Guidelines for In Person and Virtual Learning

Scope: These guidelines have been developed for the implementation of in-person, online, or blended academic activities carried out within the academic units that make up the University of the Arts of Ecuador.

Purpose: The purpose of these guidelines is to establish a structure for in-person and online education and their combinations, as well as the use of the corresponding technological tools. Their validity is subject to changes made by the competent bodies.

Creation and Upload of Course Syllabus

Each teacher has the responsibility and obligation to create a syllabus for each subject he/she teaches, which must be aligned with the learning contents included in the micro-curriculum of each academic unit.

The syllabus will be developed in the Academic Management System (SGA), detailing weekly content and activities, as well as the materials and assignments designated for the course.

The syllabus must be uploaded to the SGA and to MOODLE (Virtual Campus) within a period beginning one week before and ending one week after the start of classes.

Faculty members must present the syllabus to students, along with the grading methodology, during the first week of classes. If there is consensus with students and it is deemed appropriate, faculty may adjust the syllabus until the second week of classes. The corresponding School/Department Coordination Office or Directorate must approve and add their signature of responsibility by the third week of classes, coinciding with the submission of the final course load to the Directorate of Academic Planning.

School/Department Directorates and Heads of Department are responsible for monitoring the upload and approval of syllabi. Failure to upload a syllabus will be considered a serious offense, and School/Department Directorates and Heads of Department will initiate the corresponding disciplinary processes in the fourth week of classes.

Number of weeks

The semester is divided into 18 weeks, structured as follows:

• Week 1-7       Instructional activities
• Week 8           Midterm exams
• Week 9           A combination of exam review, grade review, and academic tutoring/advising sessions for students with difficulties or those taking the course for the second or third time, along with classes as scheduled.
• Week 10-16 Instructional activities
• Week 17         Second midterm
• Week 18         Submission and grading of exams and makeup assignments.

Faculty must take national holidays and other relevant information into account in order to adjust course content to the actual number of instructional weeks. If a class session coincides with a national holiday, faculty must, if necessary, assign material for students to complete independently. For holidays declared mandatory and subject to makeup, faculty must make up the corresponding class sessions.

Assessment Components

The Academic Regime Regulations (CES, Art. 66) establish that assessment must be transparent, fair, and equitable. It must be progressive and ongoing, and must include both summative and formative assessments, each applied "at least twice during the academic term." The syllabus must also state and communicate the objectives, content, rubric, grading criteria, and the means, environments, and instruments used in assessment (Art. 67); faculty are therefore required to describe grading percentages as well as the activities that contribute to assessment in the syllabus.

All summative assignments or activities must include a corresponding grading rubric specifying the criteria and their respective values.

Results must be communicated to students in a timely manner.

Makeup Exam

The Academic Regulations (CES, Art 67, e) states: “Each institution of higher education may establish makeup processes for passing courses or their equivalents, in accordance with the academic requirements it sets. The makeup assessment may be taken only once per academic term, when a student has not achieved the minimum passing grade for the course or its equivalent. In these processes, institutions must ensure that students are given sufficient time to prepare for the assessment.”.

The Internal Academic Regime Regulations of the University of the Arts (Art. 27) do not establish makeup exams as mandatory. Accordingly, the decision to the offer a makeup exam is optional and left to the discretion of each faculty member in coordination with academic authorities, and its availability must be clearly stated in the course syllabus..

The makeup grade is averaged with the final grade. Students with a final average below 4 points are not eligible to take the makeup exam.

Additionally, students have the right to request a grade review (CES, Art. 67, f) after reviewing their final grade with the instructor responsible for the course.

Formative Research as a Cross Cutting Focus

In accordance with the Academic Regime Regulations, faculty must incorporate activities and approaches that foster research-related skills and/or arts research skills, depending on the course, encouraging artistic innovation and the deepening of humanistic knowledge. Research activities remain a fundamental part of university teaching.

Promotion of Literacy Skills and Activities of the Academic Writing Center (CEAT)

All courses will include activities that promote reading, as well as assignments that develop writing skills within their respective disciplines. The CEAT offers various support and development mechanisms as part of student support services aimed at strengthening writing skills, through workshops or tutoring sessions.

