The students of UCAM returned today to the classrooms of the Campuses of Murcia and Cartagena, thus starting the classes in a new academic year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, at the arrival of the students to the campus it was possible to see the hope for the beginning accompanied by a sense of responsibility and the necessary collaboration by everyone to stop the diffusion of this virus. Facing this new academic year, UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia planned a bimodal teaching model which encompasses the ‘online’, the face-to-face and the blended learning modalities. Therefore, it adopts the most advanced physical and virtual resources as well as the adapted attendance with groups rotation in class. In this way, it guarantees the compliance with the security measures in force and the development of the teaching planning with all the guarantees of quality.

With regard to the commencement of classes, the chancellor of UCAM, Josefina García Lozano, affirmed that they started “with absolute normality; the students are being very responsible and they are following all the health recommendations; as well as the teachers, who inform the students with regard to the importance of the fact that we must all collaborate facing this situation so that the students can acquire the competences foreseen in their curricula and, of course, with all the security guarantees”.

Security protocol

UCAM developed a security protocol facing COVID-19 that includes all the recommended measures such as the placing of signs in the entire campus which make it easier to maintain the security distance, posters and television screens with a decalogue of recommendations, among which we find the   compulsory use of face-masks, social distance and hand cleaning. At the same time, it planned serological tests for all the teachers and the administration and services staff  before the beginning of the year. Likewise, it has a Committee, presided by the chancellor, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations established by the health authorities to avoid to the maximum possible extent the risk of contagions. It also stands out the designation of a COVID responsible person for each faculty and degree, and a room located at the Campus which is exclusively dedicated to those who are suspected of having contracted the virus who will be evaluated by health professionals. In this way, UCAM works as an active centre to stop the diffusion of the virus.

Digital transformation

UCAM strengthened its digital transformation by installing cameras in all of its classrooms so that the students who cannot attend classes on campus can follow the lessons in real-time. It stands out as well the installation of Wi-Fi 6, with a better connection to a much bigger number of devices, thus making it possible to download data at the fastest speed in any place within the enclosure. This will result in an increasingly fluid use of remote programmes, the possibility to use virtual and augmented reality and in the High-Definition streaming visualisation.