Classes in the 2021 academic year

To: Registered students and their families

The COVID-19 pandemic that is causing such great damage throughout the world shows no sign of abating, and instead continues to spread. A second state of emergency was announced on January 7, and in response we released a statement, “Re: Regarding the declaration of a state of emergency” on our webpage on the same day.

With regards to class formats for 2021, we at Meiji Gakuin University have been observing the status of COVID-19 infections and how we implemented classes in 2020. In preparation for announcing the academic calendar and campus timetable, we are informing students and their guardians of University policies for class implementation.

While future pandemic developments remain unclear, we are doing everything we can to hold as many face-to-face classes as possible and to maintain University activities. We are also strengthening on-campus infection prevention measures, so we encourage students to visit our campuses and to actively participate in face-to-face classes.

As in Fall 2020, courses in the 2021 school year will incorporate both face-to-face and online (distance learning) lessons. The following two points summarize our approach to conducting University courses (these are the same as in our 16 September announcement, “Start of the 2020 fall semester”):

1.At Meiji Gakuin University, we consider face-to-face classes as the basis of university education, so as many courses as possible will utilize face-to-face classes.
2.Because it is impossible to predict how the COVID-19 situation will develop, we will prioritize the safety of our students and faculty.

To proceed with courses while adhering to these two points, we will categorize courses as those taught by distance learning (on-demand or simultaneous broadcast) and those taught face-to-face (along with simultaneous broadcast).

Distance learning courses will be taught via online broadcast throughout the semester. Face-to-face courses will be taught in face-to-face classes, but because simultaneous broadcasts will also be provided, students taking particular precautions against COVID-19 infection can participate in those classes online. Depending on pandemic conditions, face-to-face courses might be converted to online courses at any time, and may subsequently revert to face-to-face courses.

We believe this flexibility will allow us to proceed with courses according to changes in the state of the pandemic and allow us to conduct university activities as appropriate. A university is not a place solely for the purpose of coursework. It is a society whose appeal is direct contact with other people, including extracurricular activities and interactions between students and faculty members. We look forward to the day when all of our students can return to campus.

We plan on releasing the details of courses for each faculty, department, and graduate school on Port Hepburn (Kyomu Web) in March.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a prolonged impact on our university life, and it seems that classes will continue throughout 2021 while remaining wary of the spread of the infection. We ask everyone to please remain vigilant against infections and to maintain good health.

Note that what we have described above may change according to future developments regarding the state of infections or other circumstances. In such cases we will provide notifications on our website, etc., so please continue to monitor for new information.

•See here for 2021 academic calendar
•See here for 2021 campus timetable
•See here for Information related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Leo Murata
President
Meiji Gakuin University
January 19, 2021