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Original poster

To think the government should not have let universities go back

129 replies

strawberrysandpecans · 27/09/2020 14:55

If it knew already from modelling what would happen with Unis it should have made teaching online the first term and saved students the accommodation fees. Government should have subsidised Unis for these for a term and then see where we are after that.

OP posts:
ScarMatty · 27/09/2020 16:42

@SueEllenMishke

It's interesting you say that. I do not know if a single university in my area that is doing f2f teaching. Must be very area dependent I'm guessing on number of cases

Lillyhatesjaz · 27/09/2020 16:44

My DD is second year and had to sign her accommodation contract in January so has to pay the private accommodation company 6 thousand pounds whether she stays there or not. She is doing a course that will lead to a job in the NHS and has one face to face lecture a week, many of her friends have no lectures apart from on line for the whole term.
I think the whole situation with students is going to cause mental health problems which have worse effects on the young than covid will.

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 16:48

[quote ScarMatty]@SueEllenMishke

It's interesting you say that. I do not know if a single university in my area that is doing f2f teaching. Must be very area dependent I'm guessing on number of cases [/quote]
We're in local lockdown area.
My husband works at a uni which has a huge number of cases amongst first years. They've only moved teaching online for first years at the moment. They're also in a hotspot

Kljnmw3459 · 27/09/2020 16:52

It is more important now that kids and youngsters have some normality in their lives. Majority of them are not in a risk group so let them get on with it!! Majority of their parents are not in risk groups either, nor their siblings or friends.

ScarMatty · 27/09/2020 16:56

@SueEllenMishke

That's really interesting as I'm in a local lockdown as well. I wonder if it's the same!

Must be course dependent then

lunar1 · 27/09/2020 16:58

I honestly think the last thing greater Manchester needed right now was 80,000 returning students. Our numbers are already a mess and we've been in extra measures for what feels like forever.

The government needs to stop fucking about with ideas that no sane person would think helpful (closing pubs at 10pm🤦🏻‍♀️) and start massive fast testing, actually putting money into schools.

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:01

[quote ScarMatty]@SueEllenMishke

That's really interesting as I'm in a local lockdown as well. I wonder if it's the same!

Must be course dependent then [/quote]
There are 130 universities and they're all organising things differently. I'm in an education faculty - so no labs etc. Just classroom based.

ScarMatty · 27/09/2020 17:03

@SueEllenMishke

Yes it's definitely very interesting how they're all clearly doing things so very differently and how some have decided it's worth the 'risk' to have f2f teaching

anditgoeson · 27/09/2020 17:06

I'm at Uni and having f2f teaching half of the time. For now...

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:09

[quote ScarMatty]@SueEllenMishke

Yes it's definitely very interesting how they're all clearly doing things so very differently and how some have decided it's worth the 'risk' to have f2f teaching [/quote]
We can't win though. There were dozens of posts earlier in the year slagging off universities and academics for considering online learning for this academic year. Now we're irresponsible for offering f2f.

It's an impossible situation.

ScarMatty · 27/09/2020 17:19

@SueEllenMishke

I totally agree. I'm sickened by the fact I'm paying an extortionate amount of money for half arsed pre-recorded lectures and lack of support, but then I'd probably feel equally as sick sitting in a lecture hall with 100 other students where my risk of falling ill is high

It's a very tricky situation

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:22

[quote ScarMatty]@SueEllenMishke

I totally agree. I'm sickened by the fact I'm paying an extortionate amount of money for half arsed pre-recorded lectures and lack of support, but then I'd probably feel equally as sick sitting in a lecture hall with 100 other students where my risk of falling ill is high

It's a very tricky situation [/quote]
Please don't assume online means poor quality..... or costs less to run.

Most of us have worked bloody hard to produce high quality online materials. If we move online my sessions will be timetabled and live ( and recorded for those who need to access it later)
All my online material has been 5x more labour intensive to produce.

