Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sandra Pointet/Geneva Academy

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have ensured the continuation of high-quality and interactive teaching for our three master’s programmes via different teaching options and methods adaptable to the health situation: fully on campus, fully online or hybrid with on-site and online teaching.

Our students have shown a great capacity to adapt to this difficult context, study seriously, evolve as a group and succeed in their exams. Their inputs and feedback have been key in ensuring the constant adaptation and improvement of our teaching in a difficult and rapidly evolving context.

2021–2022 Academic Year

For the upcoming academic year (2021–2022) we plan to start classes in person, being ready to adapt the teaching modalities throughout the academic year according to the evolution of the health situation.

Hybrid and Online Teaching

We are ready, if the health situation requires, to move to a hybrid or fully online teaching format for our three master's programmes.

Regardless of the evolution of the health situation, our Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict allows participants who are not based in Geneva to follow the programme online.

Additional Health Measures in Geneva

For our students in Geneva, additional measures will be in place if needed – possible social distancing in classrooms, wearing of masks, cleaning of hands and cleaning of classrooms – to ensure a safe learning environment.

A pack of two washable cloth face masks (including one with the Geneva Academy logo) is provided to every student at the beginning of the academic year.

Students who have typical symptoms of Covid-19 must immediately inform the Student Office and follow the recommendations issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOHP).

Monitoring of the Situation

We are closely monitoring the evolution of the situation. Our students are regularly informed about changes in the recommendations issued by the FOPH and by the State of Geneva,  as well as changes in the measures decided by our two parent institutions – the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Quality of Teaching and Interactivity

Our professors have gained a great deal of experience with online teaching during the previous academic year when all the courses went online. They are also receiving professional support as well as coaching from our staff.

Extracurricular activities – like events, exchanges with practitioners or seminars – can successfully taking place online if needed.

Addressing Challenges: Ongoing Exchanges with Students

We know that the current situation is everything but easy for our students and that online and hybrid teaching brings several challenges for both students and professors.

We are determined to be in constant exchanges and communication with our students to hear about the difficulties they encounter and get their feedback, with the objectives to continually improve our offer, respond to their concerns and, accompany them during their time at the Geneva Academy.

These exchanges and our students’ feedbacks allow us to bring several improvements to our online teaching and we are very grateful to them for allowing us to constantly evaluate and improve our teaching.