Faculty may request and include such workshops or support sessions in their syllabus as activities students must complete as part of their education, and may factor their completion into the student's overall assessment.

Group work component

These types of activities foster communities of collaborative learning, encourage collective thinking, and help students integrate into a collaborative or cooperative environment. They also contribute to problem-solving and peer learning. In addition, group work supports the development of interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary activities; therefore, at least one group activity must be included.

Communication Between Faculty and Students

Institutional mail is the official means of communication of our University. Faculty and students are responsible for regularly checking their inboxes to stay informed about class-related matters as well as artistic and academic events at the University. The Moodle and SGA messaging systems are complementary and may also be used as needed.

Communications between faculty and students, as well as attendance at virtual classes, must be conducted using one's real name, avoiding the use of pseudonyms or email addresses that do not allow for identity verification.

Justification for absences

Medical certificates must be endorsed by, or issued by, the University of the Arts' Health Directorate in order to justify absences. In the case of absences due to COVID-19-related complications, students must notify their instructor, the degree program coordination or department head, and the Health Directorate.

We appeal to faculty's understanding in cases where a student is unable to cover the costs of testing or must care for family members; this is contingent on the student's commitment to making up missed classes and submitting assignments at a later time. Absences will be justified in the SGA by the instructor.

Biosafety Protocol

The biosafety protocol will be published on the University's website and must be observed by students and faculty at all times while on University of the Arts premises. These rules include: wearing a mask, handwashing, personal hygiene practices, physical distancing, ventilation, use of open spaces, among others. Compliance with biosafety protocols is mandatory for all students, faculty, academic support staff, and administrative staff.

Definition of academic hour

An academic hour is the time during which academic or academic support staff and students focus on specific subject-related activities; it lasts 50 minutes.

At the end of the stipulated time for each class, the designated personnel may proceed to clean the spaces designated for these activities.

Classroom Capacity

The capacity for each classroom will be determined by the Academic Secretariat in coordination with the occupational safety specialist. The maximum number of students assigned to a space within the SGA may not be modified. In the event of any issue, please contact your coordinator or immediate supervisor.

Classroom mode

In face-to-face classes, the academic control and attendance of students will be recorded weekly through the SGA. Students are allowed to enter the classroom up to fifteen (15) minutes after the scheduled class start time.

According to the Internal Academic Regime, the minimum attendance percentage to pass a course will be equal or higher than 75%; if this percentage is not reached, the student will fail the course. The participation field in the evaluation module (PART out of 100) will be available for those who wish to grade participation in their subjects. In the case of considering this criterion, the syllabus must detail the way in which participation will be evaluated or graded, taking into account that both participation and attendance are criteria that establish minimums for the approval of a course. For participation, the criterion for approval is a score greater than or equal to 75%.

Online modality

Para las asignaturas en la modalidad en línea, el componente de participación reemplazará la asistencia. Para estas modalidades será necesario ingresar dicha calificación (PART) al momento de registrar la nota final del periodo académico.  Dicho componente responde a la valoración integral de competencia de los estudiantes, así como la revisión general de los resultados de aprendizaje.¹ Participation is graded out of 100, which may include the completion of assignments, homework, lessons, projects, participation or others. The minimum participation grade will be equal to or greater than 75%; failure to achieve this percentage will result in a failing grade.

In the case that there are synchronous activities evaluated, it will be mandatory to offer alternative activities that allow to perform them asynchronously.

Hybrid or blended mode

For courses that are programmed in a hybrid or blended mode, attendance to face-to-face activities will be considered, which must be planned and notified in advance. In both cases, both attendance and participation will be considered with a minimum requirement of 75% for approval. The teaching staff may decide the grading depending on the activities of the subject as long as it is described in the syllabus and takes into account the minimum approval criteria of participation and attendance.

In this modality it will not be necessary to offer equivalent or substitute activities to those programmed in person.

Participation Policy Section

Each teacher must decide the elements and their weightings that will contribute to participation. These will be established in the syllabus in the Participation Policies section, which may consider the following elements:

• Activities: assignments, homework, projects, readings, etc.,
• Classroom, lab, or space activities (for face-to-face activities).
• Online or face-to-face activities.

