COVID-19: LUMS Responds to the Pandemic

LUMS is closely monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The health and safety of our community members is our primary concern, and our dedicated staff is working tirelessly to respond to the challenges of COVID-19. The administration has taken several informed decisions, formulated and shared policies as and when the situation demands while ensuring the continuity of our teaching and research mission. The University remains operational with appropriate measures to protect the health of its community. We will continue to update the community regularly to keep you informed of additional measures.

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This exciting web series, produced by the University, gives you the opportunity to tune in and connect with Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, LUMS and other eminent panelists. During these sessions, members of the LUMS community and other experts from the industry answer critical questions and participate in discussions on hot topics.

Communications from LUMS

Additional Information

Health and Well-Being

The COVID-19 is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans and does not currently have a vaccine or known treatment. It is highly contagious and can rapidly spread and infect large populations. Thus, it is imperative to protect and ensure the health and well-being of yourself and your loved ones.

Those infected with the COVID-19 will display the following symptoms:

Fever
Coughing and sneezing
Sore throat
Shortness of breath
Breathing difficulties

Though COVID-19 can infect anybody and is not limited to certain demographics, those with underlying medical conditions in particular the elderly are at high risk.

Here’s how you can protect yourself:

Adhere to the Pakistan government’s order to limit your activities and practice social distancing
Practice good hygiene and frequently wash your hands with soap and water
Avoid touching your face
Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; discard used tissues immediately
Do not share items such as utensils, cups, bedding and towels
Build your immunity
If you display the symptoms, self-isolate, and promptly seek medical care

Watch this video made by LUMS students to create awareness about the coronavirus.

Watch our students talk about preventive measures and steps you can take to avoid the spread of the virus.

Busting COVID-19 Myths

No breathing exercise can confirm the presence of COVID-19; a laboratory test is the best way to confirm its presence.
Drinking hot water, or taking a hot bath does not prevent the spread of the disease.
Currently no medicine or vaccines can provide protection against the virus. The vaccine for COVID-19 is still being developed.
Antibiotics are not effective against the virus.

Work from Home

Unprecedented times have compelled us to stay home and create a new work routine; work-from-home has now become a necessity. Here are a few ways through which you can make your current work-from-home set-up more efficient and also maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Routine, routine, routine

From dressing for the job, to creating a designated workspace, it’s important to follow a set routine to get into work-mode. Create a realistic schedule for your work day and stick to it and tweak it accordingly to the changing circumstances. After all, you have the biological ability to adapt to your environment.

Communication is key

Have clear deliverables of the day, and communicate them efficiently to your boss or team. Make any interaction within the team clear and select a particular medium of staying in touch that all team members are comfortable with. Preferably start your day with a brief meeting to facilitate the day’s trajectory.

Work must end, for home to start

It is imperative to establish healthy boundaries between work and home, otherwise you start to lose control and may feel you are always at work, with no home to come to. Schedule time with family and ignore any office interaction during that time.

Social distance, for your sanity

How many times have you felt the symptoms of COVID-19 creeping up? How many times have they disappeared after a few hours? These pseudo symptoms are because your mind is playing tricks with you. For your sanity, practice social distancing, even at home, and limit your exposure to the influx of information, verified or otherwise, especially on those pesky family WhatsApp groups.

Sweat it out, so you don’t sweat it

Finding the motivation to work out is hard, so incorporate short bursts of activity throughout the day that involve simple stretches and are not rigorous enough to cause injuries. Exercise regularly to not fall into a slump and ideally sign up with a friend or family member who will help make an exercise regime a permanent feature in your cloistered days, and beyond.

External Resources

LUMS Organisational SOP for Health & Safety of Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Human Resources Department at LUMS has released SOP for employees to help prevent workplace exposures to acute respiratory illnesses, including COVID19.

HEC Guidelines for Universities on COVID-19

The Higher Education Commission Pakistan has compiled a document providing an overview of the Coronavirus and precautions staff, faculty and students need to take to protect themselves.

WHO: Coronavirus Updates

The World Health Organisation’s dedicated webpage for the global Coronavirus pandemic, which includes country specific information, details on the spread of the virus and official statements from the authorities.

Stanford Care: Managing COVID-19 at Home

Stanford outlines the latest instructions about what to do while you wait for your test results, or if you test positive for COVID-19. Not all patients with the virus require hospital admission. If you are awaiting COVID-19 results or have a positive result but are deemed safe for discharge by the physician, please abide by these instructions.

COVID-19 and Education: Initial Insights for Preparedness, Planning and Response

USAID and other development practitioners and policymakers around globe are rapidly mobilising to develop a coherent, multi-sector strategy for the COVID-19 response. This summary offers initial observations and answers to key questions for the education sector.

The Economics of a Pandemic: The Case of COVID-19

Paolo Surico and Andrea Galeotti, Professors of Economics at the London Business School analyse the COVID-19 pandemic by breaking it down into four parts: Science, Health Policies, Economics and Macroeconomic Policies. View the PDF below to see their lecture on this pandemic.

Free Courses to Help You Manage Stress and Build Mindfulness into Your 'New Normal'

LinkedIn has announced six free courses on LinkedIn Learning to help you manage your stress and build mindfulness while in lockdown due to COVID-19. The courses include Mindful Meditations for Work and Life, Manage Stress for Positive Change and How to Manage Feeling Overwhelmed.

