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Dear IUT students,
First of all, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your hard work during the Spring semester 2019-2020, when IUT, along with all the other institutions in Uzbekistan, was forced to switch to online education due to the intense disruption caused by COVID-19.
Unfortunately, it is hard to predict when the impact of COVID-19 will be reduced significantly, and when we can resume to the pre-COVID life pattern. The government announced that the quarantine period would be extended until midAugust.This situation requires us to put unforeseen efforts to accomplish our basic missions. Let me remind you of that IUT’s main mission is to provide world-class education and educate talented students to be competent in global standard. At the same time, as an educational institute, we care students’ health and safety, as well. We will not give up any one of these completely. We need to compromise and allocate resources appropriately to get the best results in the midst of the pandemic. After long consideration, we determined as follows for the Fall semester of 20202021 academic year:
First, IUT decided to provide ALL CLASSES ONLINE IN THE COMING FALL SEMESTER. It is frustrating and heartbreaking that professors and peers cannot meet on campus next semester, and this dramatic action will obviously disrupt the usual rhythm for many of you. We know that studying courses in a face-to-face format is what students prefer most. We are also aware of that interactions with professors, collaborations with colleagues, and shared usesof laboratory equipment and computers make the learning environment very effective. However, it is an undeniable fact that on-campus learning increases the likelihood of spreading COVID-19 and endangers the safety and well-being of all members of the IUT community.
Second, CLASSES WILL BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2020. Due to the quarantine, the Entrance Exam to universities in Uzbekistan has been postponed, which affect academic affairs of all universities in the country. We decided it would be better to keep similar pace with other universities for the convenience of students. And also, IUT will be better prepared for the full online education. It is also quite important to give some period for our freshmen to prepare for IUT. We are in the process of selecting the new students. I am really glad about the quality of the
students who have been accepted so far. They are definitely the best students in Uzbekistan. I am anxious to see them soon
Here is a summary of the key changes in the coming Fall semester:
· All courses in the Fall semester will be conducted entirely online.
· The 2020-2021 academic calendar will be moved back by 3 weeks: The first day of class for the Fall semester will be September 28 (Mon), 2020 and the semester will end on January 15 (Fri), 2021. There will be NO WINTER BREAK.
· Midterm and Final exams will take place remotely in 8th and 16th week, respectively. Please refer to the attached file for detailed academic schedule fortheAcademicYear2020-2021.
I understand that you might have many questions on this message which provides you with brief information about operation ofthe new semester. TheDepartment of AcademicAffairswill continue to guideyouwithadditional information on how the online classeswill be organized throughout theFall semester.
It is quite regrettable that this coming Fall semester is not the same as before the COVID-19pandemicsituation and theuniversitylifehasbecomefarfromyourideal image. I ask your kind understanding of the situation and believe that our decision is the best procedure under the circumstances. I promise IUT will do its best to return to the original shape of the campus faster than any other universities in Uzbekistan once the pandemic is over. I look forward to seeing all of you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
First Vice Rector Dongwon Lee