Regardless of the modality, the syllabus must clearly define how participation will be graded. For in-person courses, it must be explicitly stated whether the decision on which activities count toward the participation component rests with the instructor.

Protocol in the Event of Reduced Capacity

If, due to the pandemic or another unforeseen event, venue capacity must be reduced, courses may return to the online modality, with any exceptions determined by the Office of the Academic Vice President in coordination with academic units and based on the availability of technology for hybrid classrooms. 

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Virtual Classroom In-Person Modality

All courses will have access to the University's virtual learning environment (Moodle). Faculty will provide materials, resources, or activities through the virtual campus to support academic activities.

Virtual Classroom for the Online/Hybrid/Blended Modality

For courses under the online, hybrid, or blended modality, it is mandatory that the course and its design be reflected on the virtual campus, which entails the following:

• The course must be methodical and progressive, incorporating videos, readings, discussion forums, materials, etc.
• For each activity, the course must indicate what students are expected to do, whether the activity is mandatory or optional, synchronous or asynchronous, the corresponding grading rubrics, and submission or completion deadlines.
• For the blended or hybrid modality, attendance days or the student rotation method must be indicated in the syllabus.
• The videoconferencing link (Zoom, Teams, etc.) must be made available.

Monitoring student activity is important both to track the regularity of the teaching-learning process and to provide timely feedback on assignments.

When a student is found to have minimal or no participation, this must be reported to the Office of Student Wellness and to the relevant degree program coordination, directorate, or department head.

Videoconferences

Videoconferences or synchronous classes will be scheduled in advance and held only during the time designated for each class.

All participants must log in using their first and last name for attendance registration on videoconferencing platforms, and must observe the standards set forth in the Code of Ethics and the Policy on the Prevention of Abuse and Gender-Based Violence.

Faculty retain copyright over videoconference materials. Any reproduction outside of class must be expressly authorized by the author.

Recorded Classes Across Modalities

All videoconference sessions must be backed up to OneDrive, with the corresponding link posted on the virtual campus.

• In the in-person modality, recording is optional.
• In the blended modality, recording is optional for in-person activities and mandatory for virtual sessions.
• In the online modality, all sessions must be recorded and posted on Moodle.

If competent authorities require classes to shift to the online modality, recordings must be uploaded along with their corresponding links to Moodle.

Faculty responsible for overseeing the Degree Completion Unit will present students with the relevant instructions, as well as the grading rubrics, at the start of the degree completion process, for both faculty and students. For students who have failed the Degree Completion Unit twice and must take a comprehensive exam, the academic unit must provide information on the exam topics, format, and grading rubrics to be used. These sessions will preferably take place during the preceding academic term, and must in any case occur before the start of the academic term in which the student is to take the exam, in order to ensure that students preparing for comprehensive exams or projects have the same amount of preparation time as those preparing degree completion projects.

Courses supporting the Degree Completion Unit must include progress and pre-defense dates in their respective syllabus.

For students on their third enrollment attempt and taking the comprehensive exam, the faculty member assigned to the course will provide guidance and address any questions that may arise, particularly regarding the presentation of the practical component of the exam.

Faculty Obligations

Faculty members are required to:

• Prepare and upload the syllabus to the SGA by the dates set by the Office of the Academic Vice President.
• Upload the syllabus to Moodle and present it in class.
• Log in to the SGA and record weekly class sessions along with their content.
• Plan, prepare, and teach classes.
• Submit reports to department coordination offices, directorates, or department heads.
• Receive training on the use of the University's academic and technological tools, as well as on improving teaching methodologies.
• Organize content weekly on the Virtual Campus for the online, blended, and hybrid modalities.
• Establish meeting dates or sessions within the designated schedule and attend scheduled sessions.
• Provide or facilitate access to materials or resources, preferably through links, to minimize server load.
• Share grading rubrics for assignments and exams.
• Grade assignments and provide feedback or tutoring as appropriate.
• Monitor the performance of students on their 2^nd and 3^rd enrollment attempt, or those with irregular attendance or performance, and follow up accordingly through scheduled academic tutoring or advising sessions, or when requested by students.
• Report prolonged student absences to the Office of Student Wellness.
• Submit and upload grades to the SGA within the timeframes established by the Academic Secretariat.
• Announce the assessment elements and mechanisms.

