the greatest extent possible.
• Work is only to be completed on-site if the technical or official circumstances compellingly require presence (i.e. minimum staffing requirements for contingency plans).
• All others are to work from Home Office. If this is not possible in individual cases, staff shall be on call.
• Details are to be determined by supervisors for their respective areas.
• Working on site at the employee's own request (when not required for official business) is no longer allowed. This is not permitted during reduced basic operations.
• However, short-term presence on campus is permitted if needed for official business – for example, to pick up mail or documents for working from Home Office.
• During this time, mail must be picked up and outgoing mail deposited in the mailboxes in T7; parcels will be delivered on more limited schedules.
• As a rule, researchers must also work from Home Office. There are some areas in which this is not completely feasible (e.g. research operations). On-campus presence must be reduced, however, to a minimum. The details of this will be determined by the managers and/or work group heads for your respective area.
• The library is only open for the purposes of checking out or returning materials. Library work stations are not available for use.
• Service areas (e.g. Student Advising and Counselling, Information Center, and Examination Offices) can be reached by telephone, email, or other electronic means.
• The university is closed to the public.

It is very important that you strictly follow these rules. If you can work from Home Office, then please stay at home. Reduce your presence on site at the university to an absolute minimum. This also applies for researchers.

We appreciate your understanding.

Stay healthy and be well.

 

Best regards,

Dr. Stephan Becker, Chancellor

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer

Update of 19.01.2021 for students - Impact of lockdown (beyond 31 January 2021) on tests and examinations at Bielefeld University in February

Dear Students,

Today, Chancellor Merkel and the minister presidents of the federal states are meeting to discuss extending the lockdown beyond 31 January 2021 – and possibly also tightening it.

We are operating under the assumption that the regulations that are currently in place for institutions of higher learning in North Rhine-Westphalia will also be extended. This will have far-reaching consequences for the upcoming examination period in February. Only test and examinations qualifying for an exception are permitted to be held in presence.

Professor Dr. Birgit Lütje-Klose has taken this moment as an opportunity to share a video message with you: https://youtu.be/Vy2pHZKBNm8

Your instructors are currently looking into whether and how their tests and exams can be converted to digital formats. You will be provided with information on this topic shortly – we appreciate your patience during this time.

Our goal is to keep exam cancellations to an absolute minimum.

We will certainly keep you updated on further developments and will contact you as soon as we receive more concrete information from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The lockdown comprises a psychological burden for many people. Many students are also suffering from social distancing and some even from loneliness. If you need help with these issues, please contact the office of Student Advising and Counselling (ZSB), which has put together a special webpage that provides resources and information on who you can contact for support:  https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/zsb/corona/.

Stay healthy and well.

Best regards,

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer

Rector, Bielefeld University

Update of 19.01.2021 für teaching staff - Calling on Instructors to Switch Exams to Digital Formats

Dear Instructors,

The current extended lockdown will be in force until at least 31 January 2021. We have already provided you with information on the impact of the lockdown on teaching and studying at the university.

Unfortunately, the number of infections is not declining to the extent as was hoped for, and politicians are already discussing an extension of these measures.

We therefore assume that presence-based examinations in February will still only be possible on a case-by-case basis. If this comes to pass, many exam schedules and thus thousands of students will be affected. Our students are already feeling uneasy and worried about their academic progress, or even their graduation.

Everyone – the Rectorate, the Faculties, and instructors alike – have a responsibility towards our students. You, the instructors, have done an outstanding job in the past months. The Rectorate has been proud to see how dedicated you have been, and how you managed to move your courses to distance learning in such a short period of time. You have adapted to the circumstances and designed new offerings that serve the interests of our students. These efforts were successful, as a survey from last semester attests. Our hygiene measures also proved to be effective during the past summer semester. We were optimistic that all presence-based examinations scheduled for this winter semester would be able to be held in person.

We are now being confronted with the next challenge: we must work together to prevent mass cancellation of exams without providing alternatives, as this would leave our students without their grades. Mass cancellations of exams would delay students’ progress towards their degrees and potentially cause problems for graduation or moving into a Master’s program.

There are plenty of options and formats for holding exams online. The eLearning/Media team has made digital platforms available to lecturers, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (ZLL) is there to provide guidance in how to teach effectively using these platforms.

More information on this topic is available here:

• Digital Exams
• Distance Teaching and Learning

Under the Coronavirus Ordinance of North Rhine-Westphalia, only a few cases will qualify for an exception for permission to hold an exam on campus; most exams will not be allowed to be held in person. There is little leeway here.

This is why we are now urgently calling on you to plan for an alternative, digital option if you have a presence-based examination scheduled in February. We recommend the “open-book” examination format. Bielefeld University, along with other universities, had good experience with this format during the summer semester. But “closed-book” formats are also possible: many exam modalities can be implemented well online using an “Safe-Exam-Browser” and exam proctoring via Zoom. Additionally, exams could be postponed into the semester break. As of today, however, we cannot say when the conditions will again allow for presence-based examinations, and whether sufficient space for examinations on campus will be available at that time.

We know that rescheduling at such short notice involves considerable effort. In addition to teaching, many of you also face the challenge of shouldering childcare responsibilities.

Staff from eLearning/Media and the ZLL are there to help with targeted guidance, training, and service. Special informational and training events can be offered to each university faculty on short notice. Beyond this, a webinar is also planned for January 26 at 10 am, where you can learn more about possible digital exam formats and see examples from last semester. Legal and didactic issues will also play a role. You will find the access data at the end of this mail.

Please get in touch early if you have any questions and also be patient if not all questions can be answered immediately. The teams of eLearning/Media and ZLL as well as from the SL department do everything possible.

Please accommodate your students as best as possible. Please understand that many students are facing a variety of problems in the current situation. Many students are suffering from social distancing, loneliness and isolation, and financial worries. Working from home is also not always optimal for distance learning, and work stations at the university are not currently available for use.

Given the situation, our common motto must be the following: give the student the benefit of the doubt.

If you are offering a digital exam, please advise your students to check out the sample digital exam provided by the eLearning/ Media team – and use it to prepare for the real exam. Experience has shown that a preparatory exam discussion with students has been very helpful – please schedule a meeting with your students in advance of the exam.

Exam proctoring for online “closed-book” exams requires more staff than would otherwise be needed in a lecture hall. We therefore want to set up a central pool of personnel and recruit administrative staff to help with online exam proctoring. Instructors can also sign up to help if there are not enough exam proctors available in their work group, department, or faculty. You will receive more information on this shortly.

We thank you for your understanding and continue to depend on your dedication.

Stay healthy and well.

 

Best regards,

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector

Prof. Dr. Birgit Lütje-Klose, Vice-Rector for Education and Teaching

Dr. Stephan Becker, Chancellor

 

Access data for the webinar on digital exams:

https://uni-bielefeld.zoom.us/j/95136403841?pwd=N2kxTk5hbTdxZDJvWE4yNWZPQ2dFUT09 

Meeting-ID: 951 3640 3841

Passwort: 464542

Schnelleinwahl mobil

+496971049922,,95136403841# Deutschland

+493056795800,,95136403841# Deutschland