Teaching, working and services on UEF’s campuses are being restored gradually over the summer and autumn

17.06.2020 Leave a Comment

The return of students to the university’s campuses will begin in August–September, when in-person teaching is prioritised for the university’s new students in particular. Approximately 200 courses will be delivered as in-person teaching in August–September, while paying close attention to safe use of the facilities. Most of the university’s teaching will, however, be offered online in the autumn semester. The university’s staff will return to work on the campuses gradually, starting on 17 June.

“We strongly recommend that all students seek to start as normal student life as possible in our campus cities already in the autumn. This is also important from the viewpoint of student well-being,” Academic Rector Tapio Määttä says.

The decisions on teaching arrangements will be made and communicated to students by 30 June regarding the arrangements of teaching starting in August and September; and by 7 August regarding the arrangements of teaching starting in October, November and December. This information will be updated in WebOodi by 31 July and 15 September.

Services and activities in the autumn semester

If the COVID-19 situation in Finland remains good, an increasing number of services will open in the autumn. The facilities of the UEF Library will open with limited services on a self-service principle. The Joensuu Campus Library and KUH Medical Library will open with limited services on 17 August 2020, and the Kuopio Campus Library on 1 September 2020. Further information on the UEF Library’s services can be found on the library’s website. Sykettä Sports Services will also open in the beginning of August. Further information is available on the Sykettä website. In addition, student associations will be organising a wide range of activities in the autumn semester.

“In eastern Finland, the COVID-19 situation has been calm for a long time, and we are doing everything we can to make sure that the situation also remains calm. The University of Eastern Finland has more than 15,000 students from all over Finland, so it is clear that we cannot restore all operations at once. However, we will be returning to ‘the new normal’ as soon as possible, while of course paying close attention to safety,” Määttä says.

The University of Eastern Finland will be investing in the availability of supporting services for students. Additional EXAM rooms are also being planned on the campuses, and the existing EXAM rooms will be opened on 1 August. General exams will not be held in the autumn semester, but it is possible for teachers to hold and supervise exams for small groups.

The university’s staff will return to the campuses gradually, with a maximum of 50% of each unit’s staff present on campus.

National restrictions on travel are being lifted

The Finnish Government has decided that restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 epidemic will be lifted gradually on the basis of the epidemiological situation and social and economic considerations. Movement of people and traffic will be facilitated primarily between countries with a similar epidemiological situation. However, the Finnish Government still recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to other countries except for Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A 14-day self-isolation period is no longer required from persons returning from the above-mentioned countries.

The situation understandably keeps changing, but the rule of the thumb is that travel to countries deemed safe by the Finnish Government is possible also within the activities of UEF (business travel, field courses, excursions, visitors). The latest information on the countries deemed safe for travel can be found on the Finnish Government’s website. However, all student exchanges are cancelled for the autumn semester, and students who have been planning a student exchange have been contacted separately.

Students belonging to a medical risk group

For the time being, people belonging to a risk group for a severe COVID-19 infection may not come to the facilities on campus. A student who belongs to a risk group for a severe COVID-19 infection must apply for personalised arrangements in teaching. Separate instructions on how to apply for these arrangements will be made available later.

Welcome to an info session for students on 12 August 2020

The exceptional spring and autumn can raise many questions among students. To answer these questions, the university’s Rectors will hold an info session for students on Wednesday, 12 August 2020 at 12–13. The first 30 minutes will be used to address issues concerning new students, and the latter half for studies-related matters that concern all students in the autumn. To follow the info session, please go to https://www.uef.fi/live1/ Questions and comments can be submitted during the info session via Presemo: https://presemo.uef.fi/uefopiskelijatietotori120820

This spring has been very unusual and very demanding. We hope that the summer ahead offers plenty of opportunities for relaxation and for gathering strength for the autumn.

We wish all our students a warm and relaxing summer!

Information on COVID-19 for students is available in KAMU.

Up-to-date information about how the COVID-19 situation affects the university’s activities is available at: www3.uef.fi/koronavirus
Questions relating to the COVID-19 situation can be sent to: [email protected]

Remember to apply for student financial aid and housing allowance (KELA announcement 9.6.2020)

12.06.2020 Leave a Comment

Were you granted a place of study? Remember to apply for student financial aid and housing allowance

New students should apply for student financial aid and general housing allowance in time. Student financial aid and housing allowance are applied for on separate applications.

