NEWS

Concerning Classes in Winter Term AY2022

Update: October 17, 2022

To all students

Although the policy for Winter Term is very similar to the policy for Autumn, we ask that you read this document carefully.

The standard mode of instruction will be face-to-face and more than 90% of our courses will be taught in that mode of instruction. We will also identify and meet the educational needs of students who are unable to participate in classes face-to-face, but as was true during the Autumn the opportunities for this special consideration will be very limited.

1. Face-to-face classes

A. General policy:
Most classes will be held face-to-face.

B. Emergency response:
When necessary as an emergency response to coronavirus infections, it may be necessary to teach some or all face-to-face classes online for limited periods of time. Examples of conditions that may require an emergency response include a large cluster of coronavirus infections on campus or a declaration of a state of emergency, etc. by the government. The decision to implement an emergency response will be made based on the university's BCP (Business Continuity Plan).
Students need to be ready to participate in classes online on short notice. Please make sure you have stable internet access and a personal computer or tablet that you can use in online classes if necessary.

C. Accommodating individual needs:
In some individual situations (either among students or among faculty), face-to-face courses may be taught online or in hybrid mode for short periods of time.

　

2. Online classes

A. Large classes:
To reduce crowding in the classrooms, large classes (with expected enrollments of 100 or more students based on the data from the past three years) will be taught online during Winter Term 2022. There may be a few exceptions to this limitation.

B. Online classes for special purposes:
A small number of small or medium sized classes have been designated as online courses for special purposes.

C. Teaching online classes in hybrid format:
A few professors may teach their online courses in hybrid format and the courses will be listed as hybrid. In these cases, the professor will give the students instructions about how to participate in the course.

　

3. Limited hybrid classes

In Winter Term AY2022, the hybrid mode will not be a standard mode of teaching, but in limited situations it may be necessary to permit some non-standard uses of hybrid teaching.

A. We may ask faculty members to allow some students who have special circumstances (see section 4 below) to participate online in a course that is offered face-to-face. These face-to-face courses will be offered in a "limited hybrid" manner that will permit online participation only by approved students.

B. Faculty may (but are not required to) permit students who are ill or in isolation to participate online in a face-to-face course for a few days.

　

4. Special considerations for students who cannot participate in class face-to-face

A. General policy:
Students will be expected to participate face-to-face in classes that are offered in that mode of instruction.

B. Exceptions:
Students who are unable to participate in classes face-to-face may submit a petition to participate online in face-to-face courses. These exceptions may apply where students or members of their household have a serious situation related to COVID-19 that makes it difficult or dangerous for the students to participate in classes face-to-face. The procedure for submitting the petition is explained in section 5.

Please note that students who are living overseas are able to enter Japan. For this reason, residing overseas can not be used as grounds for submitting a petition.

C. Courses in the PE, ELA, JLP, and WL Programs
Almost all courses in ELA, JLP, and WL will be taught face-to-face. Most PE courses will be taught face-to-face, but several PE courses will be taught online.

　

5. Petitions for permission to participate online in face-to-face courses

A. Students who need to apply for permission to participate online in face-to-face courses must submit a petition (as specified in section 5-B below) that explains their need to take courses online and that requests permission to participate online in specific face-to-face courses.

B. The conditions for submitting a petition.
i. The purpose of this petition is to help the university identify which students may have difficulty graduating on time if they cannot take a specific face-to-face class in Winter Term. To be qualified to submit the petition, you need to satisfy both of the following two requirements:

1. You are unable to participate in face-to-face courses for a health reason that is related to COVID-19, and
2. You will have difficulty graduating on time if you cannot take a specific course in Winter Term AY2022 that is taught face-to-face.

ii. The submission deadline is noon, Monday, November 21, 2022 (JST). You can submit your petition starting on November 10, 2022 using the following link (only ICU account holders can view this page).
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsQYfLQ2AjeJJ6MKrdxrFoOYJaN9rzm-AhJgClUVWbokifQA/viewform

　

6. In case of illness or quarantine

Students who are experiencing symptoms that may indicate a COVID-19 infection should report their situation to ICU's Health Care Office and to the instructors of the courses they are taking. Students may be required to isolate themselves because they are a close contact of a person who has a coronavirus infection.

If you feel ill during the term do not come to campus. If you feel ill, or if you come in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, please report your condition to the Health Care Office.

　

7. Maintaining safe classrooms

In Spring and Autumn Terms 2022 we did not see any clusters of infections that developed because of interactions in our classrooms. In order to maintain this level of safety we will continue the standard practices in classrooms of wearing masks, maintaining distance between students, and using air filters.

Although we want to encourage students, faculty and staff to remain fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the decision about whether to be vaccinated will be left up to each individual.

　

8. Preregistration and registration

A. Preregistration for Winter Term courses will take place from November 10 to 14. The Educational Affairs Group will post details about pre-registration on ICU Portal around November 3.

B. Course registration will be handled online for two days on December 5 and 6, and those two days have been set aside for advising. Detailed instructions about course registration and advising will be sent separately. Classes will begin as scheduled on December 7.

　

　

Robert Eskildsen, Vice President for Academic Affairs
Yoshito Ishio, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
Tsuyosi Mizoguchi, Dean of the Graduate School