Information in this FAQ is accurate as of 26 June 2020.

AteneoBlueCloud, Adaptive Design for Learning, and Online Learning

Q: What makes AteneoBlueCloud distinct from online learning systems of other universities?

A: AteneoBlueCloud is a virtual campus that embodies Jesuit values. It has a public aspect which includes materials we can share with the rest of the world and a gated part which only members of the community can access. The difference is in the content (it follows our curriculum) and the fact that we will try to incorporate as much of Jesuit tradition and core values as we can, e.g. cura personalis. For more information please visit https://ateneobluecloud.ateneo.edu/ 

Q: Will the Loyola Schools be willing to commit to open courses for the foreseeable future?

A: That’s a possibility. It has to be properly planned for sustainability. 

Tuition and Finances

Q: I recently shifted out of my course and withdrew with permission in several of my classes. Will I be refunded at all for that or does the Php 20,000 refund for Second Semester SY 2019-2020 cover that as well?

A: The Php 20,000 refund covers all that was paid for tuition during the Second Semester SY 2019-2020.

Q: What are the protocols for students who won’t be able to pay tuition due to financial problems? 

A: Students in this situation should write to the Vice President for the Loyola Schools via askvpls@ateneo.edu and explain their situation. Their circumstances will be assessed and their concern will be suitably addressed.

Q: Will the refund from the Second Semester SY 2019-2020 be applicable for the tuition for Intersession SY 2020-2021?

A: Yes.

Q: What will happen if students choose not to enrol this school year due to various reasons?

A: They will have to file a leave of absence.

Academic Load and Teaching Strategies

Q: In other universities, professors bombard their students with tons of online workload leading to burnout. How do we prevent that from happening?

A: We are working with teachers to create modules that represent a reasonable workload. To adapt to the online mode of learning, the academic schedule is structured to accommodate a quarter schedule, so that students only have to concentrate on 2 or 3 subjects at a time.

Q: Will the professors' standards be lowered, given that many students won't be able to function and work properly?

A: The courses will be redesigned for the online mode, so that they focus on the truly essential learning outcomes. Furthermore, faculty try their best to live out the Jesuit principle of cura personalis, and are encouraged to be compassionate and understanding.

Mode of Learning

Q: Is it possible to discourage the use of social media platforms for online learning?

A: The LS is discouraging/cautioning faculty in the use of social media for online learning purposes The LS will use official learning management systems; please refer to the section on LMS for details.

Q: Would it be possible to have the lesson plans available before enrolment for us to know how the professor intends to teach the course? 

A: The Course Syllabus will be posted on the Ateneo Integrated Student Information System (AISIS) to provide the students with all pertinent  information regarding the course.

Attendance and Class Activities

Q: If it is online, do students' attendance still count? Do we still have cuts as if students are actually going to school?

A: Attendance regulations do not apply for the fully online Intersession and First Semesters.

Q: Are there guidelines for group works should online classes take place? There are activities (e.g. class presentations) that are unappealing to the online system.

A: The online courses designed by individual faculty or by teams within departments/programs will go through a process of quality control to ensure that effective, student-centered teaching-learning approaches are employed, appropriate assessments will be part of the design.

Q: What if I already have the resources for online learning (laptop, wifi, etc.) but the signal is just too unstable where I live and that is out of my hands?

A: Online learning will primarily be asynchronous so that students do not have to rely too heavily on the internet at specific times. Print-based versions of their materials may also be made available. We can send these to you so you don't have to download them.

Classes with Physical/Hands-On Components

Q: How will classes with hands-on components (laboratory/skill-based courses) be conducted?

A: Undergraduate laboratory classes in the sciences are going to be offered in the Second Semester. Graduate level science lab classes are being planned for onsite delivery for the second quarter of the First Semester. Some departments offering skills-based courses have either redesigned these to suit an online delivery mode or opted to offer these also in the Second Semester.

Q: How will students with fieldwork fulfill their requirements? What kind of output may be expected from us for courses with fieldwork?

A: Ultimately, the departments and the faculty will have to set some rules and guidelines about what they will accept in lieu of fieldwork requirements.

Internships, Immersion, and Student Mobility

Q: Will the Junior Term Abroad (JTA) program resume once the pandemic eases?

A: The student mobility program (e.g. JTA) has been suspended at least for the First Semester SY 2020-21. We are looking at trying to open this opportunity in the Second Semester.

Student Well-Being and Safety

Q: Not all students have access to an appropriate and safe study space. How can Ateneo help?

A: We had a forum with parents and made known this concern to them. We also  enlisted their support for their sons and daughters in allocating study and social spaces at home where that is possible.

