Due to current distancing regulations, the University of Basel will only be able to deliver approximatelya third of courses as classroom teaching in the fall semester 2020. Particular importance will be placed on ensuring that first-semester students can attend courses in person.

The university management in consultation with the Deans of Studies may decide to tighten up or relax the measures and guidelines in order to reflect the development of the pandemic. This is intended to ensure that students are able to continue their studies despite the changing circumstances.

Principles

• From the start of the lecture period on 14 September 2020, a face mask must be worn in the buildings of the University of Basel. These masks can generally be taken off during classes.
• Wearing a mask may also be made compulsory for certain classes. This will be communicated to the students by the relevant teaching staff and indicated in the course directory.
• In addition, the observance of distancing rules continues to be of paramount importance. These rules stipulate a distance of at least 1.5 m both on the way to classes and during the classes themselves.
• Details regarding course implementation (online or in the classroom teaching, room details, compulsory masks where applicable) are communicated in the course directory and must be adhered to.
• Participation in classroom-based courses in the fall semester 2020 is only permitted for students who have previously registered for the course online (services.unibas.ch) and who therefore appear on the list of participants.

Use of learning rooms

Unfortunately due to the corona pandemic, many learning rooms are not available or only available to a limited extent, as the size of the rooms only allows for reduced occupancy.

Rooms for participation in online events:

In the fall semester 2020, some students may need a room to switch between online and classroom-based courses. The following recommendations have been made for this purpose:

• Students are generally requested to allow sufficient time to switch between online courses and courses in physical presence in order to be able to participate in online courses from home or another workplace if possible.
• If a direct sequence of online and classroom-based courses cannot be avoided, students can contact their subject departments - many of them offer individual solutions for their respective buildings solutions. The Dean's Offices and secretariats provide information on the respective procedures.
• If it is not possible to occupy a suitable room in this way, smaller (teaching) rooms can be requested to a limited extent via the room info tool for participation in online events. Please use the "Instructions for Room Reservation for Participation/Admission Online Event" in the Room Info Tool under Hilfe&Kontakt (in German).

High-risk groups

• Wherever possible, the University of Basel provides support so that students who cannot attend classes or examinations in person as a result of the coronavirus can continue to participate in teaching activities.
• These students should contact the Offices of the Deans of Studies at the various faculties.
• Applications must be accompanied by a medical certificate and submitted to the Offices of the Deans of Studies by the end of the registration period (fall semester 2020: 12 October 2020) in accordance with the stipulated procedures.

Infrastructure 

• The guide entitled From ADAM to Zoom provides students with information about digital tools and infrastructure at the University of Basel.
• For the fall semester 2020, the university is also providing students with access to Zoom — they are covered by the full license and can organize meetings themselves. This is intended to facilitate digital collaboration in small and medium-sized groups.
• Students also continue to have access to SWITCHmeet for this purpose.
• The Edutools website provides an overview of digital tools at the University of Basel.

Forms of examinations

• Should circumstances change, examinations may be moved online. However, online examinations already listed as such will not be changed to in-person examinations.
• Unlike for spring semester 2020, no special provisions are envisaged for examinations in the forthcoming fall semester 2020.

Recommendations

• The university recommends using the SwissCovid app and is putting in place not only the necessary hygiene measures but also the prerequisites for contact tracing.
• All teaching staff and students are advised to consult the relevant central and faculty web pages on a regular basis.