By Zahra Rashid
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – After observing the Ministry of Education mandate to implement distance learning for the first two weeks of the spring semester, the American University of Sharjah announced in an email Jan. 20 that all classes will return to face-to-face mode on Jan. 31.
Until that date, classes will remain online, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Juan M. Sanchez wrote in the email.
It also outlined the guidelines necessary for AUS students to follow in order to access campus. This includes providing a negative PCR test result received 96 hours before the first entry, completing the health declaration form online and maintaining a green status on the Al Hosn app throughout the semester, the email said.
AUS had initially announced full face-to-face classes for the spring semester in a Jan. 11 email, although updated this in another email two days later, with instructions to move online for a period of two weeks. This comes after a rise in COVID-19 cases in the UAE and a change in MOE regulations.
The initial email also provided information for students who test positive or come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 at any point in the semester. The student must report this immediately to the University Health Center (UHC), who will provide the student with further instructions to follow, the email said. If a student is required to isolate, the email emphasised that AUS will do their best to provide them with online access to their courses in either a synchronous or asynchronous fashion.