Student Obligations

Students are required to:

• Read the syllabus and course content for each class, and stay informed about grading models as well as activities requiring their participation.
• Attend class, whether in-person or online sessions, according to the course modality.
• Complete the activities assigned in class.
• Check the virtual campus and email weekly.
• Review, read, study, and prepare the materials assigned in class.
• Complete and submit assignments within the specified deadlines.
• Fulfill synchronous or asynchronous activities assigned in class.
• Request tutoring if enrolled in a course for the second or third time, or if their midterm grade is below 7, in order to help ensure their academic performance.
• For courses with a self-directed learning component, complete the assigned activities and report any issues, difficulties, or platform-related problems to the course instructors/facilitators.
• Report to the Office of the Academic Vice President any instance of repeated faculty absence from scheduled class time.

• Synchronous activities will take place only during the class time assigned in the enrollment schedule.
• Synchronous videoconferences will be documented through the corresponding Moodle link.
• A break should be scheduled every 40 minutes during synchronous classes.
• Time should be balanced between synchronous and asynchronous activities.
• A start/assignment date and an end/due date must be indicated for all activities. For asynchronous activities, a minimum of 72 hours should be allowed for completion.
• Instructions must be provided for all submissions, whether graded or not.
• Activities must be assessed using a rubric, with feedback provided within a period not exceeding two consecutive class sessions from the submission date.
• Learning should be assessed through a variety of methods—formative or summative, ongoing or periodic—through exams, projects, individual and group assignments, forum participation, etc.
• Schedule alternative or recovery activities in case of difficulties attending synchronous activities.

Course Structure in the Virtual Campus

The course structure must include a general section and a section for each of the 18 weeks. The elements to include in each section are as follows:

General Section

• Presentation – Welcome message/student introductions.
  • Announcements – Space for instructor communication with students.
  • Syllabus in PDF format.
  • Tutoring requests and proposed schedule.
  • Access to the course’s core and supplementary bibliography (files or links).
  • Link for synchronous class meetings, or in the weekly section.

Weekly Section

Each weekly section must guide students from activity to activity and include various elements via links, such as:

• Slides
  • Explanatory videos or tutorials.
  • Learning resources or materials. 
  • Activities: Forums, assignments, notes, Zoom link, etc.
  • Assessments – Formative and/or summative with evaluation criteria (rubric).
  • Class sessions must be recorded in video or audio format (for virtual classes or activities). If the class is synchronous, it is essential to upload the video or audio link, or the corresponding OneDrive folder or video link.

**Other videoconferencing platforms may be used, but recordings of such classes must be uploaded to the Virtual Campus regardless of the platform used.**

Use of Bibliographic Materials

• All instructional materials must properly cite their authors or sources.
• For resources obtained from digital databases, the URL or link must be included.
• The use of citation standards must be reinforced to prevent plagiarism and to promote awareness of academic writing conventions.
• File uploads are limited to 25MB on the virtual campus. All materials should instead be linked through the OneDrive digital repository, with the corresponding URL posted on the Virtual Campus, in order to avoid overloading the Campus servers. Multimedia assignments may be submitted via OneDrive URLs.

Rights Over Audiovisual Materials

Students must be informed of the policy regarding use and image rights:  In the context of virtual and recorded classes, the University of the Arts recognizes the image and voice rights of faculty and students (Constitution, Art. 66, paragraph 18), as well as the moral and economic rights over artistic and intellectual production (Constitution, Art. 22). Any reproduction, distribution, or digital storage of classes through any medium or social media platform must be expressly authorized by the instructor concerned.

The University provides the following digital tools:

• Academic Management System (SGA)
  • Moodle Platform (UArtes Virtual Campus)
  • Zoom for videoconferencing
  • Office 365 Suite
  • Arts Library
  • Digital repositories

If other tools such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc., are used, they must be linked on the virtual campus. If other messaging services are used, they must have export capabilities (chat, video, audio, etc.) so that records can be uploaded to the virtual campus.

