UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) will conduct online lectures beginning from today, in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan said the students would soon be informed of the details by the deans of their respective schools.

Faisal said USM had also set up a crisis committee for the prevention and management of the disease while the university’s Pusat Sejahtera has begun distributing sanitisers at lecture halls.

All seminars, workshops, gatherings and visits which have been scheduled are postponed until further notice.

“In the event of a meeting involving over 25 people which cannot be avoided, Pusat Sejahtera will be mobilised to scan body temperatures and take other preventive measures,” he said.

He said students and USM staff are prohibited from going abroad on official matters adding that the university has urged that all domestic official trips be postponed and replaced with online communication.

In ALOR STAR, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) has announced that all lectures will be conducted online when the new semester opens on April 5.

Lectures will be held as usual until March 26, but the university will not stop lecturers from conducting their courses online, said vice-chancellor Prof Dr Yusnidah Ibrahim

She said any communication between students and lecturers, faculties and other departments at UUM would also be conducted online or on social sites.

All forms of assessment, be they mid-semester examinations, assignments, quizzes, project presentations and final examinations will also be conducted online and other viable methods to be confirmed later by UUM.

“The mid-semester holidays for undergraduate students from March 27 to April 4 will proceed as usual. Students from Sabah, Sarawak, as well as international students and those with special needs can opt to be on or off campus during and after the semester break,” she added.

Universiti Teknologi Petronas will also use the online platform for all its teaching and learning activities as well as assessments, from today until Friday.

Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib said lecturers are required to upload their teaching and learning materials onto the UTP Virtual Learning Environment.

“All communications between lecturers and students are to be done via the online platform to support teaching and learning.

“Students are required to take responsibility for self-learning during this period. We will keep you informed on the latest directive related to teaching and learning for the remaining of the January 2020 semester,” he said in a statement posted on the UTP Facebook page today.

Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Upsi) vice-chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran also encouraged lecturers at the university to use the  MyGuru online learning management system for classes of more than 50 students.

He also called for gatherings on or off campus to be postponed until further notice.

“All Upsi staff and students who are back or returning from overseas, including students who have just returned from industrial and teaching training,  especially from countries affected by COVID-19 are required to report and go for health screening immediately at the University health centre,” he said.

In SHAH ALAM, Universiti Teknologi Mara has ordered all its campuses across the country to commence e-learning with immediate effect until April 4.

Vice-chancellor  Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohd Azraai Kassim said a circular to that effect had been issued.

“The circular applies to all staff and students. Any staff or student who fails to comply with the directive will be subjected to disciplinary action,” he said in a statement today.

UiTM deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Azizan Abdullah said the university has postponed all sports and outdoor activities on its 13 campuses nationwide to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among its 65,000 students.

“Also postponed is the convocation, scheduled for March 24, and overseas visits,” he said. – Bernama, March 16, 2020.