Dear Students, The AUIS Curriculum Committee and the Administration of our University are writing to you today to assure you – and reassure you – that AUIS will fully and effectively function during the COVID-19 crisis. We will be prepared, with your collaboration and patience, to remain a completely operational medical university. Your Professors and Instructors and Staff members have almost completely transitioned to online/remote teaching and learning for Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Sciences in view of the situation. Yes, there are some obstacles and minor problems. However, there will be resolved as they arise. For the moment, it appears that our LMS Canvas, 8×8 cloud-based communicating system, and prerecorded classes are working well thanks to Mr. Kevin Glover and our IT team and the constructive input he has received from the AUIS academic and administrative community.
We will continue as such until further notice. We are currently selecting the best option for remote testing and the optimal schedule of examinations based on recommendations from NBME and AAMC. Online/remote teaching and learning is now widely (indeed globally), accepted as a valid educational technology. We are seizing this opportunity in the face of adversity, to integrate this technology into an already robust and comprehensive medical curriculum. As this situation with COVID-19 evolves, we too will evolve. Intrinsic in this evolution is our ability as an academic medical institution to ‘adapt’ – and adaptation is what drives evolution. Hence, we all must adapt together as an academic community. The AUIS Curriculum Committee in conjunction with our Administration will dedicate a significant effort to ensure that you, our students, continue your education in an effective manner until COVID-19 situation will be completely resolved and we can return to usual live classroom/hospital teaching. That is our priority and, of course, our immediate objective in view of the COVID-19 situation. In summary, the AUIS academic and administrative community will be working hour-by-hour to ensure that this university maintains a high standard of academic excellence.
Sincerely, On behalf of the Curriculum Committee
Dr. Peter Roger (Chair of Curriculum Committee)
Dr. Alexey Podcheko (Dean of Basic Sciences)
CC: D. Lecher (Human Resource Officer and CFO)
O’Dell Leverette (Registrar, AUIS)
Dr. Podcheko (Dean Basic Sciences)
Dr. Penney (Provost)
Julia Williams