To carry out this educational process, faculty and students must be trained, or must receive training, in the use of:

• The Moodle platform (UArtes Virtual Campus)
• Office 365 tools
• Libraries and digital repositories
• Creating and managing videoconferences (Zoom/MS Teams)

If training is needed, this should be communicated to the relevant coordination office or department head in order to schedule an orientation session through the Directorate of Academic Success Support.

Zoom videoconferencing tool

The University has a designated number of Pro accounts assigned based on each unit's request. To schedule a class:

1. Schedule the weekly meeting time.
2. Obtain the link and post it on the virtual campus.
3. Record the class to your local drive and upload the recording to the OneDrive repository.
4. Obtain the video or recording link and post it on the Virtual Campus.

Office365 Tools

The Office 365 suite includes the Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), which can be downloaded and installed on your computer and will remain functional as long as your institutional email account is active.

• In Outlook, you can organize distribution groups and create calendar events that can serve as reminders for your students.
• In Microsoft Teams, videoconferences can be held with no time limit, with recordings automatically uploaded to the OneDrive cloud.
• The OneDrive digital repository is available to all users, who can also use it to back up their work; submissions can be made via URL links, and documents can be created or edited collaboratively.
• Forms is an application for creating quick surveys for students, which can be either identifiable or anonymous.

If you experience issues accessing your email account, please contact soporte.tics@uartes.edu.ec

Academic Management System (SGA)

This is the core system for the University's academic management. The following features are available:

• Access to the virtual libraries subscribed to by the institution
• Faculty evaluations
• Grades
• Course setup and general record of content and attendance
• Class schedules
• Syllabus upload
• Assignments and file sharing (optional)
• Academic tutoring records
• Scheduling and recording of advising sessions
• Degree completion tutoring records
• Submission of requests through the SGA
• Generation of Academic Certificates

Virtual Campus

The virtual learning environment adopted by the University is the Moodle platform, through which course delivery can be carried out or complemented with online interactive activities and tools. It is structured as follows:

• School or Department
  • Academic term
• Courses offered

Objectives of the Virtual Learning Environment

• Centralize information and monitor activities in both in-person and virtual classes.
  • Provide access to resources for both students and faculty.
  • Allow flexibility in the timing of activities.
  • Promote active and responsible learning.
  • Promote autonomous, cooperative, and team-based learning.
  • Foster interaction between students and faculty.
  • Promote awareness and use of virtual tools.
  • Maintain a record of assignments and grades.

Relationship Between the SGA and the Virtual Campus

The interrelation between the SGA and the Virtual Campus is carried out through the following activities:

• The SGA serves as the official record of institutional activities for the governing and evaluating bodies of higher education in the country.
• Each faculty member must record their academic activity in the SGA and manage the development and record of activities on the Virtual Campus.
• The syllabus must be available both in the SGA and on the Virtual Campus.
• Grades are recorded in the SGA during the established periods.

Roles on the Virtual Campus

The following platform roles may be requested from coordinators or department heads:

• Manager: Access to courses and ability to modify them. Does not participate in the courses.
• Course Creator: Creator of new courses.
• Academic Director: Access to all courses without editing permissions, for the purpose of overseeing the courses taught by faculty within the unit.
• Academic Coordinator: Access to and editing permissions for all courses, to facilitate academic oversight within their respective School or Department. May also assign instructors to courses and enroll students.
• Teacher:Can create and modify activities and assign grades within a course.
• Teacher without editing permissions:Can view activities and assign grades.
• Student:Has access to the course and may view and participate in its content and complete activities assigned by the instructor.
• Guest:Has minimal privileges and is generally not authorized to participate or post content.

Withdrawals or modifications to student enrollment records will be processed in the SGA/Moodle by the Academic Secretariat.

Requests for role changes or the enrollment of teaching assistants (Instructor Without Editing Permissions) may be submitted to coordination offices or department heads, who are authorized to make these changes.

In the case of a change in directors or coordinators, please email formación.virtual@uartes uartes to process the corresponding change.