For almost a year, now, we have been all facing the same reality in a weird, unidentifiable form. This is the time we are not just reading about the 1918 Spanish Flu and grasping its drastic consequences, but we are experiencing a pandemic first hand; as if we’re living through a future history class.
The coronavirus has come as a test for every corporation or business to prove their ability to adapt and alter its strategies to match the unpredictable.
As social animals, social distancing was an odd concept to apply. However, education is a vital part of every student’s life, and therefore had to be proceeded with the same quality. This is where technology had served its role by allowing the possibility of replacing face-to-face classes with virtual classes.
Each entity or corporation has used its resources differently, making some more efficient than others. Under that scope, this article is dedicated to discuss different students’ feedback on how IE Business School has dealt with the pandemic, and how comfortable they were with the measures the University has tried to implement and improve overtime.
Taking a sample of random students in IE Business School, we have asked Student 1 if s/he was familiar with how IE has responded to the COVID situation. This student had been in contact with someone who had tested positive, and this had highlighted the great experience s/he had when contacting IE Business School regarding the situation.
Student 1 stated that s/he was fully aware of all the precautions taken, and thought that they were doing more than enough, which brought us to the conclusion that the student did not think that there were any suggestions that could make the experience better.
The university is trying to do everything they can to keep the campus open, providing a safe environment for all students as well as having a normalized life during the pandemic.
The student had contacted Student Services or the COVID Hotline due to her/his exposure, but has rated the experience as a 7 as the first time s/he contacted the hotline, it was busy. S/he then received a call from what turned out to be a doctor working with IE.
The experience was described as “amazing” as the doctor asked her/him the questions that were needed and who s/he had been in contact with, for how long, when, etc. It is important to point out that the doctor offered the PCR test for free which the student believes that no university is doing that but IE.
They are providing students with all the resources they need to remain healthy and safe. S/he also mentioned that the doctor was reassuring as he was constantly telling the student not to worry and that everything will be fine, that the university will not leave them and will check on them daily.
The student called the hotline again, the next day, regarding a reply to an email with the necessary information for the testing. A nurse answered and told her/him that s/he needed to quarantine and that s/he won’t be getting a test. This paves the way to what the student suggested that needs to be improved; communication between departments and across the system.
When s/he informed the nurse that s/he had already agreed with the doctor that s/he would get tested that day, the nurse sorted everything out and the student got tested. Adding to that, the student spoke Spanish and therefore did not face any language barriers.
Student 1 highly recommends getting in touch with Student Services or the COVID hotline as it was easy and efficient to contact them. Despite the slight miscommunication, it was a very personalized and great experience.
Student 2 was interviewed to study if there was similar feedback on IE’s approach in handling the pandemic. The student clearly stated that s/he was aware of all the precautions that IE has been implementing since the pandemic, especially to facilitate the students’ return to campus.
Student 2 highlighted that every IE community member should be grateful for all the university has done, as they have been using an abundant of resources to make tests available to students which is a consequent investment.
However, this did not eliminate the fact that Student 2 thought there was more to be done. S/he indicated that temperatures should be checked upon entrance to every building as it’s a non-costly and simple approach that would allow the filtering of who have been potentially sick or exposed.
As for the university’s communication with students during this unprecedented event, Student 2 had expressed her/his satisfaction because s/he thinks there was no gap here. IE had clarified enough what the guidelines were to enter campus and all the necessary precautions and tests that students had to follow.
Student 2 had contacted the Covid Hotline in order to get her/his ELISA test results. The first couple of times, they were not replying. Yet, s/he did not find it frustrating because s/he was aware of the great pressure the university has been dealing with.
Despite the inconveniences faced, s/he recommended contacting them as they were very professional and effective. It is worth noting that there was no language barrier that could have made the situation more difficult. Overall, he rated the experience as a great one, giving it an 8 out of 10.
One cannot deny that every strategy has its gaps, but what matters the most is how innovative and preventive the steps were in minimizing the potential losses. IE Business School has been consistently proving that it does apply all the learnings it tries to deliver to its students, in terms of adapting and adjusting to match the changing environment and world.
The pandemic is and remains to be an unpreceded event and a paradox that no country has yet been able to understand, yet the university took all the measures they possibly could in order to make sure that the students at risk receive what they needed in a timely manner.
Yes, we cannot overlook that Spain is one of the most infected countries, but it is fair to say that IEU has been a pioneer in trying to fight this virus and putting its community’s health and welfare as a priority.
