OPERATIONAL PLAN FOR ESTiG'S ACTIVITIES

FOR THE 2020/2021 Academic Year

Team spirit and the ability to help each other, associated with individual talent, which are the hallmark of the ESTiG Community, have allowed us to face and overcome several challenges. The pandemic we are experiencing has forced us, in recent months, to adapt to the new reality. The ESTiG Community acted in a serene and exemplary manner, which enabled it to maintain the sharing of knowledge, as a guarantee of the future.

In the academic year 2020/2021, academic and non-academic activities will have to work in compliance with the rules defined by the health authorities and, internally, in the Contingency Plan for the Coronavirus SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19 of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), updated on August 24, 2020. The latter defines “... a set of globally oriented measures, which should be adapted for each school and specific IPB installation ...”.

In this context, this document presents the operational plan for the activities of ESTiG for the academic year 2020/21, considering the specificities of the same, as well as the facilities.

 

 

I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The Order No. 109 / IPB / 2020 of the President of IPB, defines the guiding principles for the functioning of the academic year 2020/2021, among which are:

• Classes will be face-to-face;
• Classes will always be taught with the presence of teachers at the IPB facilities, in the presence of students, in a number appropriate to security conditions;
• The experimental components of the curricular units will be taught in person to all students;
• Pedagogical innovation should be stimulated by expanding and deepening forms of self-learning and teamwork, always in an inclusive and non-discriminatory way;
• Evaluation by tests and / or exams outside the class period will be carried out face-to-face. All other evaluation will be done according to the one defined by the person in charge of the UC;
• The schedule of teaching activities will be extended, and may take place between 8 am and 9 pm, including Saturday in the school week;
• The cleaning and disinfection of the rooms will take place twice a day or whenever justified.

 

 

II. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR

For the safety of the ESTiG Community, each one of us must be individually responsible for:

• Be aware of the symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, difficulty breathing) of COVID-19, and should stay home if you experience any of them;
• Proceed in accordance with the Contingency Plan for the Coronavirus SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19 of the IPB, in case of symptoms during the stay at the ESTiG facilities (In ANNEX I, the location of the contingency room can be seen);
• Mandatory use of a general purpose mask inside ESTiG's facilities, which can only be removed during meals;
• Optionally use a general purpose mask in the vicinity of ESTiG facilities;
• Wash your hands frequently with alcohol-based antiseptic solution (SABA) or soap and water, namely:
  • entering and leaving the ESTiG building;
  • entering or leaving common spaces (rooms, laboratories, auditorium, amphitheaters, library, bar, etc.);
  • whenever using vending machines, photocopiers, ATMs, counters / secretaries, etc.
  • in the bathrooms, marked on the floor plan in ANNEX I.
• Comply with respiratory etiquette rules;
• Maintain a social distance of 2 meters, avoiding physical contact;
• Avoid clusters of people (banning more than 10 people);
• Stay in your place as long as possible, in order to limit unnecessary traffic;
• Comply with the signs placed on the floor, equipment or furniture (circulate on the right, sit on the available chairs or in the designated places, etc.);
• Minimize the time spent in the Bar and next to the vending machines, with priority being given to outdoor spaces, whenever possible. The mask should only be removed to eat and drink and, in that case, dialogue should be avoided;
• Be responsible when socializing, trying to minimize the number of different people with whom you have close contact;
• Often sanitize personal objects (cell phones, calculating machines, school supplies, etc.), and they should not be shared;
• Use the garbage containers, identified for this purpose, for placing the residues related to the prevention of contagion COVID-19 (masks, gloves, tissues, etc.);

 

 

III. FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND FURNITURE

Responsible use of facilities, equipment and furniture will reduce the risk of contagion, and therefore:

