University experience is awful at the moment

[Cupcakke]

DD moved into university on Saturday. The rules are very stringent, both campus bars are closed, the university library has very little capacity and the restaurant is take away only. There are virtually no freshers events in person.

Her flat mates are very shy and not very social and she is in a small flat.

Large gatherings keep occurring but the penalty for this is very severe so DD very cautious not to attend these.

She is essentially watching Netflix in her room. I fear for the loneliness. The online events she has attended are poorly attended and just very boring.

Teaching starts next week and her In person contact hours are just 4 hours a week.

Anyone else’s dc thinking this years university experience is non existent.

@ListeningQuietly how will you stop them mixing with vulnerable people- on busses, in shops, in pubs? What about when they all go home for Christmas?

Great plan but unworkable.

@Newgirls in think that 'mis sold' is a good description. Many seem to have read things and taken an optimistic view whilst not really thinking things through...

That’s really interesting about universities saying there would be F2F contact so that students are forced to rent the halls and then going back on that. I’d be getting in touch and saying they are in breach of contract but I’m awkward like this. Either they put F2F or the university should pay for breaking the halls contract so that students can move back home should they want/ need to.

Chaotic
They WILL mix with people
so why are halls banning them from mixing with each other between flats ?
Why can they go to Morrisons with 500 other people (including staff)
but not mix with the seven kids from the flat next door?

Why can they play rugby against another college
but not visit friends who live there?

@ListeningQuietly this comes down to social distancing and mask wearing guidance which provide a clear difference between the scenarios you describe.

If we allow students to do whatever they want we may as well forget all SD rules and measures.

they are not wearing masks on the rugby pitch
(they have to put them on at the sidelines though !!!!!)

Either they put F2F or the university should pay for breaking the halls contract so that students can move back home should they want/ need to.

I would be very surprised if any university has made any firm promises with regard to face to face teaching.

Has anyone seen this? I get the impression Hancock just likes threatening people - but really? www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54278053

Oh and to the pub who said they wouldn't accept a booking for 7 people - that is contrary to the guidance which says you can accept a booking for more than 6 people if they are the same household. The rule of 6 doesn't mean you have to leave a child at home!

We're having virtual tutor groups (I'm a first year tutor) and we are subdividing the groups into reasonably sized chat groups which will be the same as their groups for groupwork in one of their modules. We will be suggesting they chat in this group after they look at any recorded lectures (they are supposed to watch, then go to a Q&A session).

I'm going to send round a list of suggestions to other academics (watch party? what's a watch party? says one of my colleagues) so they can suggest social activities for the students in the tutor groups.
We are in a local lockdown area (AAARGH) so I can't suggest "six of you go to the pub".
I'm going to ask colleagues if they are happy suggesting outdoor socially distanced activities like treasure trails, going on the campus fitness trail, going for a walk around campus etc.
I thought of a Netflix watch party like was suggested above but what if not everyone has Netflix? Is there another way to do this?
I will also suggest Teams (or Zoom) tutor group coffee (if there are bakers in the group they could deliver cake to the group beforehand! We have a campus Baking Club but I don't know if they are operating this year).

Re parties/meeting up with other students/going to the supermarket.

We don't want this
eu.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/07/29/college-football-tailgates-frat-parties-may-mean-covid-super-spread/5489486002/

@worstofbothworlds I really hope you're a tutor on my DD's stem course at the University of... England's second largest city.
I think the initial promise was of blended but the definition has shifted. I, naively, assumed that universities would be matching the model discussed in schools and offering a week on week mix. Blended now means all online now and maybe f2f later. I know regulations have changed but still...
The main issue is the social one. Online teaching isn't a problem. My DD "met" her tutor yesterday who talked at her and told her it was unprofessional to reply to emails on her phone and to use her laptop in future. Tutor on transmit expecting DD to be on receive. Short and not so sweet. I can't imagine such an interaction if they'd met face to face. It's not all about content. Style is so important. Hopefully there'll be some suggestion of informal group coffee shop trips but hasn't happened yet. Remote admin services mean that her registration process has been bumpy and still not complete, a month after accepting her place.

We’ve had a large number of cases in halls but this was always going to happen. People are baying for blood on social media but these students have had no in person freshers events and no f2f teaching. I’m sure a good number had parties but what do you expect? It’s good that widespread testing has been done quickly and not a one of them is very ill or in hospital. If it wasn’t Covid, it’d be something else.

Our head of dept is organising walking and talking outdoor events so students can meet staff and speak in the languages they’re studying, which I think is great.