Campus Entry and Access to Facilities

Q: For the duration of online learning, can we access on-campus facilities like the library and the study halls?

A: The answer for the Rizal Library is, “It depends.” If normal operations resume in time for intersession or the first semester, then students can visit, call, or email their questions and requests like before. If not, and access to the campus is still limited by government or university guidelines, then the Rizal Library will only accept visitors by appointment through an online form. Please note, however, that due to the uncertainty surrounding the ability of our librarians and staff to travel and enter the campus, we cannot guarantee that all requests will be approved. 

Q: Will the campus be open for students to retrieve some of their belongings left on campus (lockers, org rooms, activity spaces, etc)?

A: Yes. Current students and recent graduates (class of 2020) may begin to access the campus starting on Thursday, 25 June 2020, to get personal belongings left on campus. Please fill out the online form at https://bit.ly/LSStudentCampusAccess (use your OBF account) and wait for the Office of Student Services (OSS) email for your approved schedule of coming to school. This request form is only for the retrieval of personal effects left in the locker or other areas of the school premises not covered by other offices, ie. MVP (OSA), JSEC stall (JGSOM), Rizal Library (RL) or the Residence Halls.

It is important that you comply with all necessary regulations set out in this process including the accomplishment of the Health Survey Form, adhering to the given schedule for your entry, following all health measures, and proper authorization of your proxies, if any. 

Other Concerns

Q: How can dormers retrieve their belongings?

A: They should write to the Director of the Residence Halls who will give them the suitable information and guidance.

Q: For those students who borrowed pocket WiFi devices from Rizal Library, is there a way to return it using carrier apps like Grab?

A: For now, the option of returning borrowed materials is available only to the 2020 graduates with Hold Orders from the Rizal Library. As a precautionary measure, you need to set an appointment to return Rizal Library materials through this link: http://bit.ly/rl_returnschedule.

Information in this FAQ is accurate as of 26 June 2020.

CONCERNS PARTICULAR TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Scholars' Concerns

Q: What will happen to the service hours scheme for scholars implemented by the Office of Admission and Aid (OAA)? Will this be cancelled or replaced for the time being?

A: No service hours will be required for Intersession Term. Only when able to do so, we encourage our scholars to voluntarily support various online efforts to help our frontliners.

Q: Will scholars still receive allowances even if we will have online classes

A: Yes. We are trying to put together a system for internet allowances for those with poor connections from home, although this might be taken care of by LS as a whole. Book and transportation allowance may be converted into internet allowance, but the guidelines are still being finalized.

Q: Will there be additional support to scholars given that there is an economic recession because of the crisis brought by the pandemic? If so, what kind of additional support can be given?

A: For April and May, we gave additional monthly allowances to undergraduate scholars with 100TFA, but only after evaluation by the OAA. For SY 2020-21, the scholar must indicate specific additional requests in his/her Scholarship Update Form.

Q: I lost my scholarship last semester and I wrote an appeal letter to OSA and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). When will we know their decision?

A: Unfortunately, OAA has no control over DOST scholarships. Even before the ECQ began we have been inquiring with them about the decisions on appeals but have received no responses for them.

Co- and Extracurricular Activities

Q: What would the guidelines be for sports teams' training once blended learning starts?

A: Blended learning is not yet scheduled to start in the first semester. For the first semester, all training activities and team meetings will be conducted online. Guidelines for athletic activities when blended learning will be allowed (not earlier than the second semester) will be formulated at a later date.

Q: What are the guidelines for on-campus training and reservation of athletic facilities?

A: For now, there are no specific guidelines yet regarding on-campus training and reservation of facilities once onsite classes resume. The University Athletics Office shall wait for and abide by the guidelines to be set by the government and the university with regard to sports and other mass gatherings. We are currently looking at different ways to facilitate online reservations and payments for the facilities once sports activities are allowed. 

Q: What will happen to the activities of student organizations? Will events hosted by organizations (including workshops, talks, general assemblies, theatre productions, and such) be allowed once onsite classes resume? What would be new guidelines for the organizations of Ateneo considering most of their projects are done in person and on campus?

A: Onsite classes are not yet scheduled to resume in the first semester but student organizations may continue with their activities online. The activity hour on Mondays and Fridays from 5-630 pm will remain in place. Guidelines for student activities when onsite classes resume (not earlier than the second semester) will be issued at a later date. 

Q: What will happen to the exposure and immersion activities of the Office for Social Concern and Involvement (OSCI) including the National Service Training Program (NSTP)? Will we still have to visit communities and institutions off-campus?

