Study in the time of COVID-19 (2019/20 intake): online learning, the rule of six and who knows what's next? Anything could happen!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Following on from the previous thread as our young adults start their second year at universities up and down the land (and some overseas too!).

@I @NewModelArmyMayhem18 If they have a cough or temperature there is no way of knowing it’s just a cold. So yes they have to stay home until test proves otherwise.Now we have teachers off too. We won’t have enough staff if this gets worse.

The North East is preparing for tougher lockdown restrictions and curfews. Not sure if Durham city included.

@Benjispruce2 sorry that makes sense - I was having a vacant moment, clearly!

DD's school has a reported case but she's not aware that any year groups have been mass quarantined, so we think it may be a teacher!

The North East has a reputation for being very big on socialising and nights out, so not surprised the lockdown restrictions are being implemented up there. This article in The Times today suggests Durham will be part of the 'local' lockdown too.

Are all universities doing online lectures? DDs lectures are all online and apparently many students are choosing to do them online from home. I didn’t think it would all be online. By the sounds of it this just leads to more socialising between students and no social distancing at all. Sounds to me like the universities have just put all the students in halls, given them a zoom password for their lectures and letting them get on with it. Must be really difficult if you are not making friends easily. I know it’s Covid but I am not that impressed. DD is at Exeter.

If DD stayed at home she would be bored and lonely, and the effect on her mental health would be pretty disastrous.

They were already committed to the house share contract and she and most of her friends have already been in the house since the beginning of August. Staying at home would have been a last resort.

I agree staying at home not a good option and DD really enjoying herself. Just feel that I have sent her down to one big endless party. I hope online only is not the whole year. She doesn’t even get to meet her tutor face to face. Perhaps I am being unreasonable but I feel I am paying 9k for a zoom password.

I feel I am paying 9k for a zoom password. But they are still getting the lectures/tutorials content but just in a different way? I think the 'in person' thing benefits students more socially than academically unless they're doing something with a lot of lab/practical time factored into the timetable. If you're doing a humanities subject I can't really think it makes that much difference from a study perspective.

It is expensive paying to live away from home when you could be doing study virtually from the comfort of your family home (and not having to pay board and lodgings in most cases). BUT I think for most young people's mental health and general well-being (and being able to grow up into well-rounded adults), going away is beneficial in more ways than the saving money trade-off.

@MrsMcMuffins the online/in person hybrid model has been well signposted since March (differing levels of in person teaching depending on course it appears). Don’t know about Exeter but at DD’s uni they are not letting the freshers “get on with it” in Halls, sounds like it is well thought through including a test centre on campus. Of course for our 2nd years off campus they will have to self police. I’m secretly grateful that DD’s house is in a mixed neighbourhood (not the majority student area in the City) so any parties etc will likely be reported PDQ by the neighbours.

Yes my second year is entirely online (well first term is). I won't go anywhere near campus (though I may drop off my library books from March!)
It starts next week for us but we are getting details now of three modules and how it will work. So far is ironing out admin (videos up of week 1 lectures but no slides to go with). Not sure for sone if they say lecture is 10am Wednesday, that just means released at that time, rather vegan any live 2 way thing (last term we had a few like that, lecturers did it live and we could ask questions with chat functions)
Issue with that is of course if tech goes down during the thing. But they could record in advance and the chat alongside be ab added extra? But then that is more hours for the lecturers.
All exams online again (may 2021) over 24 hours. That's a nice surprise. No need to remember anything in detail it seems!

My dd is at Exeter & she has 3 days online plus Fridays face2face. Hoping they get group work & tutor time where they have to meet up.

Oh dear, it’s all going very pear-shaped isn’t it? Local lockdowns and whole school year groups being told to stay home in case they develop symptoms, plus not enough school staff to go round (means DD is getting agency TA work though)

I think DS is still planning to go back to Durham soon - surely they can’t stop them moving into a private house if there is a lockdown?

Something sits quite uneasily with me about the notion of mass comings and goings by students into/out of lockdown/curfew areas.

It’s midnight on Thursday it comes into force in the NE

I bet they will be partying tonight then

Sent more children home today with dry barking coughs but no fever. Though so far everyone tested has been negative.
The online lectures are a shame as they miss out in the routine and surroundings/buzz of walking around campus and just having a reason to be somewhere rather than sitting in bed (if they wanted to) on their laptops.

For me it has been a surprise that so much is online especially as DD is doing one of them hose subjects where you’d think it was important to meet in person. I am a bit disappointed and don’t quite understand why unis are so different from schools to be honest.

Part of it will be the numbers game. Universities are many times the size of even the largest schools. Young adults in that age-group are possibly the ones most likely to be members of fluid bubbles. I would have thought universities possibly have a larger % of more at risk (older) staff members.

Well 2 bubbles have now burst at school. From looking at the carefully worded school email, parents are either fed up that they can’t send their kids in or fed up no one is taking the social distancing seriously and the school is at fault. I think the unis foresaw this entirely foreseeable situation. At least pupils have parents to look after them when they are ill.

I also think thst universities are better geared up for online teaching, and so are the students.

@Ginfordinner you are correct and there are not the same safeguarding issues with young adults that there are with under 18s (which seemed to be the main reason given for many schools not to run lessons virtually during lockdown) which automatically removes one 'hurdle' from the 'going online' equation.

Blimey. Jools Oliver - yes, Mrs Jamie Oliver has just posted on the Uni Facebook page.

I found her post @Ginfordinner :-) She was brave posting as herself!

The Newcastle one?

Leeds.

I have just been pondering the fact that if DS needs to SI, I have no idea how he will get food... don't know why but this hadn't occurred to me...