Universities

[Jourdain11]

Pure curiosity; I'm wondering what people suspect will be the situation with universities in January?

I imagine they will do their best to keep going - but maybe more lectures online again?

Even if there isn't a policy of distance learning, with increased Covid prevalence it may end up that way in practice. For example, one of my DC's lecturers was diagnosed with Covid Monday evening. That lecturer had been in close contact with many of the rest of the staff in the department as well as with most of the students earlier in the day.

As a result, pretty much all the staff and students ought to self-isolate (of course, if they are vaccinated then they COULD stick to the letter of the law and mix freely while doing daily LFTs, but that would be silly). So classes have gone online.

I can imagine this happening again and again as individuals are diagnosed.

I'm a first year student nurse and the vast majority of our lectures have been online and will continue that way. However I am supposed to be going on my first placement in January but can't see it happening unfortunately.

Online I would expect, for at least first half of term. We're all geared up for it, and so are the students.

I work in a university and we have no idea

We are in London and it seems like everyone is coming down with it right now so I think many of us are thinking we might be online for the start of term at least

No one is expecting any clarity before the first week of January (unless of course there is a proper national lockdown before then)

I work in HE, not a clue. We have plans for every eventuality though. We can switch to fully online very easily now, or put social distancing back or any combination really.

But I’m taking the office plants home at the end of term…..

I'm a first year student. Did a foundation year last year online apart from 2 seminars. I have an exam 4th Feb and fully expecting to do it on-line at home. I am supposed to be in later for last lecture and seminar and am not going to avoid potentially having to self isolate over Christmas and suspect many others will make the same decision. Ive had 3 emails in the last week about lectures I should have been in where a positive has been identified. Luckily I have been accessing them on online.

If I had a young student living away I would be advising them to bring everything home for Christmas tbh, just in case. Definitely anything they need to continue online at home in January.

I work in HE, technical staff and we've not been told anything. We've advised our students to take their kits home when they finish tomorrow but that's just our subject team trying to pre-empt more news in Jan. There's obviously plans in place but they're not communicated to us lowly support staff. I think we'll be online personally.

Also work in a university. No clue as to how it will go. The message from the VC is that we should wfh (teaching is all but finished and where it's not, nothing is to be moved online at this stage). I think they want people in next semester, and will follow the rules. So, if there's no national lockdown, we'll all be on campus. If there's a national lockdown, it'll be another long slog of a semester on line.

It's potentially very problematic for unis which have not permitted remote access to learning in Term 1, and have instructed students that they need to be on campus. Students who have committed to halls places or private rentL accommodation for the year as a consequence. I feel that there would be significant push back.

Also for teaching and support staff, who have seen their workload massively increased as a result of the situation and regulation changes in the last 2 years, but with no funding to increase staffing capacity in line with this.

What universities do is very much dictated by government. Unless told to do so, they can't close without leaving themselves open to legal action from students (or the regulator) for not providing what students have paid for. I can't see government closing then unless it's as part of a very extensive lockdown (which I don't expect). Also in terms of timing, isn't this wave expected to last 4-8 weeks before it burns out as everyone has been infected? Students are in for a fair whack of that due to Xmas holidays and exam period.

DS had the majority of lectures online this semester- only 3 were in person (over 2 days) and I fully expect return to online only next semester.

3rd year student. It has been a blended approach this term. Large lectures have been online and smaller groups onsite. I am expecting to be fully online next semester until my final placement.

We'll continue to teach on campus unless told otherwise by the government.
My courses are officially blended anyway so already have quite a bit of online content so the switch to fully online wouldn't e too difficult for me but I'll push for keeping my on campus bit for as long as I can.

We have been told to make sure we clear our offices out of any perishables before the Christmas break though.

My worry is schools closing again and me not being able to get a critical worker place. I have a 7 year old and just physically can't teach him and my students at the same time.

Getting drunk and missing lectures I'd guess.

My son is on a musical theatre and professional dance course in London. They have suspended lessons this week and will review January in the new year. He was due home Sunday but is travelling back today

Second year mature student here. I had my first year entirely online without stepping foot on campus once. This semester has been all in person and I've loved it so so much. I'm gutted as I really don't think I'll be going back in person in January .

No point in having lectures online if the pubs are still open.

Been large scale stuff online all year, seminars face to face (so my small course department timetabled everything down as a seminar). Bits drifted online as staff have had to isolate etc, and there's been the flexibility to log in and watch things online if you're not able to get to campus (I've not been in since the masks came back).

From talking to our placement coordinator (we're out on placements next term) they've not had much in the way of cancellations... yet - but could be hit by NHS redeployments. I'm down to do mine Telehealth so I'm in a more secure position than many.

I'm past the point of giving a shit now to be honest. I'd drop out if it wasn't one term plus some exam stuff till the end cos it's horrid.

Last years lockdowns really fucked up my studies. It’s difficult for me to learn a STEM subject without actual interaction (ADHD). If I’m not physically at Uni, I struggle. So much so that I dropped down to part time studying.

I have a 3rd year student DC and my heart breaks for her uni experience, which is now almost over.
It has been:
Yr 1 First term fabulously normal
Second term Lecturers’ strikes
Third Term : COVID lockdown

Yr 2: Whole year of COVID lockdown/ online learning/ massive uni restrictions

Yr 3: this term started to be a little more normal but included cancellations of events which had taken a lot of work by students. More lecturers strikes at end.

Just like many others she worked so hard to get to uni and it has been miserable.

And she will leave with more than £40,000 debt increasing at c8% per year.

Not helpful I know, but there must be many thousands of 20/21 year olds.

I know others have suffered in other ways but it doesn’t make final year students’ awful uni experiences any less awful.

*‘Many thousands of 20/21 year olds similarly affected’

@CamQ

I have a 3rd year student DC and my heart breaks for her uni experience, which is now almost over. It has been: Yr 1 First term fabulously normal Second term Lecturers’ strikes Third Term : COVID lockdown

Yr 2: Whole year of COVID lockdown/ online learning/ massive uni restrictions

Yr 3: this term started to be a little more normal but included cancellations of events which had taken a lot of work by students. More lecturers strikes at end.

Just like many others she worked so hard to get to uni and it has been miserable.

And she will leave with more than £40,000 debt increasing at c8% per year.

Not helpful I know, but there must be many thousands of 20/21 year olds.

I know others have suffered in other ways but it doesn’t make final year students’ awful uni experiences any less awful.

Yep. This. If I was a fresh young undergraduate I would feel incredibly robbed by it all.

To quote one of our lecturers in an unguarded moment a few weeks ago... "did you do this in your second year... oh no, you didn't get a proper second year - yours was crap"

My DD has had to take a year out of uni because she had a mental breakdown with online learning and restrictions. She went from being this confident young woman to being timid and socially anxious. I hope I get her back.

I'm a lecturer and I suspect it will be similar to Term 1, but with slightly less in person optional activities. I'm at one of the big RG universities and all our lectures have been online with tutorials/practicals/lab work/other small group type things being in person with a hybrid option (there is always someone off ill with COVID or self-isolating awaiting test results/in travel quarantine, etc.) so we have had to keep an online option, even when sessions are in person.

Technically, we are meant to go back to mostly in person teaching for Term 2, and I don't think this will change in policy. But I think at a more micro level, individuals and departments will make pragmatic decisions about what they do. Also, realistically, if staff aren't available to support in person activities and students aren't able to attend them, things will shift. I think students will carry on living in halls and all social activities though, as long as there isn't another lockdown (and I don't think there will be).