North-Eastern Federal University and its branches will switch entirely to distance learning from October 14 to December 1. This decision was made by the university due to the sanitary and epidemiological situation in Yakutsk.

NEFU Vice Rector for Extracurricular Work and Youth Policy Aleksandr Ilyin noted that online education was organized in order to protect the health of students and teachers. “Since autumn, first-year students from all faculties and institutes of NEFU have been studying full-time. During this time, they have learned how to work in the electronic information system of the university: use a personal account, an electronic timetable, Moodle system. In addition, they took courses in digital fundamentals. The students received their logins and passwords to their personal account, where their educational materials are stored. Also, the university clinic organized a medical examination of all admitted students. We can say that all freshmen have adapted to university life,” he said.

Students living in dormitories, if they wish, can stay there and study remotely, says the vice rector: “We know that the Internet does not work so well in some settlements, therefore, at the request of the students, we will let them stay in the dormitories. The training is mainly carried out via ZOOM platform, Skype is also used.”

About 1,200 students live in dormitories now. “We comply with all the rules and regulations prescribed by Rospotrebnadzor, we carry out disinfection in all buildings, thermometry, thermal imagers are everywhere. In this regard, the university has done a great job since the spring, and now we are updating, modernizing some things,” sums up Aleksandr Ilyin.

Students of the university branches - Neryungri Technical Institute, Mirny Polytechnic Institute and Chukotka branch in Anadyr - are also switching to full distance learning.