New students can apply for student financial aid when the place of study has been confirmed. If you have to separately accept the place of study, you should apply for student financial aid as soon as you have accepted the place of study. Financial aid can be granted from the beginning of the month in which the application arrived. You should apply for financial aid for your entire course of study at the same time.

Students can apply for financial aid even if they have not yet arranged housing in the town or city where they will be studying. When housing has been arranged, the student must file a notification of move for instance online at posti.fi/changeaddress. Kela checks the student’s accommodation when the first study grant for the autumn has been paid.

Do you already know where you will be living in the autumn? Apply for general housing allowance now

Students should apply for housing allowance as soon as they have entered a rental agreement and have information about their income, housing costs and other living circumstances during the autumn. Students under 18 years of age who independently move into rental housing can apply for housing allowance after they have received a decision on the student financial aid.

Housing allowance can be granted starting from 1 August if the rental agreement is valid from 1 August and you move into the home in August. Furthermore, the application should be submitted to Kela by the end of September.

The general housing allowance is granted to the entire household as a whole. The application is made by one household member on behalf of all residents. A household includes spouses/partners or close relatives (grandparents, parents and children) who live in the same home, or persons renting a home under a joint rental agreement. The award of housing benefits is affected by the regular income of all the persons making up a household. Earnings, capital income and most benefits, such as student financial aid, are counted as the household’s income. The student loan does not count as income.

The rental agreement must always be enclosed with the application. A rental agreement is also needed when the applicant lives in a student apartment. If information about the rental agreement is provided to Kela electronically by the landlord, you need not enclose the rental agreement. Landlords who provide rental agreement information to Kela electronically.

A student housing supplement may be available to those who are studying abroad or in the Åland Islands. A supplement is also paid to students who are enrolled in a tuition-based programme at a Finnish folk high school or sports institute and live in the school dormitory. The student housing supplement is applied for with the same application as the student financial aid.

Online application is quick and easy

With the help of Kela’s calculators (www.kela.fi/laskurit (in Finnish) or www.fpa.fi/berakningar (in Swedish)) students can estimate what type of benefit they can receive and the amount of the benefit. If you are unsure about which benefits students can get, start by reading the page What kind of student financial aid and housing benefits can you get?

Both student financial aid and housing allowance can be applied for via Kela’s online customer service at www.kela.fi/asiointi (in Finnish) or www.fpa.fi/etjanst (in Swedish). Supporting documentation can also be sent online.

Students who receive both housing allowance and student financial aid must keep track of the annual income limit in connection with student financial aid and the monthly earnings that affect the housing allowance. General housing allowance must be reviewed if the income of your household increases by at least EUR 400 per month or decreases by at least EUR 200 per month compared to the previous housing allowance decision. Changes in income must be reported to Kela without delay. Before submitting a request for a review of your housing allowance, you can check if you need to submit a request for a review by calling Kela’s customer service number 020 634 2550.

What to do if you need interpreter assistance for your studies in the autumn because of a disability or impairment

Apply for the right to interpreter assistance for students as soon as you get a decision that you have been granted a place of study. Be sure also to book an interpreter well in advance.

Additional information for customers:

Students
Housing benefits
Telephone assistance with student financial aid and general housing allowance: 020 634 2550, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00
Ask online: in Finnish and in Swedish
A video on how to apply for student financial aid and housing allowance is available in Finnish and in Swedish
Frequently asked questions about housing benefits for students in Finnish
Frequently asked questions about housing benefits for students in Swedish
Information on how to apply for housing allowance for shared housing in Finnish
Information on how to apply for housing allowance for shared housing in Swedish
Information about the effect of income on student financial aid and housing allowance in Finnish
Information about the effect of income on student financial aid and housing allowance in Swedish

Easy-to-read tips on housing allowance:

How does a change in income affect the amount of the housing benefit? in Finnish
How does a change in income affect the amount of the housing benefit? in Swedish
How will earnings from a summer job affect my housing allowance? in Finnish
How will earnings from a summer job affect my housing allowance? in Swedish
Student financial aid on Facebook in Finnish only
Kela on Instagram

Multi-factor authentication will be deployed for staff, students, and other groups during year 2020

11.06.2020 Leave a Comment

Multi-factor authentication will be deployed for staff, students, and other groups during year 2020
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) will be deployed to the staff and students of UEF in phases during the year 2020. MFA enables reliable identification of the Office 365 users of the university and prevents the phishing and abuse of usernames. Public authorities (inter alia Office of the data protection ombudsman) recommend the use MFA to prevents abuse of data.

MFA works the same as a login to an online bank. After logging for example in to the O365 service with your credentials (username and password), you have to accept the login with your mobile device or by providing a changing confirmation code.

