Study in the time of COVID-19 (2019/20 intake): lockdown restrictions, relaxation of rules and repeat... And will the Grinch government cancel Christmas?

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Carrying on from our previous thread.

I believe these threads have probably been running since the summer/autumn of when our DC were about to start/in Year 13 (so 2018)?

Now Dd2 is back at virtual school, Uni-Dd is hearing her get up early and also has to be quiet. Her teachers are fairly loud on Teams and Dd2 is one of the only ones who will speak up. This may end badly . I am trying to keep the zoo of pets quiet as they are used to being on Dd2’s bed and want to know who’s in there with her!
Uni-Dd has an extension for a large essay. She says many have had them and Uni is accepting them. She has no exams - it’s all essay based.

Does your DD not have any exams at all for her degree Zanda? What is she studying?

Essays are not DD's strong points, especailly any that start "discuss" . I think she is slightly dyslexic, but she gets extra time for exams anyway so she manages OK.

I'm still surprised that some posters' DC have no work to do at all.

Gin Depends which modules she picks. She does humanities and I think they are mostly like this. I think she’s only done 2 exams in the whole time she’s been there. She has got 3x2500 word essays at the moment though!

Zanda One of DD's housemates is doing town planning and has no exams at all. A fact that he likes to remind them about in an irritating manner when everyone else is getting stressed about exam revision. Everyone else in her house is doing either languages or STEM degrees and they all have exams in January.

I think DD would rather do exams than 3 x 2500 word essays. That sounds pretty full on. I hope your DD2 is OK BTW.

Gin actually I may have short-changed her and I think some maybe 3000 word essays! Yes it’s full on. She works best in the university library but no chance of that now!
Dd2 is not great but not worse. More hospital visits this month. Much less anxious she’s physically not at school to catch anything else though misses the interaction.

It’s interesting to see how courses are assessed. I was surprised that Durham music degree doesn’t have exams and that gave me some hope for my DD2 6th form qualification which is an extended diploma from UAL which is all essay, performance and portfolio based. Now starting to look at uni courses for her and so many creative/arts/humanities courses at varying universities are assessed by presentations, essays and portfolios. It’s made me realise that 1. Her 6th form course will prepare her better for these courses than A levels will and 2. In real life the ability to write well, present, critique are probably more important than remembering information for an exam.
DD1 doing STEM subject and of course pretty much exam assessed. 🤷‍♀️

@Zandathepanda we have similar with dd1 and her (school aged) siblings.
The budgies think that any zoom call is entirely for them too.

DD just had an email from Durham. All online until 19/3 and college accommodation waived. Nothing about 3 months of private rent @£500 pm!!!

Witchend budgies can be so noisy! Dd2 was on an ALevel lesson earlier when her sister burst into her bedroom about to bellow ‘is that stink you?’. Dd1 realised just in time did a quick duck and a reverse close door. Later we realised that the farmer is manuring the fields round our way! Maybe before winter wheat?? I am devising a post-it note system for on the doors each day ....

DS has had quite a bit of work to submit from last semester, and I more essay to write. I think they have pushed all the exams to the year end. Everything is assessed now anyway. DD doesn't have exams either. It does seem to vary by university.

www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/education/leeds-beckett-university-becomes-first-university-uk-introduce-safety-net-policy-3087713

Safety net at Leeds to help mitigate impacts of the changes ways of learning. Hope others follow suit

@Benjispruce2 it’s the position of private rental that makes me a bit cross when I see all the petitions about refunding rent. It’s not going to happen for the majority of students who are not in Uni accommodation. Having said that I’m so impressed with the letting agent for DD’s house who emailed to say if you are not coming back do you give permission for us to go in and check for frozen pipes and clear out your fridge for you. Impressive service!

Landlords are doing very well out of students for sure.

It does make one think about whether we should be currently encouraging our young people to be signing rental contracts for the next academic year?

DD's university emailed her today to say that she needs to be back for a lab practical on Wednesady, and that she needs two negative covid tests three days apart to be able to attend. Except that all the university tests are booked up until Monday. I can't see many students being able to do the practical because so few of them will be able to get tested. I don't think they have thought this through.

Most of them are travelling back this weekend.

@ginfordinner presumably they don't have to get the tests done at uni? Or could they at least get the first one done at home? Having had one myself a couple of weeks ago I was most struck by how absolutely and completely empty the drive through site was.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 DD has already signed up for next year (same house) 🤦‍♀️

@Ginfordinner Uni offering tests but what’s the point if the housemates are locking down together and nothing on campus for at least the usual isolation period? They have booked a grocery delivery and going to isolate themselves

I thought of booking a local test today

Also I know someone who was driving from I think tier4 here in London to tier 2 last month who was able to get a test in tier 2 on the way as that was much less busy (never mind less riskier in terms of catching covid 19 at the test centre).

The legal issue over private rented I suppose might be could you sue the state for the rent as it is the state which has banned you from going to your university accommodation for 3 months when perhaps the evidence shows none of the lockdowns have worked so are pointless (I am just playing devil's advocate on this one) so no scientific basis for the ban and the result of that state decision is you are deprived of your 3 months of accommodation with a £1500 loss. I think the courts are tending to throw out most covid 19 law challenges so I don't think it is likely to work.

@Ginfordinner Maybe the two test requirement is standard now for meds and biomeds? My DD in London also has to have this before being allowed into practical teaching sessions. Do you know if other lab-based subjects are also being called in like this?

I expect so. DD has decided to do the practical online as she doesn't want to lose a day's revision. Because of her CFS lab work wipes her out for the following day. I think she is being sensible. Most students won't have had time to do the tests anyway, so I think attendance will be low.

IMO they should have rescheduled to after the exams.

Yes, it’s hard for them to find the time to go for the tests but my DD had exams before Christmas, no f2f last term and is desperate to get to rl clinical skills and anatomy, so she’s going along with it.

[quote VanCleefArpels]@Benjispruce2 it’s the position of private rental that makes me a bit cross when I see all the petitions about refunding rent. It’s not going to happen for the majority of students who are not in Uni accommodation. Having said that I’m so impressed with the letting agent for DD’s house who emailed to say if you are not coming back do you give permission for us to go in and check for frozen pipes and clear out your fridge for you. Impressive service![/quote]
Generally speaking it's mostly first year students living on campus/in uni owned accommodation. They're the ones suffering the worst of the covid closures as they've basically had none of the "usual" experience of starting out at Uni. Particularly college based Unis who heavily "market" the benefits of a college system, such as inter college sports/quizzes, common rooms, college bars, etc - none of which have gone ahead this year. It's also the college-based Unis who tend to have more university owned accommodation. College based unis tend to have less facilities in the halls/flats themselves, i.e. no lounges/common rooms, within the halls/flats, as the socialising is based around the college common rooms/bars etc. That's why the students at places like Durham, Lancaster, York, etc are the ones wanting rent refunds etc - they tend to be charged more for their college accommodation to pay for the college based benefits which they're not currently getting.

I'd hope the online petition demanding a reduction in Uni course fees will have an impact - over half a million have signed it so far, so the Govt will have to take notice. Reducing tuition fees across the board would be fairer than giving rent waivers for some students and not others.

@user1497207191 reducing fees means less income for the unis to pay their staff. Do we really want this? Incredibly short sighted and will lead to the closure of many establishments who are already on the financial brink. The teaching staff are still teaching. Yes it’s different and often unsatisfactory but at the end the students will still get a degree.

The universities have already got their fees haven’t they? Surely it’s the loans company who take most the hit by reducing the loans (which many students won’t pay back anyway). Presuming it’s a private company now which I suppose makes it harder to sort.