TOMSK, Mar 23 – RIA Tomsk. Tomsk State University (TSU) In connection with the epidemiological situation on coronavirus, is preparing for various options for conducting an admission campaign, including the possibility of entering the university online, the project manager of the "Big University" project, TSU rector Eduard Galazhinsky told reporters on Monday.
It was previously reported that an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was recorded in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. The disease was called COVID-19. In the Tomsk region, the first case of coronavirus infection of COVID-19 was detected on 18 March, on the same day in the region was introduced high alert regime. All Tomsk universities have been transferred to distance learning mode.
"There may be different scenarios. In the worst case scenario, we are considering the option of switching to online recruitment – remote examinations in the regions. <...> There are technologies for monitoring a person who is being tested, methods that can quite accurately identify a person and ensure that there is no cheating", – Galazhinsky said at a press conference in the RIA Tomsk media center.
According to him, holding an admission campaign – is a systemic problem that will be solved at the level of the Ministry of Education.
"If such a decision is made, it will be made in the whole country. It will be an enrollment campaign in a remote mode. <...> A number of universities offer to immediately lay down the possibility of students entering the first year remotely, if for some reason we cannot complete the face-to-face recruitment. I think that in April we will test the system for the ability to implement this", – the rector said.
Crash test for education
He specified that on Wednesday, March 25, there will be held a meeting of the Council of Rectors, at which a decision will be made on the extension or non-extension of the terms of distance learning. Currently, at TSU, out of 5.5 thousand students living in dormitories, 2.5 thousand have left to their regions and countries."These two weeks – are a pilot period for all universities. It’s one thing – to use online education as part of the process, and another thing – is to transfer all the basic processes to this format. These two weeks are a serious crash test of this system – will the capacity survive? Today we are doing an audit of networks, our networks are 20% loaded, will they withstand if all the content starts to be loaded now", – Galazhinsky explained.
The rector added that the most positive feedback about distance education – are from foreign students, Russian students make more critical comments.
As the deputy governor for scientific and educational complex Lyudmila Ogorodova clarified in her turn, the government prepared a decree on postponing the deadlines of the preliminary passing the Unified State Exam to the main period, and it is also discussing the possible postponement of admission to universities.