Dear Students,

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed much about our way of life over the last several
months, and Chandigarh University (CU) is no exception. What has not changed is the
University’s commitment towards the safety and academic progress of our students. A
return to delivering quality education in a manner safeguarding the health and well-being of
our entire University community, remains our singular focus.

CU’s faculty, staff and administrative leadership have worked daily for last few months to
reimagine as to how we can continue to provide the world-class education, research and
service that our students expect from us, even in the face of this unprecedented public
health challenge.

I want to take the opportunity to update the CU community on some of the most important
pieces of our plan for the upcoming semester. Specifically, we have made critical decisions
around our academic plans for the upcoming Odd Semester that will provide our students
with near classroom experience through online hybrid learning while safeguarding them
against the spread of COVID-19. This is for the initial period; we are still hopeful that as per
MHRD and UGC guidelines, we may be able to open campus and offer regular classes from
late August / early September.

The next academic session begins from 21st of July and the academic calendar is now
available online. As per the guidelines of UGC and MHRD, Chandigarh University will hold
all classes in blended learning mode until further notification from the authorities. For this
purpose, we have invested heavily in Blackboard Learn and Collaborate, a pioneer in
learning management environment for over 20 years. This tool is being used worldwide by
top notch universities and we have trained our faculty over the period of last six weeks.
In addition, we have added components of Online Proctoring, Multimedia Content, E-
Labs, etc. Based on which, we are confident to offer near classroom experience with a
wide range of resources and tools, such as:

A simple and intuitive interface on any device that you are using.
Virtual classroom through Blackboard Collaborate that delivers a level of engagement
that makes learners feel they are together in the same room via collaboration and
conference tools.
Extensive inputs have been given to faculty to create engaging content for our students
using Blackboard resources and tools.

We would like to emphasise that Blended Learning is an approach to education that

combines online educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with
traditional place-based classroom methods. It requires the physical presence of both
teacher and student, on their respective electronic devices, with proper timetable
scheduling for time and pace.

We are gearing up to commence regular classes under guidelines from MHRD and UGC,
as and when they permit us, while following the strictest norms related to social
distancing, face coverings, and health monitoring.
The fee notices for the upcoming semester are also out and the extended deadlines
are already over. Pay your semester fees on time to confirm your registration and
participation in the upcoming semester.

It is important to pay fee and block hostel seats as the hostels, and its facilities and
services needs to be readied, particularly in the view of sanitisation and social
distancing measures, which has its own costs and needs to be incurred by University
for smooth handover of the same when students arrive on campus.

We are mindful of the fact that hostels would likely be occupied from August /
September onwards. In case of the eventuality that occupation of hostels becomes
difficult, the University would evolve a policy regarding adjustment/reimbursement of
hostel dues paid.

I wish to reassure students and parents that Chandigarh University is ready for the
upcoming semester through best-in-class technology, and resources for our faculty and
students. Still, parents who may not be comfortable with Blended Learning,may opt
for a semester or year deferment for their wards. Those who would like to exercise
this option, there would be a utility open on CUIMS shortly.

As you can see, the situation around future University operations remains extremely fluid.
Be assured, however, that our staff and faculty remain committed to providing a great, and
safe, experience for our students in the upcoming academic year.

Being united when it comes to battling the pandemic gives us the best possible chance of
enjoying a successful and safe academic year. I am confident that the Chandigarh
University Family will rise to the occasion and look forward to sharing more details of our
return plan with you very soon.

In the meantime, Stay Safe.

Dr. B S Sohi
Pro-Vice Chancellor

Chandigarh University
NH-95 Chandigarh-Ludhiana Highway,
Mohali, Punjab (INDIA)

cuchd.in