The government has decided to make a cautious restart to higher education in a physical context starting April 26. This mail considers what that means for us. Furthermore, attention is given to the exams in Q3 and a call for students to participate in a national well-being survey.

Education in a physical context as of April 26

As of April 26, physical teaching on campus, in conjunction with a rapid self-test and 1.5-meter distancing, is again being allowed. This means that in Q4 we want to teach more courses on campus. TU/e strives to give teaching to as many students as possible at least one (part of the) day on campus in Q4. This will not always be possible, because it also depends on your cluster of subjects. We are asking teachers to start making preparations for this physical teaching. For the record: it is not an obligation for teachers to teach their courses on campus, this decision will be made in consultation with the program director. Students can see shortly in Canvas what this means for them.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) will be making rapid self-tests available for students to take at home. As TU/e, we are making efforts to also make tests available to teachers who physically teach on campus. It is still unclear how the self-tests will be used. It is also not yet known how they will be distributed, or whether there will be sufficient self-tests available for all students and teachers in the short term. There is daily consultation with OCW about this topic. We will draw up a Q&A so that all questions can be answered as soon as possible. Of course, that will be available before April 26.

This means that from April 26, we are returning to the one-and-a-half-meter university as we knew it before the December lockdown, with, in addition to space for physical education, still the premise that working and studying at home is the norm. After all, we are in the level 4 risk category of the roadmap, namely ‘severe’. The use of rapid self-tests does not mean that the one-and-a-half-meter regime is being abandoned, we want to be very clear about that.

The government has indicated that extracurricular activities for students are just as important as education. Therefore, as of April 26, we will also give more space to student well-being activities where possible. We will work this out in more detail in the coming weeks as well. 

Exams in Q3
On April 6, the exams in Q3 start. Here is a summary of the most important information for a campus exam:

During an exam on campus, the usual rules apply: be on time, follow the invigilators' instructions, and go to the restroom before entering the exam room. The doors of the examination room open half an hour before the start of the examination. If you are on campus more than half an hour before the exam, you can take a seat in the Market Hall, the Auditorium or reserve a study place in Metaforum. Once you are in the examination room, you may not leave the room until 15 minutes after the start of the examination at the earliest. If you are taking an exam in the sports hall, we advise you to wear warm clothing. The heating is on, but we will ensure the room is optimally ventilated.
 
We wish all students the best of luck for the upcoming exams!
 

Research into the mental health of students in higher education
We think it is important to know how we can best support you as a student during your studies. The RIVM, GGD GHOR Nederland and Trimbos Institute have developed a national monitor to chart the mental health of students in higher education and their use of substances. The questionnaire also covers topics such as your housing and financial situation, your study progress and how resilient you feel. TU/e participates in this monitor. We invite you to participate in the survey. Based on the results, we can take action to improve the well-being of students. More information about the survey and the link to the questionnaire can be found in the study guide. 
  

Developments 
There will be a tense few weeks ahead as we see how the infections develop and whether that has any consequences for the planned relaxations. We strive to inform everyone as quickly and clearly as possible, so this may mean that we will send more frequent updates by email in the coming weeks.

You can always read the most current measures in the context of the Corona crisis in the mail and at tue.nl/corona. You can also find an extensive Q&A here. These overviews are constantly updated. Is your question not listed in the Q&A? You can reach us at info@tue.nl or, WhatsApp 06 41683406.

For now, we wish everyone a healthy and nice long weekend.

Kind regards, 

Susanne van Weelden, Secretary of the University