A: Onsite exposures and immersion activities will not be allowed in the first semester. The OSCI is designing online community and sectoral engagements for the various year levels including for NSTP.

Q: What will happen to required internships?

A: Onsite internships are not allowed during the Intersession. Programs whose students do not enroll for internship/practicum have decided not to require internships. Programs whose students are required to enroll for internship/practicum have been asked to design alternatives for their students. These alternatives include work-from-home internships but may also be exclusively composed of career talks, group projects, or workshops. Some programs whose students do their internship with research groups in the department have decided to postpone their internships to a later date. 

Academic Procedures and Transactions

Q: I am an incoming junior and pursuing a minor. However for me to continue in my minor I would have to overload this semester by taking three more units. With the semester being split into quarters and people being discouraged to overload, how should I proceed? 

A: If your program has space for free electives, you can take the requirements of the Minor and have these credited as the free electives of your major. You can also enroll this Intersession so you can make space for any Minor courses that you might need to take in the First Semester. However, please note that taking a Minor usually means a student needs to overload, if not in the Junior year, then in the Senior year. If you do not want to overload, then you might end up having to delay graduation.

Q: I need to overload units in order to shift. Is it possible to request to overload any time soon?

A: Requests for overload in the First Semester can be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (OADAA) by the close of the Intersession 2020.

Q: Will students still be allowed to apply for a leave of absence (LOA)?

A: If for the First Semester, yes. For the Intersession, there is no need to apply for an LOA. The deadline for filing requested for an LOA for this First Semester SY 2020-2021 is 30 June 2020.

Q: What is the procedure if someone cannot take an Intersession class but the class is not available next semester?

A: Ask your home department to change your individual program of study (IPS). Then you will have a back subject that you will have to take in the semester it becomes available. Please note if that class is a prerequisite, then not taking the course when scheduled will lead to delays.

Q: What will the process be for changing one's individual program of study (IPS)? Do we email the secretary of our respective departments?

A: For the Intersession, all IPS updating is taken care of by the home department. Kindly email the Department Chair/Program Director/Undergraduate Program Coordinator, cc: Department/Program Secretary.

Q: I applied for a minor and it was only recently approved. Would I still be able to take classes for my minor this coming Intersession?

A: If the approval process has been completed (i.e., final approval is given by the Registrar), you can start taking courses for the Minor program. But if you intend to take those courses in the Intersession, kindly check that those courses will be offered and then ask your home department to update your IPS.

Q: Will overloading be allowed for Intersession?

A: The maximum load for the Intersession is nine (9) units. If you wish to enroll for this maximum load, kindly coordinate with your home department for updating your IPS.

Q: How will classes for the semester be like for undergraduate students who have seven or more subjects listed in their IPS for each of the two semesters in the academic year? Will the semester be divided for certain classes (ie. 3 classes for the first half of the semester and the other 4 in the second half)? If so, would this affect when senior students with that many classes would graduate?

A: The Office of the Associate Dean for the Core Curriculum can explain how the core courses will be divided between the two quarters. The home departments will also schedule the major/required courses and electives per quarter. If a graduating student does not take his/her maximum load (according to his/her degree program's curriculum), then there is a possibility that the student's graduation will be delayed.

Q: What will be the protocols for adding units to our IPS during the First Semester for our Minor?

A: For Juniors, Seniors, and 5th Year undergraduate students, adding courses is done through advisement with the home department. Kindly note that overloading is not automatic for all. Dean's Listers and graduating students are allowed to overload (up to a certain number of units). For Sophomores, advisement is c/o the Office of the Registrar.

Q: What are the plans for undergraduate students planning to take a minor or a double degree?

A: For Minor/Double Degree, the student should submit a request/application. Memos have been released by the OADAA detailing the procedures for doing so. These memos are available on the home page of the Ateneo Integrated Student Information System. 

Q: What’s going to happen to students currently on leave?

A: There is a process for requesting to return from a Leave of Absence. Please email the OADAA.

Information in this FAQ is accurate as of 26 June 2020.

CONCERNS PARTICULAR TO GRADUATE STUDENTS

Admission and Enrollment

Q: How will the graduate programs’ entrance examinations be conducted?

A: The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many testing institutions here and abroad from conducting onsite testing. For the First Semester admission, we decided to suspend the implementation of our standardized graduate admission testing and instead administered a department-based admission assessment to complement the information already submitted by the applicants during the application process. This may come in the form of a qualifying test, the submission of a competence-based requirement, and/or interview. The kind of assessment is determined by the departments given the unique learning outcomes of their programs. We are currently reviewing testing and other assessment options for the Second Semester admission.

