In the first semester of the academic year 2020/2021 the SIS will teach using a blended approach for courses on the MEIS and MISS master’s degrees. The same will apply to seminars for doctoral candidates in International Studies and to some additional teaching events (workshops, laboratories, and guest lectures).
The SIS will prioritise face-to-face teaching for courses offered during the first year of the MEIS and the second year of the MISS, but is also planning some face-to-face teaching activities for the second year of the MEIS, as well as events intended in the main for second year students.
Blended delivery of priority teaching activities at the SSI will consist of two hours of face-to-face teaching per course, per week (for 10/12 weeks). Courses lasting longer than 18 hours will include an additional two hours of distance learning per week. All remaining activities scheduled in the first semester will be offered via distance learning.
All curricular blended learning activities will be specifically designed to allow students who are not able to be in Trento to access distance learning support, for example by streaming face-to-face classes, support from tutors, instruments available via Moodle, and online staff office hours.
It should be noted that all face-to-face activities are nevertheless subject to health and safety rules, and must be modified or suspended should the situation of the instructor, students or the premises prevent their being held safely. The same applies for the modalities used to deliver face-to-face activities (access to classrooms, presence in university buildings, etc.) – the University will establish procedures according to the most recent guidelines.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE RESUMPTION OF TEACHING ACTIVITIES - 12 September Update
The School of International Studies will resume teaching in semester 1 of the academic year 2020/2021 using a blended approach and in line with current health and safety and social distancing rules aimed at containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. For further information please refer to the University’s regulations at https://www.unitn.it/ateneo/91493/didattica-i-semestre-20202021 and remember to follow rules on social distancing, gatherings, sanitizing work areas and equipment between users, and directions for entering and leaving buildings. Downloading and installing the Immuni App is highly recommended.
Orientation meetings have been planned for students arriving at the SSI for the first time (first year MEIS students on 21 September at 9.00, online via Zoom; second year MISS students on 16 September at 10.30, in person in the Auditorium). More information about the meetings will be provided directly via email. Students enrolled for the second year of the MEIS will receive an e-mail containing information and instructions about blended and distance teaching, which will be followed by an online meeting.
In light of the rules in place for individual and collective safety, students wishing to access the building to attend classes must follow three essential steps (for detailed information see the University guidelines at https://www.unitn.it/ateneo/91493/didattica-i-semestre-20202021):
- Reserve each class to be taught in person in a classroom, week by week, via the Easylesson widget https://easyacademy.unitn.it/AgendaStudentiUnitn/
- Access the building using the UniTrentoApp and ensure that all the health requirements are met
- Arrive punctually to enter the building
Students will only be able to access the teaching building on the half days when classes they are enrolled in are programmed. Access is forbidden without authorization. Checking the classroom number before entering the building is recommended, as is scrupulously following instructions for getting there directly. Avoiding gatherings at the entrance and on the way to classrooms is extremely important.
Students should note that it is important they only reserve places for courses registered in the study plans. Where a class will be divided into groups, students should only attend in-person classes for their assigned groups (as communicated by the instructor). In particular, the lists of students for the English Language seminars are available on the Moodle teaching community of the course. Students will be divided into two groups, one attending the European and International Politics - basic course and one attending the European and International Politics - advanced course, on the basis of previous knowledge; the criteria and the lists of students will be communicated before the start of the lessons. It is highly recommended that you reserve your seat in the classroom only for the group you have been assigned to. To access the Laboratory - Law and Laboratory - Politics extracurricular laboratories, that will be held in person and reserved to the first year MEIS students, the School will ask for a pre-registration for organizational purposes.
TIMES - 12 September Update
Lessons will follow the dates and times detailed in the academic calendars published at https://easyroom.unitn.it/Orario/index.php.
Actual starting times for classes, both online and in person, are as follows: 8.30, 10.15, 12.45, 14.45, 16.45, 18.45. Students should access the building a quarter of an hour before classes start:8.15, 10.00, 12.30, 14.30, 16.30, 18.30.
FURTHER INFORMATION - 12 September Update
All instructors will use Moodle to inform students about the organizational aspects of online courses. Individual course Moodle communities will provide instructions for following online classes (Zoom links) – these links are not public and should not be made so. Moodle communities will also contain the course syllabus, assessment details, and all other information pertinent to the course and classes. Students need to enrol in the Moodle communities as soon as possible for these reasons.
General guidelines about online and in person teaching will be updated on this page. Information sent via e-mail will be limited to avoid confusion, and all students should refer to this page for the most up-to-date information.
Detailed teaching offer
- On the MISS Degree, all obligatory teaching activities, including courses where students must choose between two courses, will be provided via a blended approach.
- On the MEIS Degree, the first year courses Elements of International and EU Law and European and International Politics (basic and advanced) will be offered via distance learning but include, in addition to tutoring activities, new optional face-to-face teaching activities (additional extra-curricular laboratories) linked to each course. The English Language course will be provided via distance learning, with blended teaching for seminar (small group) activities. Obligatory choices for students in the second year of the MEIS - The Economics of European Integration and The Legal Framework of EU Policies - will be delivered via blended learning. The extra-curricular course on Research Design will be taught entirely in presence.
Students following the second year of a master’s course will also benefit from face-to-face practitioner-led laboratories during the week prior to the start of the teaching semester (MISS Workshops on Applied Security).
All remaining activities scheduled in the first semester will be offered via distance learning.
General guidance on distance learning methods
The SIS will optimise the use of distance learning methods by exploiting all available features of available technological resources, including Moodle pages and the Zoom platform for downloadable video recordings as well as livestreaming.
The staff of the SIS will nevertheless be free to choose their preferred teaching methods, which should be carefully designed in light of the characteristics of the material to be taught, the number of students on the course, and personal inclination.
When choosing between real time (‘synchronous’) and recorded (‘asynchronous’) teaching, the general line taken by the university is that staff should not use any single method alone, but seek to achieve a balance amongst different techniques. All teaching will include some real time activities in order to guarantee face-to-face contact between staff and students. The SIS will seek to develop individually-tailored solutions for students with special teaching needs linked to distance learning.