How does the MFA affect me?

– Multi-factor authentication will be required during a login to the university’s O365 environment outside of the university network. Such situations can be while using the O365 services with a personal device or a mobile phone. If you have a university administrated computer, MFA will not be usually required.
– If you use your UEF email on your mobile device, we recommend installing the Outlook for iOS or Outlook for Android, as the device’s native email app might not work with MFA.

MFA deployment

– MFA deployment will be carried out by a project and deployments will be made on a unit-by-unit as the schedule below. Please choose the authentication methods as a self-service registration before MFA is deployed. The registration makes the first sign in after MFA has been deployed easier.
– More information and instructions for the registration and deployment can be found in Heimo: Multi-factor authentication.
– If you want to deploy MFA beforehand, complete the registration and then fill this form: MFA deployment form.
– There will be short information sessions during the fall about the deployment of MFA. Schedule of these will be announced later.

If you do not register before deployment, the registration will be forced the first time you login outside of university network after the deployment of MFA.

Deployment schedule

MFA will be deployed as the schedule below. We are in separate contact with each unit.

• IT Services, Financial Services, General Administration and Legal Affairs,
Human Resources services, and Deployment services spring 2020
• Student Services 24.8.2020
• Library 24.8.2020
• Aducate 31.8.2020
• Language Center 31.8.2020
• UEF Teacher Training School 1.9.2020
• Philosophical Faculty 7.9.2020
o School of Humanities
o School of Educational Sciences and Psychology
o School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education
o School of Theology
• Faculty of Science and Forestry 21.9.2020
o Department of Physics and Mathematics
o Department of Chemistry
o School of Forest Sciences
o SIB Labs
o Department of Applied Physics
o School of Computing
o Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences
• Faculty of Health Sciences 28.9.2020
o A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
o School of Pharmacy
o Department of Nursing Science
o School of Medicine
• Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies 5.10.2020
o Department of Geographical and Historical Studies
o Department of Health and Social Management
o Business School
o UEF Law School
o Department of Social Sciences
o Karelian Institute
• University Pharmacy 20.10.2020
• Other groups 14.12.2020

More information can be asked from the IT Servicedesk.
Contact information: https://www3.uef.fi/en/web/tipa/asiointipalvelut

UEF Learning Environment Seminar 2020: Many faces of online learning

09.06.2020 Leave a Comment

Registration for the UEF Learning Environment Seminar is now open. The seminar will be held online 26.-27.8.2020. Theme of the seminar is many faces of online learning. Sign up for the seminar by 16.8. by the staff training calendar.

You can find out more about the seminar’s program at the seminar website (sign with UEF-account).

Seminar is for UEF staff and students.

Library online services are closed 8. – 9.6.2020

04.06.2020 Leave a Comment

The UEF Library Staff will be attending a development seminar between Tuesday 8th June and Wednesday 9th June, 2020. Therefore, the book picking service and online services are not in use.
More information: [email protected]

Library services during the summer

04.06.2020 Leave a Comment

Joensuu and Kuopio Campus Library facilities and KUH Medical Library facilities are all closed for the summer. Please follow our news for more information on our services. Phone, chat and e-mail services are open between 9AM and 3 PM throughout the summer. Our limited lending services are also at your desposal. Interlibrary services are however closed.
E-books, e-journals, databases and other e-resources are available normally via UEF Finna. If you need help or guidance on how to use them, you can contact us via library’s chat or email: [email protected].
Guidance for information retrieval is available remotely during the summer. Book an appointment with an information specialist or contact [email protected].
Have a sunny summer!

More information:
Chat service open Mon-Fri 9–15
Home page: www.uef.fi/kirjasto
Email: [email protected]
Service numbers:
Joensuu Campus Library: 0294 45 8397, Kuopio Campus Library: 0294 45 8400

Cancellation of student exchanges and traineeships abroad in the autumn semester 2020

29.05.2020 Leave a Comment

University of Eastern Finland has decided to cancel all student exchanges and traineeships abroad in the autumn semester 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this means that planned exchange periods and traineeships abroad cannot be carried out.

The students who applied for the autumn semester 2020 received a bulletin via email on Thursday, 28 May, and were asked to reply to the message about the next steps.

The second call for applications for student exchange is open until 23.59 (11.59 p.m.) on Sunday, 31 May. A third call for applications for the spring semester 2021 will be held from 15 August to 15 September 2020.

For more information about the second/third calls, please check the Calls for applications for student exchange and Applying for student exchange and traineeship abroad articles in Kamu.