DD contact hours been reduced to just 1 hour a week. We are going to move her out of halls this weekend as she can commute for such a small amount of time.

@Gymntonic afraid though I'm STEM I'm in the North.
A colleague says all her F2F are in the first 3 weeks "before we have another surge".
Ours are more spread out, I think about once or twice a week but for a whole lab session each time.

@DrinkFeckArseGirls

That’s really interesting about universities saying there would be F2F contact so that students are forced to rent the halls and then going back on that. I’d be getting in touch and saying they are in breach of contract but I’m awkward like this. Either they put F2F or the university should pay for breaking the halls contract so that students can move back home should they want/ need to.

Last year my uni refunded hall fees from end of March onwards and were one of the first unis to do so. Not sure if other unis did the same.

I think if they move to fully face to face they will do the same this year.....but I think they will do everything they can to cling on to 3 hrs face to face a week to avoid having to do this.

My DD "met" her tutor yesterday who talked at her and told her it was unprofessional to reply to emails on her phone and to use her laptop in futureconfused. Tutor on transmit expecting DD to be on receive. Short and not so sweet. I can't imagine such an interaction if they'd met face to face.

That's terrible! Sadly, it probably would have been similar in person, far too many academics have this kind of attitude.

Department leadership makes such a difference. Our current department head has made it clear this kind of attitude will not be tolerated, and we have a new SLT position focused solely on student experience. They've come up with some great freshers activities.

But the dirty truth in academia is that a great many people simply do not really care that much about students. It's infuriating when you're someone who actually does.

DD just started an MA. Everything online.
Not too bad for her as she’s 21 probably past the freshers thing and has lots of mates.
But awful for those joining in first year, just awful.

I said earlier this year on a thread that I’d be recommending deferral if it were mine and was told I was being stupid.

Some of these stories are horrendous. It's such a difficult situation for Universities and students to be in but someone needed to consider the mental and social wellbeing of freshers and come up with an innovative plan to ensure they are able to meet people on their course, meet people with similar interests and remain fit, active and engaged in some kind of life outside of their own room and laptop.

With a dc in Year 13, who has not yet been to any university open days, I will be taking notice of the universities who handle this best and those that treat their students with the most disdain.

Hancock can fuck right off.

My dd will be coming home - I'll take the fine

@LimitIsUp - my sentiments entirely!!!

My dd will be coming home for an eye test

Matt Hancock will have bigger fish to fry come late December than manning road blocks on Christmas Eve. This government have no plan for three months hence and he's just generating headlines for the daily express that don't include a border within the UK.

Thank you @dreamingbohemian. Wishing you the best term possible

My senior school has put out a 'census' of who is still at university (including postgrads and staff), and have said if people are willing they'll share their contact details with others in the same place.

They've always run a bit of a "buddy" system for freshers, usually with people who went the year before, but this is moving it up a notch. I think the idea is if you're well-established there and happy, it'll be easier for you to say "let's go for a coffee/have a walk", more so than if you're new and struggling. It can't replace making friends on your own course, but at least it'll be a way to speak to somebody in real life. And of course, coming from the same school is an easy conversation starter. I'm glad they're doing it, and if anybody is here I'll happily meet them if they want.

Thanks @Gymntonic. I hope things improve for your DD! You might suggest to her that she reach out to any of her module tutors who seem engaged and supportive, it is not only personal tutors who are meant to look out for students.

I agree also that the government will have bigger problems come December and it's very unlikely they will try to enforce students not going home for Christmas, the backlash would be incredible.

Teaching starts next week and her In person contact hours are just 4 hours a week.

By the way I missed this. I think I saw another one which was 3rd year, 3 hours/week?

While this is not up to normal levels, it is close to normal levels for tutorials or practicals. Typically you'd be doing 3-4 modules and have an hour's tutorial each (for arts-based courses) or you'd have 2-3 practicals of 2-3 hours/week.

Our 3rd years spend most of their time doing their research projects - would be in a lab on their own or community/field based or possibly doing modelling or similar, with tutor sessions to get them up to speed on techniques. This year I'm getting them to practice techniques and video them (where they are self-explanatory, just as a check) or I'll video me doing them if not. Some of mine would always be doing modelling/reanalysis anyway (a higher proportion this year) which wouldn't be in person.
For classes, we would typically have maybe 3 modules per term of 2 hours f2f which will be replaced with fairly small sized groups online (e.g. one of mine has 30 in a Q&A following watching a lecture - in normal times they'd come to the lecture, listen to me, and ask questions during the lecture). While I know that a f2f lecture isn't the same as an online one, they don't, actually, interact much in a f2f lecture.