Tec de Monterrey to start semester in August with hybrid model

Tec de Monterrey has announced that its new semester of classes will begin in August 2020 (the date originally planned) under a hybrid model, in accordance with the instructions in effect for Mexico regarding COVID-19.

The current semester is now in the process of wrapping up over the following weeks. It began onsite, but the final part (since the second half of March continued online.

The hybrid model will combine onsite activities with distance learning, applying the Flexible Digital Model Plus (Modelo Flexible Digital Plus, MFD+), which was adopted for continuing and completing the February-June semester.

Summer courses will also be taught online.

On June 1st, the process will begin for preparing and applying the new protocols at the different campuses in Mexico, to ensure a safe return to them, in accordance with the instructions of the authorities in each region.

Here is the announcement in full:

28th May 2020

Dear students and parents of the Tec Community:

We hope this letter finds you healthy and well, despite the conditions imposed on us by having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Without a doubt, these are complicated times for everyone, both as people and as an institution.  We have tried to keep you up to date about the main events and the most important decisions that we have made at Tecnológico de Monterrey and today we want to address the issue that we are sure is on many of your minds: what is going to happen to the academic cycle beginning in August 2020?

We want to be very transparent with you and recognize that despite the fact that our management committees have paid a great deal of attention to official decisions since the beginning of the pandemic, there are still many things that do not offer us the clarity and certainty that we would like. Our Reopening Committee has worked hard in recent weeks to prepare a plan of return to the “new normal” for our community and today we would like to tell you about some decisions that we have made.

First, we would like to share what we do know and have been able to define:

1.- We have decided to start our August 2020 cycle according to the dates defined in our academic calendar for the different levels and programs.  This means that we will start our academic activities, but in accordance with the various conditions that prevail in Mexico.  Our plan is to start the semester applying a hybrid scheme that will combine some face-to-face activities with distance learning, applying what we have learned and achieved with our Flexible Digital Model Plus (MFD+) since the start of the pandemic.

2.- The reality to which we will return clearly demands conditions that will make the Tec experience different from the conditions that existed before the pandemic. We have been advised by the best experts, from both TecSalud and international institutions that specialize in pandemic management to be able to return to safe campuses that offer everyone (students, teachers, and collaborators) an environment that gives them confidence and maximizes the care of their wellbeing. This will involve many adjustments, including strict access and circulation controls, rooms with fewer numbers of students, variable timetables, and the use of technology to allow better monitoring. We will also have to trust in the collaboration and responsibility of everyone to take care themselves and others. The face-to-face activities that we can carry out will comply with the strictest standards of social distancing and santization of all our training spaces. Those mass events and meetings of large groups that are so common on our campuses will be luxuries that we won't be able to afford for now. The process of preparing our campuses and applying the new protocols to meet these objectives will start on Monday 1st June.

3.- One inherent complexity of Tec is our large geographical presence in more than 25 locations. This will mean facing different dates and restrictions to the return of activities based on the Reopening Plan for Social, Educational and Economic Activities, as well as the regional traffic light system published by the authorities. This will require a great deal of flexibility and adaptability from everyone to handle the adjustments that these uncertain conditions imply, with the understanding that possible regional outbreaks of the contagion could result in significant changes and adjustments to our plans.

What will definitely not change is our commitment, which is not only to care for the wellbeing of others but also to the academic quality of our programs and models and the fulfilment of learning outcomes which we offer to each and every one of our students.

What we are still unable to communicate with certainty is exactly what the face-to-face vs digital mix will be for the different programs on our campuses. We are already in the process of fine-tuning these details, in accordance with the conditions that are occurring in the different cities of the country.  We are also defining which services (such as halls of residence, cafeterias and transportation) we will be offering on each campus and what spaces we can open, including laboratories and libraries, in order to complete the comprehensive services we will be informing you about.  We know that our students value recreational, cultural and sports spaces and activities, which we are defining based on the experience that partner universities in other countries have had, guidelines that will allow us to maximize access within the relevant limitations. 

We trust that in the next few weeks we will have more information in respect of the regional development of the pandemic. With this information, we will define new processes to reduce risk. Above all, we will be able to share more details in respect of our educational programs on each campus.  We hope to be able to inform you of these and other specific aspects for restarting our academic activities before the end of June.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us in many ways. At Tec, it has driven us to employ our creativity, leadership, and all of our resources in the development and deployment of MFD+ so as to not affect the academic cycle that we are closing. We have launched initiatives such as LiFE@home, Taking Care of your Mind, and Boost your Skills to complement the integrated educational experience of our students, which are being used by thousands of them, including their families and Tec collaborators, and these will continue over the next semester.  We have also launched dozens of initiatives for social and community impact to contribute to the resolution of the health and economic crisis in the communities where we operate. This, in turn, has brought us resources, experts and knowledge that strenghtened our administration during the pandemic.

You, our students, have surprised us with your resilience, flexibility and commitment to your education, which our professors have responded to, being examples of vocation and commitment. We are certain that we have been faithful to the commitment that we have to all our students and their families.

Apart from the challenges that we anticipated, we can say that Tec is stronger than ever, that our commitment to Education that Transforms Lives remains intact and that we are convinced that we will come out of this situation having learned a great deal and being prepared for what the future may bring. We know that the reactivation of our university life carries some risks, which we will know how to measure and mitigate, giving people the freedom to decide on how to experience them while contributing to the reactivation of our society, which today has also become very important for everybody.

We reiterate that our decisions have been guided by the founding principles of Tec, which stand for ideals such as freedom, the leadership that distinguishes us as an institution, and trust in the innovation that we are applying to face this new reality. We are proud of what we have contributed as an institution and as a community during this emergency, and the role of thousands of teachers and collaborators to guarantee that we will continue to fulfill our educational mission and fight against the pandemic in Mexico.

We are starting to see with more clarity the development of this unprecedented situation and it gives us hope to know that we will soon be able to see and greet you in person, while maintaining a healthy distance. In the meantime, we hope that you stay healthy and we promise to keep you informed as and when we have more news for you.

With our warmest regards,

Juan Pablo Murra Lascurain                                                         Víctor Gutiérrez Aladro
Rector for Undergraduates and Postgraduates                        Operations Rector

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