STUDENT GUIDE
(2020 - 2021)
Master's degree programme in
CIVIL ENGINEERING (change programme)
Location: Torino
Class: CIVIL ENGINEERING
online teaching and learning
For the Academic Year 2020/2021 PoliTO approach to teaching and learning is guaranteed online, both for first and second-level courses and including semester I and II; with the possibility of additionally delivering face-to-face teaching (subject to any further restrictions that might be placed in the future).
For details and updates, consult the section about the Coronavirus Emergency.
LESSONS
For the academic year 2020/2021 lessons and activities will be delivered in a "blended" mode, partly in the presence and partly online.
Lessons delivered in presence will be in full compliance with the safety regulations. This modality is specially reserved for those learning activities where face-to-face teaching is appropriate, possible and educationally advantageous. 
Face-to-face lessons will be simultaneously video streamed and available online on the student's personal page for all those students who cannot participate in person. 
Each student can decide whether to participate in face-to-face lessons or to follow them online.
Lessons details (such as timetable, classroom - even virtual -, teacher, etc.) can be consulted on the weekly timetable, available on the student's personal page and on the teaching portal.
In the weekly timetable, it is possible to browse the timetable of the courses provided in the current semester.
Courses scheduled in Semester II will be visible at the end of Semester I (February 2021) and the timetable updated.
Consult the thematic calendar for information about the beginning and ending of each semester.
Face-to-face lessons and reservations
To participate in face-to-face lessons students are required to reserve their place. 
Reservations' booking tool is available on the student's personal page (section LA MIA DIDATTICA). 
Additional information on booking and cancellation procedures is available here.
While attending the lesson, students are required to abide by the general rules of the University in order to protect the health of the entire academic community. We also remind you that, should the emergency require it, the University has the possibility to temporarily suspend face-to-face lessons to continue exclusively with online lessons.
Online lessons
Online lessons are delivered through the Virtual Classroom service and follow the same times as for face-to-face lessons.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
  • How to join the classroom
To access the Virtual Classroom, students must access their Teaching Portal.
It is possible to access the lessons via Virtual Classroom exclusively for courses included in the APSP (carico didattico).
  • Lesson registration
After delivering the lesson, teachers will upload its registration on the portal (the operation can take on average 24/48h).
The first version made available on the student portal is a preview of the lesson.
The final version of the lesson is uploaded and downloadable at a later time (if allowed by the teacher).
(if allowed by the teacher)
SUPPORTED DEVICES
Fixed or mobile devices Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, IOS connected to the Internet with browser compatible with HTML5.
To take full advantage of the service, we recommend the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari.

Further information on the STUDENT’S TECHNICAL GUIDE.
EXAMS
Exam types
The exams may be carried out as follows:
a) oral exams;
b) paper-based written exams video-monitored by the teaching staff;
c) computer-based written exams with open-ended answers or with single-choice questions using the Politecnico platform (Exam) combined with proctoring tools (Respondus)
d) computer-based written exams using vLAIB and the Politecnico platform (Exam) combined with proctoring tools (Respondus).
Exams can also be delivered with formats that are different from the above but in such case, they need to be approved by the Vice-Rector for Education.
Respondus
Exams taken with Respondus (on the Teaching Portal) are proctored by an automated surveillance system that monitors student behaviour and locks some of their PC functions (e.g. free navigation, right mouse button, chat)..
A few days before the exam, the student must take a simulation test on the Teaching Portal - My academic progress tab - Remote Exams portlet in order to troubleshoot possible issues.
Before carrying out the simulation, check that the operating system is up to date and the webcam is functioning correctly.
OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORTED
  • WINDOWS: W10 (excluding "S" version), 8, 8.1, No W7
  • MAC: macOS 10.12 - 10.15
OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORTED
  • LINUX (not even through virtualization VMware / KVM / Virtualbox)
  • iOS
Further information available on the Respondus Technical Support.
Windows10 for PoliTO students
Microsoft makes some software with study license available to students of the Polytechnic, including Windows 10.
If interested, students must:
  • activate the Office365 agreement from the Didactic Portal;
  • connect to Office 365 and log in with the account @students.polito.it;
  • go to the page https://azureforeducation.microsoft.com/devtools and, in the software section, download Windows 10.
Exam reservation
To take the exam, the student must make a reservation for the call by the deadline shown on the portal. Reservations are available from the student's portal.
In the absence of online booking, the student will not be able to take the exam.
If during a session there are two calls scheduled for the course, it is possible to book only one call at a time.
Only once the first call has been completed, it will be possible to book for the next call.
If you have troubles with exam registration, please send a ticket to the Office of Student Services (segreteria didattica) at least 48 working hours before the exam.
BEFORE TAKING THE EXAM
Students must:
    • verify that they are properly registered to the exam. Exam reservations are available on the student's portal, in the Remote Exams portlet:
    • check, well in advance, if you have the necessary equipment to take the exam (personal computer equipped with webcam or tablet, browser, Internet connection suitable for videoconferencing);
    • check the starting time of the exam. It is usually published on the portal or communicated by professors (Italian time zone - CEST). Students are required to respect the start time of the test by checking the functionality of the necessary devices in time.
HOW TO TAKE THE EXAMTo take the exam: prepare an identification document with your photograph (smartcard, ID, passport...)
The rules and behaviour to be followed during the exam are available on the li.
  • TECHNICAL PROBLEMS and CATCH-UP EXAMINATIONS
If you have technical issues that do not allow you to complete your exam (e.g. lack of Internet connection), you must inform the teaching staff and submit a specific online form. You are required to specify the type of problem, the time when the problem occurred, the address of the place where you took the exam and the name of your Internet provider in order to allow verifications. You must send this document no later than 60 minutes after the end of the exam.
If you do not have Internet connection for a prolonged period of time (approximately more than 10 minutes), your test can be accepted, but the teaching staff may ask you for explanations and/or ask you to take an additional oral test. The same procedure must be followed in the event of anomalies reported by Respondus that are not considered as ethically incorrect behaviour. 
Only the students who have incurred in technical problems are allowed to take the catch-up exam.
  • In case of technical problems that have affected more than 10% of students (the minimum number of students affected by technical problems must be at least10), the University must organize a catch-up exam with the same exam format. The catch-up exam will be rescheduled as soon as possible according to the general calendar of exams (there is a limited number of students allowed to take online exams at the same time) and, in any case, no later than 4 working days after the missed exam date. If you are unable to take the catch-up exam, see next case;
  • In case of technical problems that have affected less than 10% of students or less than 10 students, the University must organize an oral or written catch-up exam.
For more information about taking online exams, consult the Guidelines for taking online exams (also available on your personal page, Remote Exams section).
January/February exam session 2021- additional exam dates
Guidelines on additional exam dates are included in the Rectoral decree DR 99_29 gennaio 2021.
Information and updates are available in the section relating to Coronavirus.
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