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:24

Oh and all our support services are still working remotely and supporting students

ScarMatty · 27/09/2020 17:24

@SueEllenMishke

I'm not assuming all online is, but mine definitely is and there is for a lot of people and huge difference between learning in the moment, being able to ask questions, talking to your peers vs watching a pre-recorded session

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:32

[quote ScarMatty]@SueEllenMishke

I'm not assuming all online is, but mine definitely is and there is for a lot of people and huge difference between learning in the moment, being able to ask questions, talking to your peers vs watching a pre-recorded session

[/quote]
But they shouldn't just be pre recorded.
If we moved completely online my f2f sessions will become timetabled online f2f sessions supported by pre-recorded material.
That's the same at other universities I work with.

If you think you are getting a poor quality experience then you should raise this with your university.

ListeningQuietly · 27/09/2020 17:34

Online CANNOT be done for many courses.
Simple.

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:37

I really, really want to continue teaching f2f.
I love that part of my job.

Patchworkpatty · 27/09/2020 17:40

I don't understand why people couldn't of worked this out for themselves. It's a virus .. it was always going to spread like wildfire in the colder months .. and when young adults moved all over the country to shared accommodation.

Do people not yet realise how incompetent this government are ? That they have NO clue and just do stuff that keeps those shouting loudest want to hear ?

My 18yr old worked it out and deferred. Immediately. Because she didn't want to be paying to learn on line in a room that she had to pay £120 a week for.

She is taking a gamble that their will be either a vaccine or a better grip on this thing by next September. Maybe there will or maybe there won't but it was a better gamble than thinking the shit show going on now was anything less than entirely predictable and act accordingly.

... and no I don't care that Universities need the money.. they will have to find it somewhere else - using 18-22 yr olds as Covid-19 spreading cannon fodder just isn't an acceptable 'balance'

ListeningQuietly · 27/09/2020 17:42

My 18yr old worked it out and deferred. Immediately. Because she didn't want to be paying to learn on line in a room that she had to pay £120 a week for.
What is she doing for the year?
As travelling is not an option
Working in many areas is barely an option
what do they do instead ?

KooKooKachu · 27/09/2020 17:46

Our lab sessions are done a mix of f2f and online remotely or virtually. If we have another lockdown our labs will all shift to online. The student doesn't take away as much from an online session as they do getting their hands dirty in a lab.

SueEllenMishke · 27/09/2020 17:49

and no I don't care that Universities need the money.. they will have to find it somewhere else

Where shall we find it ..... the government have made it clear they won't support universities financially.

EhUp · 27/09/2020 18:47

I see what you mean @strawberrysandpecans and appreciate it must be really frustrating right now but assuming the strict measures about isolating within their own flat should only last 2 weeks max?

I'll be honest I have no idea how widespread the restrictions are across the UK student population but surely at worst each student may have to endure a 2 week isolation period which in the context of a global pandemic was fairly predictable

Belladonna12 · 27/09/2020 19:01

Both universities and students are in a no-win situation. If students all tried to defer this year there will be a lot more competition next year and it would also be unfair on the current year 13. Universities were not offered any financial support so if they didn't open the whole year they would have gone out of business.

fishonabicycle · 27/09/2020 19:05

Covid isn't going away - are people really suggesting that universities/schools should be closed for ever?

Belladonna12 · 27/09/2020 19:05

@Patchworkpatty

I don't understand why people couldn't of worked this out for themselves. It's a virus .. it was always going to spread like wildfire in the colder months .. and when young adults moved all over the country to shared accommodation.

Do people not yet realise how incompetent this government are ? That they have NO clue and just do stuff that keeps those shouting loudest want to hear ?

My 18yr old worked it out and deferred. Immediately. Because she didn't want to be paying to learn on line in a room that she had to pay £120 a week for.

She is taking a gamble that their will be either a vaccine or a better grip on this thing by next September. Maybe there will or maybe there won't but it was a better gamble than thinking the shit show going on now was anything less than entirely predictable and act accordingly.

... and no I don't care that Universities need the money.. they will have to find it somewhere else - using 18-22 yr olds as Covid-19 spreading cannon fodder just isn't an acceptable 'balance'

But what is she going to do this year? She probably won't be able to travel and it's difficult to get a job. Great if she has a job but there aren't enough for everyone and most would end up sitting at home twiddling their thumbs . It could be difficult for 1st years for a few weeks but there will probably be herd immunity by November at this rate, cases will drop and hopefully more face-to-face teaching will be possible next term.