Since last year instruction on university campuses had been put on hold within the scope of COVID19 measures. The pause was extended once more this fall term. As the universities are about to start the spring term, the Higher Education Council (YÖK) announced that it will make a decision based on their consultation with the Ministry of Health and has recently published a recommendation for the universities. 

Hybrid Instruction in 5 headings

The Higher Education Council explained why it has consulted with the Ministry of Health: “Our board has been notified by students and professors of their concerns regarding the pending graduation of the students of departments with applied instruction.” 

YÖK has also stated that it will prioritize on-campus instruction for aforementioned departments but will opt for online instruction for theoretical courses. Here is the model of instruction for the spring term in 5 sections:

1. The applied instruction can be conducted face-to-face provided that the students take turns in groups and that utmost care is taken.  
2. The theoretical classes are to be taught online when possible. 
3. The administrations should bear in mind that the Ministry of Health can make new announcements regarding the developments during the term.
4. Students who wish to discontinue their education due to health concerns or accomodation problems should be allowed to exercise their right to freeze their registration. 
5. The counseling services should be extended as they are crucial for focusing on the student motivation during the global pandemic. 

Isparta Süleyman Demirel University, Konya Selçuk University, İstanbul University and Harran University are the first universities to announce their senate decision to conduct hybrid instruction. 

Yet the model does not mean face to face and online classes for every department. It is noted that in these universities only certain departments and faculties will conduct the face-to-face and online courses simultaneously.  The departments where the applied courses are the majority will have face-to-face instruction whereas the online instruction will continue in other departments.

Within this model, attendance will not be mandatory in online courses in the spring term. The midterm, make-up and final exams for online courses will be available online, offline as well as in the form of assignments and projects.