Q: Is it possible for someone who applied for a PhD program for the coming First Semester (August) to take audit classes this coming Intersession (July)?

A: Any person who wishes to take classes whether for credit or audit basis must apply and be accepted as a graduate student before he/she can enroll in these courses. Once accepted, a student can only take courses beginning the semester of his official intake. 

Q: Is LS accepting graduate students even if they live outside of the country since classes are online anyway?

A: Yes, LS accepts students who currently live outside the country. The graduate student population comprises a healthy mix of local and international students even before the pandemic. For more information about our admission requirements and deadlines, kindly visit our website: https://lsgrad.ateneo.edu. To learn more about our admission process, you may refer to: http://ateneo.edu/ls/graduate/how-apply. If there are any other questions or concerns regarding admission, you may email our admissions team at gradadmissions.adgp.ls@ateneo.edu. 

Scholarships, Graduate/Teaching Assistantships

Q: How can graduate students apply for scholarships in the First Semester? Is it similar to the mechanics followed during this Intersession?

A: The Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs (OADGP) has released the application guidelines and deadlines concerning Scholarship and Financial Aid for the First Semester last 18 June 2020. Kindly check your OBF email for official announcements including new guidelines and deadlines concerning graduate academic, scholarship and other policies.

Q: To avail of the academician's discount, I was required in previous semesters to submit an original signed certification from our Dean during manual enrollment. What are the guidelines for this Intersession? How, what and when do we need to submit the required certification? Will an electronic version be acceptable? Can I submit this via email?

A: Yes,we accept submission of Certificate of Employment via email. The guidelines for Intersession were released last 30 March 2020. The OADGP will be releasing the application guidelines and deadlines concerning Scholarship and Financial Aid for the First Semester before the end of June. Kindly check your OBF email for official announcements including new guidelines and deadlines concerning graduate academic, scholarship and other policies. 

Q: Should Graduate/Teaching Assistants be physically present on campus when they do their duty for the First Semester?

A: We care for the safety and well-being of all our students. GAs and TAs are not expected to be physically present on campus during the Intersession and the First Semester. However, they are expected to deliver expected outputs via online channels as needed by the departments/offices. 

Practicum and Research Work

Q: Are there any new guidelines for choosing a practicum site and fulfilling hours for those enrolling in First Semester?

A: Practicum requirements vary across departments and degrees. Kindly consult with your department’s practicum coordinator concerning new guidelines for your practicum requirement.

Q: Are we allowed to pursue a Capstone Project (CP) on non-COVID-19 related topics? If not, do we need to change our project?

A: There is no policy that prohibits graduate students from pursuing their research. Scholarly activities are part and parcel of a university’s culture and mission. Students, however, must strictly follow the recently released guidelines by the University Research Council and the University Research Ethics Office on research during the pandemic. You might have to re-think your methodology to ensure that appropriate safety measures are observed.

If, after going through the guidelines, you still are unsure how best to proceed, we strongly suggest you consult with your adviser. It is imperative now more than ever that you are able to mitigate risks while at the same time able to fulfill research objectives and timeline. 

Comprehensive Examinations and Oral Defense

Q: How will the Comprehensive Exams be conducted online? Will guidelines and procedures still be the same or will there be some modification (time limit, etc)?

A: We are currently revising the guidelines for online Comprehensive Exam based on the feedback of departments who implemented a special online exam last Second Semester SY 2019-2020. We will be releasing the guidelines at the beginning of the Intersession SY 2020-2021.

Q: How will final oral defense for capstone projects, integrative projects, theses and dissertations be conducted?

A: Many graduate students have successfully conducted their oral defense last semester using videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and others. We are now working on the revised guidelines for an online oral defense for SY 2020-2021 based on the feedback of those who have proceeded with their defenses last semester. We hope to release this at the start of the Intersession.

Residency Requirement

Q: A lot of students have been affected economically. Will the requirement regarding finishing the degree in five (5) years still be strictly enforced?

A: In a memo jointly released by the Registrar’s Office (RO) and OADGP last April 16, the counting of residency was suspended for graduate students who were enrolled during the Second Semester SY 2019-2020. In effect, all graduate students enrolled that particular semester were given an additional one full semester in their time limit to finish their degree programs.

Should this extra time still be not enough to complete one’s degree program, students may apply for an extension of not more than five (5) years subject to the approval of the ADGP. The request must be endorsed by the student’s adviser and department chair. 

Q: Should a student opt not to take the comprehensive exams this Intersession, will it be reflected as part of residency?

A: Yes. The maximum number of years that a student must complete his/her degree program includes leaves of absence, non-enrollment and suspension due to disciplinary reasons.