After the summer holidays, as every year, the Universitat de València resumes its teaching activity with the start of the new academic year.

As approved by the Governing Council, and within the framework of the agreement between the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Government) and the Valencian Public University System on 2nd June, classes will begin on 14th September at the Universitat de València.

A course marked by the new normality in the pandemic by the COVID-19

To begin the 2020-21 academic year in safe conditions in the context characterised by the evolution of the pandemic by the COVID-19, the Universitat de València, in application of the protocols and measures adopted by the governments of Spain and the Generalitat, approved a document adapting the teaching for the first term of the course last July. The document (not available in English) can be consulted by following this link: https://www.uv.es/coronavirus/Adaptacio_docencia_titulacions_oficials_UV_2020_21_CG.pdf).

Throughout the month of July, the University's Faculties and School have been working on adapting the teaching guides for each subject in each of the 56 degree and 8 double-degree programmes and the more than one hundred official master's degrees that are taught at the University.

Hybrid Teaching Model

To achieve the objective of maintaining safety conditions, the capacity of the classrooms has been adjusted to maintain safety distances in accordance with the regulations of the health authorities of the Generalitat Valenciana.

In this sense, and given the diversity of the Universitat de València's facilities, when these safety conditions cannot be guaranteed, a hybrid teaching model will be implemented: face-to-face and, synchronously, at a distance with the students who, in turn, are not in the classroom.

As far as classroom practices are concerned, more space is used and the number of students per practice has been adjusted. In that sense, in the laboratory practices the surfaces are established by students, since in many cases interior mobilities in the laboratory take place as a consequence of the type of practice.

Students who are at risk or who are in quarantine due to contact with people at risk will receive distance (non-attendance) teaching attention and, in the case of internships, they will be adapted, depending on the characteristics of the subjects.

Mask use and restriction of movement to the campuses

Within the new normality, the use of masks is mandatory on all university campuses, regardless of the maintenance of the recommended interpersonal distance.

The Universitat de València may deny access to the UV facilities to those people who enter the campuses without their own mask.

In any case, a minimum presence at the University facilities is recommended, which have marked the accesses to the buildings and established mobility lanes in the corridors.

It is forbidden to stay in corridors and areas of common use to allow access to classrooms or services under conditions of interpersonal distance for safety.

Limited capacity in bathrooms and lifts

It is advisable to use the stairs for internal mobility in the building. Lifts have limited capacity, and their use is a priority for people with reduced mobility.

Bathroom capacity has also been limited according to their size and characteristics.

Services with previous appointment and remote attention. Libraries and cafeterias

The university services prioritise remote attention and have implemented an appointment service for attending to the public.

Uvlibraries has set up a special pre-booked loan system. This loan system will also apply to seats in the study rooms.

The cafeterias on the university campuses are open and operate under the health and safety conditions established by the authorities for these services.

COVID equipment at the centres, campus and at the University

Each centre and campus will have a person responsible for the COVID equipment in order to apply the corresponding measures and the indications of the authorities when positive cases are detected by the COVID-19.

These teams will be coordinated at university level by a COVID manager.

Friday 11th September, institutional opening ceremony

The course officially began at the Universitat de València with the celebration of an institutional event to open the course.

This act replaced the Solemn Academic Opening Ceremony that traditionally opens the academic year, and which this year has been modified in its duration, its location (it will take place in the Cloister instead of the Auditorium), in the ceremony (the teaching staff will not wear academic clothing or form a retinue) and content (the master class has been suppressed).

As every year, the day the course opening ceremony is held is a holiday at the Universitat de València, and the ceremony could be followed live on the Universitat de València's audiovisual platform, mediauni.uv.es.