Updated 05 August 2020

Dear Students and Parents,

As you are aware, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) has been declared a worldwide pandemic. Educators all over the world are adapting to this public health emergency. At Intuition Academics, the health, wellbeing and education of our students are our first priority. COVID-19 has called for unprecedented action and we are continually innovating in the face of new challenges. This page gives an overview of COVID-19 and how we will be approaching the situation.

Our ongoing care for our students will be focused on the following three principles:

1. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely take many months to resolve.
2. We all have a role to play to reduce the risk of transmission in the community.
3. This is a period of immense vulnerability for students. We owe it to our students to continue delivering classes at a high standard.

As a rapidly evolving situation, information provided by health services will be continually updated. We will do our best to pass on new information as it comes to light. We will only ever provide you with evidenced-based information published by recognised health authorities such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), The Department of Health and Human Services, and the major Victorian health services.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a new virus (SARS-CoV-2). Presentation of COVID-19 can vary from mild respiratory illness to pneumonia (a lung infection). Common symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, muscle pain and fatigue. The risk of serious complications to healthy young people in Australia is low but increasing with time. The rapid spread of the disease also means that contact with vulnerable people, for example the elderly or those with co-existing medical diseases, puts them at risk.

High rates of transmission also put significant strain on healthcare systems. As strain increases, outcomes for both vulnerable and non-vulnerable people dramatically worsen. Social distancing helps slow down the spread of disease, keeping the disease burden within the capacity of our healthcare systems and allowing for effective recovery. This why our state and federal governments have taken drastic measures in recent times.

Is face-to-face tutoring available?

Face-to-face classes are not permitted under the stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne.

This is an incredibly difficult and vulnerable time for students. Intuition Academics is committed to the ongoing support of our students in their time of need. Our tutors continue to be available online.

Are online classes effective?

Yes! Online learning has become the new normal in 2020, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students have commented that classes are on-par with in-person tutoring. Features such as screen-sharing have even facilitated advantages over in-person classes for some subjects.

Our tutors have access to professional videoconferencing tools. The use of this software comes at no added cost to you. Students can join a class and see their tutor, the content they are sharing, and interact with classmates – from any device at home. Your tutor will teach as usual and may share content from their computer screen. Class exercises may be adapted to fit a virtual environment. Students can still participate in class discussion and ask questions in the virtual classroom.

Do I need to do anything to facilitate online classes?

We ask for your help setting up your home to be a 'virtual classroom friendly' environment. If possible, find a space at home with a power source, a table with room for a laptop and papers, good lighting, and a comfortable place to sit in relatively quiet surroundings. You will also need an internet connection. If you have a poor connection, you may need to move closer to your wireless modem/router or try a wired connection. We also strongly recommend headphones. Headphones prevent distraction from background noise at home. They also allow tutors and other students to hear you clearly when you are participating in class discussion.

Conclusion

COVID-19 has called for unprecedented action in the face of new challenges. We are calling out to our student community to help make this work. Many of you will not have experience with online tutoring. If you have feedback, please let us know! With your help we can develop more robust strategies that can be passed on to all of our tutors.

Finally, we are living in troubling times. In the coming weeks, many of us will have loved ones who face hardships caused by the medical and economic implications of this time. Crises like this are solved through cooperation and empathy and we all have a role to play. Be mindful of those that are less fortunate. Look after your friends and family. Be kind. Be courageous. Share toilet paper. We’ll get through this together.

Yours Faithfully,

Mayu Balachandran
Managing Director & Founder