Circular No. 42: E-learning process at the Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences for the academic year 2020-2021

Université Libanaise

Statuts et textes de lois

2020-10-30

Based on the Faculty Council minutes (No. 19, dated 24 September 2020, No. 20, dated 20 October 2020, and 21, dated 28 October 2020) discussing e-learning process for the academic year 2020-2021, the following recommendations were issued:

First: Start date for the academic year 2020-2021:

E-learning for the academic year 2020-2021 shall start at the Faculty:

On Monday, 2 November 2020 at both centers
On Monday, 9 November 2020 at the branches and the deanship

Second: E-learning General Criteria

Adopting MS Teams as the unified platform;
Forming a central technical team in the Deanship to follow up with the central technical team formed in the Faculty’s branches and centers;
The central technical team at the Deanship shall communicate with Dr. Hisham Hajj Hassan (Technical Central Officer) in terms of automating the distribution of courses (classes on MS Teams) and creating an email address for professors and students who settled their registration fees for the academic year 2020-2021;
Assigning Dr. Hussein Abdel Halim to conduct training courses for professors on the usage of MS Teams;
Forming a committee for professors who teach a common course in the five branches in order to unify the teaching course descriptions;
Ensuring professors’ commitment to the weekly hour-distribution schedule issued by each branch, center and the deanship, to prevent conflicts in delivering lectures;
Adopting branches, centers and the deanship as headquarters to teach lessons online for professors who do not have internet connection;
It is mandatory to record all lectures on MS Teams so that the largest number of students can follow them later;
Preparing a monthly report by the central technical team in the Deanship, in cooperation with the Faculty branches and centers, explaining the progress of the educational process;
The last two weeks of each semester shall be dedicated to in-person lectures, with the need to coordinate with the administration to secure the required measures in line with COVID-19 pandemic.

Third: Full e-learning or partial in-person learning for the academic year 2020-2021

Adopting e-learning in the Faculty for all courses of the first semester of the Bachelor’s degree;
Professors shall give all theoretical lessons online via MS Teams;
Teaching the courses at a rate of 50%, in the Faculty’s branches for semesters 1/3/5 and in all degrees (Bachelor, Master and Diploma), according to the weekly lessons program issued by the administration of each Branch.

Fourth: Online teaching hours

Each online teaching hour is 60 minutes, which is equivalent to two hours of in-person teaching;
Online teaching hours are distributed as per the below schedule:

Course No. of hours	Online teaching hours	No. of classes
Between 20-25 hours	60 min	Once a week
30 hours	75 min	Once a week
Between 34-41 hours	100 min	Twice a week, 50 min each
Between 44-51 hours	120 min	Twice a week, 60 min each
Between 54-60 hours	150 min	Twice a week, 75 min each
65 hours	160 min	Twice a week, 80 min each
80 hours	200 min	4 times a week, 50 min each

Fifth: Professors’ signature and number of hours monthly report

Professors shall commit to record their lectures' attendance hours on the online attendance sheet, provided that they record the entrance and exit hours in each lecture;
Professors shall sign the timesheets when they attend to the Faculty for in-person teaching;
The central technical team at the Deanship shall prepare a monthly report in cooperation with the Faculty branches and the centers on the number of hours executed for each professor.

Sixth: Final Exams

Conducting final exams in all Faculty branches, centers and the deanship in all degrees (Bachelor, Master and Diploma) in person, taking into account preventive health measures (sterilizing, wearing masks, social distancing, etc.).