Coronavirus | COVID-19 (English)

16.04.2020 | Info for students about the exams

Important info for our students about the exams: check your mailbox and the student portal!

25.03.2020 | 'Minimal contact' education from 18 May

On 24 March Thomas More, together with all the Flemish universities of applied sciences, took some decisions in the context of the corona crisis:

• From 19 April to 17 May, we will continue to focus on distance learning.
• From 18 May we will switch to 'minimal contact education'. This means that we will retain distance education where possible and that we will allow practical training, internships, skills labs, studios and the like to take place on campus or on location. In doing so, we will take into account the guidelines of social distancing: not too many people together, distance between people and so on.

Our departments will communicate what this means for the lessons and evaluations after the Easter holidays.

We do everything we can to make the transition as smooth as possible, so that our students can finish the academic year in a good way.

20.3.2020 | Info for students

As of today you can find all the info via student.thomasmore.be/corona_eng, with links to everything you need in these circumstances: online classes, online stuvo and online community.

18.03.2020 | Message to all students and staff

Yesterday, our government took additional measures to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Consequently, we decided the following: 

Closure of all campuses

• All campuses will close at noon tomorrow, Thursday March 19th at 12.00. HOWEVER, THE LEARNING CENTERS/LIBRARIES WILL CLOSE IMMEDIATELY. If you still have materials, you may keep them until further notice. There is therefore no reason whatsoever for you to come to your campus.

Internships

• Yesterday, it was an advice, today an obligation: you can no longer travel physically to your internship or work placement. Together with the company or institution, you should look for a solution to complete your work from home, via a computer. If it is impossible to work from home, then please contact your internship or work placement coordinator, who will try to find an alternative solution, so that you can continue your learning process as much as possible.
• Exceptions:
  • Internships in nursing and midwifery will continue under the strict conditions as communicated to the students yesterday.
  • Some internships abroad can continue according to the rules of the host country, but only in consultation with the international office.

Lessons and exams

• Measures concerning exams will remain in place at least until the Easter holidays: no exams or other evaluation activities can take place, not even online (if they were not already foreseen digitally before). Submitting a paper or exercise, a planned digital (remote) exam... remains possible.
• Your programme will determine how the suspended evaluations may be organized later in the academic year.
• We understand that there are many questions about the consequences of this situation for the rest of your studies. Together with the other universities of applied sciences and the government, we do our utmost to keep the impact of these necessary measures on study progress as small as possible, for example by adapting teaching and examination forms. Even though it is difficult, we want to ask for your patience so that we can investigate all possibilities and consequences properly and come up with reliable solutions.

Mobilities
The ban on travel for study or training purposes is extended until at least 19 April.

We wish you and your family all the best for the next few weeks. Let’s stay strong together!

03.04.2020 | To all students, colleagues and their families, a word of thanks and encouragement!
Read here the message of Thomas More's management.

• Be sure to wash your hands regularly and thoroughly (40 to 60 seconds) with soap and water. How? Check this site for detailed instructions.
• Do you have to sneeze or cough? Make sure to cover your mouth with a disposable facial tissue or with the inside of your elbow.
• Use disposable facial tissues when you have to sneeze or blow your nose and throw them away immediately in a trash can with a lid. 
• Don't shake hands, don't give kisses and hugs.
• Keep your distance from others, experts recommend 1.5 meters.
• Try to be careful not to touch your face with your hands as much as possible.
• Ventilate rooms twice a day for 30 minutes.

• How does Thomas More handle this situation? How do we ensure that staff and students are sufficiently informed?
• What is Thomas More doing to prevent the spread of the Corona virus as much as possible?
• I’m doing an internship in a company or organization. What precautionary measures should I take?
• Questions and answers for furture candidate-students
• Student housing - FAQ

Student and Staff Mobility

• All new incoming and outgoing mobilities until 30^th of June will be cancelled. (updated 31.03.2020)
• Students abroad can return voluntarily.
• Are you having doubts about a specific mobility? Contact the International Office: inge.vervoort@thomasmore.be

Do you still have questions?

Do you have questions or concerns about the virus? At the bottom of this page, we have provided a number of links to useful websites, including the Federal Public Health Service, where you can more information and read about what precautions are being taken.

If you can't find what you are looking for, or if you have Thomas More-related questions, you can always send an e-mail to coronavirus@thomasmore.be. 

On 15 April the Flemish Parliament approved the 'Decree on measures in higher education for the academic year 2019-2020 in response to COVID-19'. After all, in order to be able to adapt the form and time of examinations flexibly or to organize course units differently, an adapted legal framework is necessary. This emergency decree is introduced on the website of the Flemish Council of Universities of Applied Sciences, together with a Q&A.  
Read more about the emergency decree for higher education on www.vlhora.be.