Students and lecturers highly satisfied
The coronavirus is all around us. Flights are cancelled, social interaction is restricted and restaurants and schools are closing. In compliance with the recommendations of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), municipal health services and the national government, Tio University of Applied Sciences also closed its doors last Friday. However, there is good news for students: their classes will continue as planned online!
All classes online immediately
Tio's small-scale and entrepreneurial nature is clearly evident during this time of crisis. Due to the short lines of communication, Tio was able to respond quickly to the order to close all universities of applied sciences. Since Monday, students can take all their classes online instead. How is that possible? IT manager Louis van Dieteren explains: “We were well prepared. We already use the online teaching tool for our online exam training. It was therefore mostly a matter of carefully instructing all lecturers. This past weekend, we therefore optimised the instructions and gave lecturers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the system. We also had to purchase extra webcams. Furthermore, each Tio campus has its own system administrator who can help out immediately if there are any problems. The first classes have already been completed and everything is going very well so far!”
Lecturer Tamara Schellekens was very happy about the IT department's preparations: “What a great achievement and excellent service. I even got a call from the IT department last Sunday to make sure everything was working well! Thank you. We will make the best of this situation together!”
“It's great that our classes can continue”
Students can continue their classes from the comfort of their own homes to ensure they do not incur a study delay. Student Nancy Zoet: “These are crazy times: I don't have to go to school, the place where I work is closed and so is the gym. I do appreciate the fact that Tio took action so quickly to make these online classes possible!” Another student adds: “It's great that our classes can continue, since I only have three weeks left for my minor. With these online classes, I can complete my minor as planned. Where I take the online classes? At the dining table in the living room!”
Getting used to it
Lecturers also appreciate Tio's quick measures - although they can take some getting used to, as lecturer Marion Ariëns admits: “I teach my classes from home. This morning, things went very well. Although we all needed a little time to get used to it, especially when playing videos, the students participated well; most via their microphones and some even via their webcams!”
Although no one knows what the future holds with regard to the coronavirus, one thing is certain: Tio's top-quality education will continue as planned in the weeks to come!