SWITZERLAND

Universities say they are better prepared for online teaching

Universities and other higher education institutions, which went back to online teaching on Monday 2 November under nationwide COVID-19 rules set down by the government, say they are better prepared for distance learning, having been able to build on their experiences earlier this year, when they had to get online quickly, reports Swissinfo.ch.

This is the second time universities have stopped in-person classes after the lockdown in spring. Schools are remaining open under the latest measures announced last Wednesday.
Only a few events in small groups or seminars will take place on campus, said Karin Hiltwein, secretary general and head of the corona crisis team at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, based in Windisch, canton Aargau.

The University of Bern started to reduce on-site teaching around two weeks ago. The institution expects the situation to continue long term (there is no end date to the current national regulations). Exam procedures will have to be adapted. “We have to prepare clever exams that are not just based on banal knowledge retrieval,” Vice-Rector Bruno Moretti told Swiss public broadcaster SRF. Students have more access to help tools at home.
Full report on the Swissinfo.ch site