Ajman University Starts Online Classes and Remote Work

Ajman University (AU), in an ongoing effort to safeguard its community and in line with the latest updates on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread, has launched an emergency working plan for admin staff members, as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

The move, providing all employees with an opportunity to work remotely, is aimed to ensure that no more than 25% of total staff are on campus at the same time, according to AU Chancellor, Dr Karim Seghir.

Dr Seghir added that the Office of IT in the university has enabled a telecommuting infrastructure in support of a remote workforce.

“An online portal has also been developed to ensure AU’s community quick and easy access to the latest information and precautionary measures concerning the COVID-19 virus.”

The official working hours for administrative staff members were earlier reduced from eight (8) to six (6) flexible hours per day, as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, he stated.

“As a precautionary measure and in accordance with the recent directives of the Ministry of Education, all on-campus classes were suspended on Sunday, March, 8, 2020.”

Up to 300 faculty members have conducted mock online classes over the last week to make sure that they were fully ready for the ongoing remote education, Dr Seghir pointed out.

“Mandatory online classes started on Sunday, March 15, 2020, while on-campus classes are to be resumed on April 04, 2020.”

The students’ adherence to online classes have remarkably surpassed their attendance in on-campus sessions in most courses, he underlined.

“Up to 448 online courses were successfully delivered by 220 faculty members on the first day of the ongoing distant learning, while the longest session was a 4-hour course, and the biggest session - in terms of attendance, saw 158 students.”

The total student attendance for courses delivered on March 15 was 13,227, he unveiled. “Clearly, our students are very committed to their ongoing education.”

Meanwhile, a licensed company has been contracted to disinfect all the University premises and facilities using safe and environmentally friendly materials that are effective in eliminating all types of viruses, bacteria and fungi.