Most of the University of Eastern Finland’s teaching will be offered online in the autumn semester 2020

28.05.2020 Leave a Comment

Teaching at the University of Eastern Finland will continue to be organised online throughout the autumn semester 2020. However, laboratory courses, field courses, internships deemed necessary, and other teaching that is impossible or unreasonably hard to organise online, can be offered as in-person teaching. In addition, in-person teaching can also be organised for new students in order to foster their commitment to their academic subject and to the academic community.

The Finnish Government’s restrictions on gatherings and other safety recommendations in effect at each time are followed in the organisation of teaching. From 1 June onwards, gatherings are limited to 50 persons, and this is applied to in-person teaching so that a maximum of 50 people, including the teacher, may be in the same room at a time, and with people keeping a safety distance of 1.5–2 metres.

Teaching is organised with health and safety in mind. The university’s staff will also be returning to the campuses gradually.

The faculties and the Language Centre will make their decisions on teaching, and inform students about these decisions, as follows:

by 30 June regarding arrangements of teaching starting in August and September;
by 7 August regarding arrangements of teaching starting in October, November and December; and
The Open University will inform its own students.

We kindly ask you to note that the academic subjects will answer questions relating to teaching arrangements by informing all their students simultaneously of these arrangements as soon as they are confirmed; however, no later than by the dates indicated above. Students are encouraged to follow the university’s communication channels, including the study community of their major subject, the UEF Students group on Yammer as well as news published in Kamu and WebOodi.

New students

The academic subjects will receive and welcome new students, organise new student orientation for them, and possibly offer in-person teaching, while observing guidelines on safety. The parts of new student orientation that are common to all will be organised online.

Examinations

General exams and other exams will not be organised as classroom exams in the autumn semester. Facilities for electronic EXAM examinations will remain closed until 31 July, and they can only be opened by a separate decision of the dean. EXAM rooms will be opened starting on 1 August, and the university will provide separate instructions on how to use these facilities safely.

Student exchange and international Master’s degree programmes

In the autumn semester 2020, UEF will not be sending or receiving exchange students. The university’s international Master’s degree programmes are encouraged to offer their teaching online in the autumn semester 2020. An international Master’s degree programme may consider postponing the start of the programme, if students are unable to enter Finland. In addition, students admitted to international Master’s degree programmes have the right to defer the start of their studies by one year.

Library

The library’s online services and a limited pickup service of printed books, as well as the chance to return borrowed books will continue. For the time being, the service will only be open for UEF staff, students and contract customers. Up-to-date, detailed instructions can be found on the library’s website.

The Kuopio Campus Library will be renovated between 1 June and 31 August 2020. During this time, the library’s book collection will not be available for use, because the books will be put into storage for the duration of the renovation.

The Joensuu Campus Library will be renovated between 15 June and 7 August 2020. During this time, services will continue within the limits dictated by construction site restrictions.

Campus restaurants

The campus restaurants follow general national guidelines and sell take-away meals in the Carelia restaurant in Joensuu and in the Snellmania restaurant in Kuopio. From 1 June onwards, restaurant Kampus Bistro in Joensuu and the Tietoteknia restaurant in Kuopio will be selling take-away meals.

Sykettä university sports

Sykettä university sports will start organising outdoors events from 1 June onwards.

Other instructions relating to safety and hygiene:

Cleaning has been intensified and the university’s facilities are cleaned daily. Cleaning is carried out in accordance with the instructions issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, THL, and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, TTL.

Libraries will be renovated in summer 2020

19.05.2020 Leave a Comment

The Joensuu campus library will be renovated from 15 June to 7 August 2020. For the time being, the service is operated as a book picking service within the limits dictated by construction site restrictions.
The Kuopio campus library will be renovated from 1 June to 31 August 2020. The book collections are not in use because the books will be packed away for the duration of the renovation. Book picking service that started on June 14th, continues for the time being, but only from the collections of the Joensuu Campus Library and the KUH Medical Library.
Books can be returned to the book drop hatches of Joensuu and Kuopio campus libraries.
Even though the library facilities are closed, the library is at your service – read more.
More information: [email protected]

UEF Primo – Frequently asked questions

18.05.2020 Leave a Comment

Which browser works best with UEF Primo? How do I log in to UEF Primo?Why can I get more search results when I am logged in?How can I find e-books?How can I renew my loans?
We hope that you can find answers to your questions here! If not, or if you have any more questions, please contact us by sending a message to [email protected].

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