Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) continues to monitor the evolving novel coronavirus (Covid-19) situation in mainland China and around the world. SUSTech has prioritized the well-being of everyone at SUSTech while minimizing disruption to our students’ education. With that in mind, the first series of online classes launched on Monday, February 10, with the remaining classes starting on February 17.

From Monday 17^th February, 793 classes from twenty-eight teaching units will be online, covering all undergraduate and postgraduate program courses, as well as some practical courses. Six hundred five undergraduate online courses are on offer in 28 teaching units throughout the spring semester. These have followed the first 15 online courses, which held 54 classes from February 10^th. One hundred eighty-two postgraduate courses will commence on February 17^th.

The educators have mostly opted to upload pre-recorded video or live-stream video of their undergraduate classes. Others have headed down the path of massive open online courses (MOOCs) or previews with online discussions. The success of the Blackboard teaching platform thus far reflects the efforts of many offices and units. They have worked together to allow educators to implement their teaching styles on the platform during this challenging period.

At this point, 93.7% of the theoretical courses, 90% of the practical courses, and 83% of the lecture classes were uploaded to the Blackboard platform before the start of the new semester on February 15^th, along with all the physical education classes. The postgraduate courses have provided materials online, with individual instructors providing their take of online education.

SUSTech will continue to assess the effectiveness of different courses throughout this phase. It will also ensure that the quality of education that SUSTech is known for remains high at all times.