Cambridge: No F2F lectures until Oct 2021

[CamDram]

A senior tutor at Cambridge has apparently leaked the university's plans to deliver all lectures online for the whole of the 2020/21 academic year.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/19/cambridge-university-moves-all-lectures-online-until-summer-2021

To say my DC is unhappy about this is an understatement. It also means that the drama and sports scene she loves almost certainly won't be happening at all.
She now wants to take a year out and return in 2021 when she can actually have a decent uni experience. So far, she has only had one decent term at uni as her second term was disrupted by the constant lecturers strikes.

Apparently other unis will be 'broadly in line' with this.

Will your DC who have already started still go back next year?

I'm not saying exactly the same things as you though, iTonyah.
I've no objection to people asking, if they can make a reasonable case that the tuition is significantly impacted - but I also most certainly object to stuff like newspapers publishing headlines saying Cambridge 'must' reduce fees in response to a letter from non-Cambridge students which was mithering about losing out on experience and 'social capital' not making any sort of case that online lectures can't be effective.

If students are taking out loans with no intention of repayment (but rebates are presumably irrelevant for them anyway?) or doing degrees where social factors rather than serious study and learning skills are first and foremost, I've got distinctly limited sympathy.

Some other groups though... depending how things work out, maybe the government will need to foot the bill for extra training time for med students and other vocational courses.

Mumtedum - the new reality is that we will need to choose our work based on our own personal risk assessment. I will be travelling through a very busy rail terminal and going into a huge office block with one door. If I had serious health issues I’d be looking for something more local or working from home and sadly that will happen for people with childcare or health issues. Employers inc mine won’t pay us to work at home or out of office for very long - simply will be at risk of job losses.

@ErrolTheDragon

I dont personally think there is a particular problem with students who don’t necessarily plan to pay back all their loan. Many know they won’t get jobs which will earn enough for the to pay it off.

This is the case for some of my DD’s friends which is why fee reductions wouldn’t sway them.