HEC COVID-19 Policy Papers

The HEC has released the Policy Guidance Note 5 on ‘Online Readiness’ and how universities can ensure effective learning in the coming months while ensuring quality control.

FAQs

FAQs related to Pass/No Credit (P/NC) Policy – Undergraduate Programmes Only

How is this policy different from the regular Pass/Fail policy?

There are two main differences:

In the regular P/F policy, a student had to decide whether he/she wanted to convert a course to pass/fail by the drop only deadline. And once the course was converted to pass/fail grading, they were NOT to be converted to the regular grading scheme. Whereas in the new Pass/No credit policy (which is only applicable to Spring 2020), a student may convert a course to Pass/NC until one week after the grades are in and make an informed decision.

In the regular P/F policy, there is no such thing as a “No Credit” option. This option is only available for Spring 2020. Opting for “No Credit”, means that a student will receive no credit for a particular course, but also that there will be no negative impact on the CGPA.

Is there a limit to how many courses can be opted as Pass/NC in this Spring semester (2020)?

Please note that this is not the regular Pass/Fail policy, but a concession given for this specific semester (Spring 2020) only owing to COVID-19, and this is optional. That is, students can opt to use it for particular courses and not for others where they feel the grades they achieved are fine.

Hence there is no specific limit and it depends solely on the decision of the student as to how many credits does he/she want to convert into Pass (P) or No credit (NC) in this semester.

Will the credits converted into Pass/NC this semester count towards the 10 credit Pass/Fail limit?

Please note that this is not the regular Pass/Fail policy. It is a Pass/No Credit policy, which applies to the courses you are taking in Spring 2020 only. This is a special allowance made for students this semester owing to the COVID-19 situation, therefore, credits of the courses converted in to Pass/NC this semester will not be counted be in the 10 credit hours’ limit of Pass/Fail policy.

How will Pass/NC grade impact my credit hour requirements and CGPA?

A Pass grade will have no effect on the CGPA and the credit for the course is earned, whereas NC means that the student will receive no credit for this course, but also that there will be no negative impact on the CGPA. Your CGPA will remain as it is.

In case I opt for the Pass/NC option, will these credits count towards DHL calculations?

In case you opt for Pass/NC Policy, the DHL calculation will be as follows:
Pass – Not contributing to CGPA but contributing to the total credits OR
No Credit – Not contributing to CGPA or to total credits

Hence, provided your CGPA and total credits meet the DHL requirements, this will not affect DHL calculations.

How will Pass/NC be reflected on my transcript?

A Pass grade will be visible on the transcript for the courses, which will be opted as Pass in this semester (Spring 2020) only.

An NC grade will also be visible on the transcript for this semester only. In case you subsequently repeat the course, NC will still be visible on the transcript under this semester, while the newly attained grade will be visible under that particular semester.

I applied for a course to be considered Pass/Fail during the start of the semester. Given the circumstances, will I be able to view my grade and then decide if I want to make it Pass/Fail, or can I opt for the Pass/No Credit option at that stage?

Owing to the current situation of COVID-19, it has been decided that the regular Pass/Fail policy will not be applicable in this Spring Semester 2020. You will receive letter grades for all the enrolled courses and grading will be done as usual. Once the grades are in, individual students will have the chance, up to 1 week after grades are visible, to convert their grade to Pass or No Credit if they wish.

Will credits opted as Pass in this Spring Semester 2020 count to fulfil minor requirements, keeping in view that for fulfilling minor requirements certain CGPA is required to be maintained?

Since this is a special allowance made for students this semester owing to the COVID-19 situation, you may convert a course into Pass/NC that contributes towards the minor requirements. A Pass grade will have no effect on the minor GPA but the credits for the course will be counted towards the minor requirements.

What if I get a grade below C and I opt for No Credit Policy? Then, is it compulsory for me to repeat the course considering it is not my core course?

If you get a grade below C (such as C- or D) you have the option of keeping that grade, and the credits. Alternatively, you may opt for NC instead of the grade. You would also opt for NC if you obtained an F grade. In these cases, opting for NC would have no impact on your CGPA, but the credits would not be counted.

If the course is not a core course or part of your graduation requirements in some way, you will not need to take it again.

If I opt to convert a core course into Pass/NC and manage to pass the course by attaining C grade, do I have to still repeat that course in future?

A course will be considered as Pass if the grade attained is C or above. Therefore, in case of choosing Pass in place of C grade, there is no need to repeat it, as you will receive the credits for it. However, if you attain C- or below, and opt to convert the course to NC (No Credit, you will not receive credit for it and will have to repeat it in future to complete your graduation requirements.

Disclaimer: Various options to facilitate students in the best possible way are still being worked out by the University hence these questions are subject to amendments. We will keep on adding on more questions as things get finalised.

Get Help

If you are on campus, contact

042 35608500
042 111 115 867 Ext. 2543, 8500

For information from the Government of Pakistan:

Send "Hi" to +923001111166

To access verified facts about the Coronavirus pandemic from the World Health Organization:

Send "Hi" to +41 79 893 18 92 on WhatsApp.

The LUMS COVID-19 Campaign

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Online Learning at LUMS

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