March 13th COVID‑19 Update
Memo
To: All Undergraduate Engineering Students
From: T.A. Little, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Faculty of Engineering
Date: Mar 13/2020
Subject: University response to COVID-19
Dear Engineering Students; By now, you may have seen the e-mail to the Dalhousie community from the President with respect to our response to the COVID-19 situation. These actions are in response to the need to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Here is what we know and how it will affect you through the remainder of the term:
Every effort is being taken to try to ensure the health and safety of all members of the Dalhousie community, including students, staff and faculty. In order to limit the spread of the COVID-9 virus, a series of “social distancing” measures are being put in place. Given the current public health situation, and in consultation with both Nova Scotia Public Health and government officials as well as our other postsecondary partners, it is time for our institutions to take concrete measures to encourage social distancing and limit the spread of the virus.
All classes will be suspended for the week of March 16-20. This provides time for the faculty to determine what material is essential to be covered in all courses and how that material is to be covered in an alternative context (such as online). All Undergraduate and Graduate Engineering courses will be affected by this change.
As soon as possible, we are planning that all faculty will be communicating to the students in their classes exactly what the remainder of the required content will be and how it will be delivered. The communication will also spell out how the course assessment will be conducted. The type and extent of changes will vary from course to course, so it is difficult to give any specifics at this time.
From March 23 – April 6, classes will continue in an online format (posted notes, video recordings YouTube problem solving, etc). Laboratory and “out-of-class” components normally required for courses will be suspended for this term only. Instructors teaching courses that require prototypes or other “builds” (senior-year projects or design courses) will provide instruction as to how those deliverables will be fulfilled.
The Faculty’s intent is that term exams will proceed as scheduled except they will not be administered in person. If an online exam is necessary for assessment in a course, it will be given in the time period as scheduled by the Registrar’s Office.
The faculty is doing everything it can to make this difficult time as smooth as possible and to minimise the disruptions that these unusual measures are sure to bring. Our highest priority is being given to those students who are expecting to graduate as a result of their efforts in this term.
Engineering faculty administration and advising will be available to all students via e-mail and by invitation.
We are walking through uncharted territory in our response to this pandemic and the situation is changing rapidly. As more information becomes available it will be communicated to you in a timely fashion. The exercise of great patience and your ability to remain calm in the face of significant change will allow you to navigate the days ahead.
We wish you health and academic success as we work through this situation and although you may have many questions (about academic and non-academic matters), we will try to answer them as quickly and as completely as we can.
For further information, please visit: https://www.dal.ca/novel-coronavirus.html