We deeply appreciate each and every member of the KU
community for preparing for the new semester in this difficult and worrisome
time of COVID-19, heavy rain and typhoons.
Last July 27, we have informed you about the academic plan
for the 2020 fall semester, which was as follows:
Main Points of the Academic Plan for the 2020 Fall
Semester (Notice provided on July 27, 2020) 1. The
academic plan for the fall semester is in alignment with the quarantine rules
set by the government. The same rules from the spring semester apply to the
fall semester. A. Restricted
face-to-face lectures, where real-time online lectures are broadcasted simultaneously
with offline lectures (i.e., NeMo Class) should be provided in the first and
second stages of social distancing as designated by the government. B. In the
third stage of social distancing, all lectures should be provided online. C. Regardless
of the social distancing stage announced by the government, lectures should
be provided online for the week immediately after the Chuseok holiday (from
Oct. 5 to Oct. 9). During this week, face-to-face lectures are prohibited
because there is a high risk of COVID-19 spreading across the country during
the Chuseok holiday. D. For
laboratory and practicum courses, adherence to the basic principles of class
management is highly recommended. However, face-to-face lectures can be
conducted only when the following requirements are met: 1) When
online classes are not possible or inappropriate due to the nature of the
class 2) When
students are either notified of the offline class prior to course
registration or consent from all students enrolled in the class is obtained. 2. Online classes should be real-time
(synchronous) lectures. A. Real-time
(synchronous) lectures should be provided for both online and offline parallel
classes and online-only classes. B. Recorded
lectures are only allowed when it is inevitable, such as for a make-up class
or for class provided during the exam period. Recorded lectures must be
uploaded in accordance with the class time, and online learning activities
must be conducted with students during the designated class time. |
However, with the fall semester now upon us, 1) the recent
spread of COVID-19 centering around Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas has
become very serious, and 2) DDoS attacks launched by unidentified hacking
forces against the university’s computer system during the course registration
period, which disrupted the course registration process, have been continuing.
It is almost certain that such DDoS attacks will occur against the university’s
online lecture system immediately after the beginning of the semester.
In response to this situation, the university plans to
partially revise the Academic Plan for the 2020 fall semester as follows:
1. Measures
to Address the Recent Spread of COVID-19
A. Taking into consideration
that delivering all lectures online is possible in the second stage of social
distancing, for the beginning of the fall semester, lectures should mainly be delivered
online and face-to-face lectures ought to be restricted to the necessary
minimum extent.
B. With respect to courses that need to be taught face-to-face as
online lectures either are not possible or inappropriate due to the nature of
the course (e.g. laboratory and practicum courses), even if students have been
notified of face-to-face lectures prior to course registration, registered
students should be informed in advance so that they do not experience
difficulties in attending lectures. Furthermore, alternatives to face-to-face
lectures (e.g. provision of separate online contents) should be prepared for
those students who cannot attend the lecture.
2. Measures
to Address the DDoS Attacks Launched by External Forces
A. In the event DDoS attacks continue after the semester commences,
the university’s computer network can be expected to be disrupted, which could
result in unstable broadcasting and receiving of real-time online lectures. In
turn, recorded lectures may be used until the problem of DDoS attacks is
resolved.
B. In the event recorded lectures are used, in order to guarantee
students’ right for learning and ensure the quality of online lectures, 1)
lecture materials should be uploaded prior to the class time, and 2) in
principle, lecture contents newly recorded for the 2020 fall semester should be
provided.
C. Faculty members intending to provide lectures in real time should 1)
to the greatest extent possible broadcast lectures from their home or locations
other than the university to avoid possible DDoS attacks against the university’s
computer network, and 2) provide separate records of their lectures in case
real-time lectures are interrupted due to network failures.
D. Due to unexpected obstacles such as network failures or spread of
COVID-19, students might face difficulty in attending lectures. Also, verifying
attendance could become problematic. As the university has already implemented
autonomy over attendance as a policy, faculty members are advised to reflect
attendance in grades to the minimum extent.
With the new semester ahead, we are placed in a difficult
situation where new developments such as DDoS attacks are compounding already
existing crises. Relevant departments of the university administration will
strive to the utmost to neutralize the DDoS attacks as well as prevent and
control the spread of COVID-19 on campus. We earnestly ask each and every
member of the KU community to understand and cooperate to overcome the unforeseen
and unprecedented challenges we are facing today.
Thank you.
Aug.
28, 2020
Korea
University Office of Academic Affairs