• During weekdays (from Monday to Friday, excluding holidays) and on Saturdays, the facilities will be open from 8 am to 9 pm;
• The different ESTiG services, including the Library, will have the following times during weekdays (Monday to Friday, excluding holidays): from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm;
• Entrance to ESTiG facilities will be through the main door and central door of Praça Professor José Adriano Gomes Pires and the three rear doors. The exit will be made through the main door and side door of Praça Professor José Adriano Gomes Pires and through the three rear doors . On Saturdays, only the building's main entrance will be open. ( ANNEX I);
• SABA dispensers are available, either at the entrances to the facilities or in common spaces (rooms, laboratories, auditorium, amphitheaters, library, bar, etc.) and close to vending machines, photocopiers, ATM machines, counters / service desks ;
• The circuits for moving around ESTiG's facilities are identified on the pavement, according to ANNEX I;
• Whenever possible, windows and doors should remain open for better air circulation;
• The furniture in the rooms cannot be moved;
• Stairs should be used instead of the elevator. The elevator should only be used by people with limited mobility or in a situation that requires it, preferably, only by one person;
• The maximum capacity of the different spaces (rooms, laboratories, library, auditorium, amphitheaters, study room, bar, etc.) will be posted at the entrance door and cannot be exceeded;
• The rooms are organized for an occupation of 50% of the normal capacity, which guarantees a distance of approximately 1 meter;
• The classroom doors will remain open, so that students can enter and sit, following hygiene rules, even without the presence of the teacher. The attendance will be validated, even if made before the teacher's entry. In this way, contact points will be minimized, as well as agglomerations in the corridors.
• The laboratories are organized in order to allow an occupation that allows the necessary distance, as well as the feasibility of works of this nature;
• In the auditoriums and amphitheaters, all lines can be occupied, with different places, and a space should be left between students, ensuring physical distance between students / teachers. Students must sit in the designated seats;
• The library, study rooms and bar are organized in order to allow for the necessary distance;
• Shared offices should be reorganized, by their managers, in order to guarantee a 2-meter spacing between work places, avoiding face-to-face positioning;
• Smoking will not be allowed in the covered surroundings of ESTiG, or in other spaces to access the facilities.

 

 

IV. FUNCTIONING OF ACTIVITIES

1. Classes

• Classes will be face-to-face, and there may be a need for a mixed approach. The definition of the students who will attend classes in person will depend on the occupation limits of each room / amphitheater and will be carried out, based on the shifts created or the equitable division of the students.
• Students who cannot be present in class, considering the need for a mixed attendance regime, will attend to distance classes, synchronously with the face-to-face class, using digital technologies;
• During the period of classes, the teacher must enforce the rules of hygiene, respiratory etiquette and social distance, provided for in the Contingency Plan for the Coronavirus SARS-COV-2 / COVID-19 of the IPB;
• Class schedules will be out of step, so that crowds are avoided, at the same time, in common and shared spaces, such as corridors, halls, bars, etc .;
• Classes must start, at the scheduled time, being advised to finish 5 minutes before the beginning of the next class, so that crowds are avoided, at the same time, in common and shared spaces, such as corridors, halls, bars , etc
• The first students to arrive at the room or amphitheater must always sit in places that minimize circulation in these spaces, following the rules:
  • Rooms: the seats next to the windows should be the first to be occupied;
  • Amphitheaters: the middle seats should be the first to be occupied.
• The rooms / amphitheaters and laboratories, where the classes will take place, will be cleaned and disinfected twice a day or whenever necessary, by a team designated for the purpose;
• The laboratories, due to the specificities related to the use of machines / equipment, must have a specific hygiene and disinfection plan, which must be ensured by the technicians allocated to them;

 

 

2. Services

• Services will be provided, face-to-face, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm, with possible booking by email or telephone, in order to avoid clusters:
  • Secretariat: Paula Minhoto or Anabela Madeira ( pminhoto@ipb.pt , amadeira@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 040
  • Student Secretariat: Elisabete Afonso ( elisabeteafonso@ipb.pt ) or Paula Carvalho ( paula@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 045
  • Management Support: Elizabeth Lima Pereira ( elizabeth@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 037
  • Financial services: Fátima Silva ( fatima@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 041
  • Support line to the operational plan for the ESTiG activities for the academic year 2020/21: Sofia Aspeçada ( aspecada@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 038
  • Computer Resource Center: Cristina Barreto ( cris@ipb.pt ) or José Luís Gonçalves ( zeluis@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 010
  • Foreign Relations Office: Rosa Pires ( rosa@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 095
  • Library: Arminda Ferreira ( minda@ipb.pt ) - 273 303 005
  • Laboratories: contact the responsibles (see ESTiG page)
• The “clean secretary” policy must be implemented in all services, so that objects susceptible to infection can be reduced and the process of cleaning and disinfecting spaces facilitated;
• The study rooms of the Library can only be used by two people at the same time, and must be reserved at the respective reception;
• Consultation of books must be preceded by hand hygiene. After use, the book must be placed in the places marked for this purpose, being kept in “quarantine” for at least 24 hours;
• Books requested to leave the Library, as well as those consulted internally, will be placed in “quarantine”, when returned, for at least 72 hours.

 

 

ANNEX I