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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

No uni return til Aug/Sept

502 replies

Newgirls · 10/02/2021 15:59

So Edin and St A have said no f2f teaching til next academic year (apart from med and some post-grad) and students should not be there unless v specific needs. Very sad that this cohort are going through this. I assume English unis will follow?

OP posts:
Freedobby · 15/02/2021 22:24

There is no more content to teach us. We go straight into exam season in the summer term

Which was one of the points I was trying to make. For UG, summer term doesn’t normally include teaching (with notable exceptions) but there were suggestions that this implied that university staff were therefore available to do catch-up lectures for 1st year students. Uni staff have been confirming that this isn’t the case.

Dove0709 · 15/02/2021 22:27

@ allSarahMused Its not about protecting the old, Boris says it is about protecting the NHS! If the NHS was overrun it would not just be the old that die, it could be your child with appendicitis or meningitis that the NHS would not be able to treat and then die. All age groups are making sacrifices these days not just the young.

Original poster
Newgirls · 16/02/2021 12:10

@Dove0709

@ allSarahMused Its not about protecting the old, Boris says it is about protecting the NHS! If the NHS was overrun it would not just be the old that die, it could be your child with appendicitis or meningitis that the NHS would not be able to treat and then die. All age groups are making sacrifices these days not just the young.
Sort of - covid patients are in dif wards. But yes lack of funding for nhs has led to this mess on top of the virus. Not sure why the 18-21s should miss out so much tho - it is out of proportion IMO especially when my parents in 70s have had a first jab and don’t work. They say they wish it had gone to teachers to help reduce risk there. But that is another thread!
OP posts:
jabbathebutt · 16/02/2021 17:56

If the majority of school students are not going back until at least 15th march in Scotland, its increasingly likely uni students will not return to Scottish Universities until September.

Original poster
Newgirls · 16/02/2021 18:53

Edin, st Andrews and Glasgow have already said they won’t - not heard about others yet,

OP posts:
GCAcademic · 16/02/2021 22:13

We got asked to request our room bookings for the summer term today, in case the government allows us to teach f2f.

Original poster
Newgirls · 17/02/2021 09:04

That sounds hopeful gca!

OP posts:
Original poster
Newgirls · 18/02/2021 08:18

So two English unis have said they will not be holding formal graduations this year. I can see issues with large numbers gathering but I wonder if outdoor reduced ceremonies for some will be an option?

OP posts:
Frazzled6 · 18/02/2021 08:20

Warwick said a few weeks ago it had cancelled graduations. I thought it was a bit premature but I guess they take alot of organising etc.

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 08:34

It's impossible to run graduation ceremonies while social distancing is in place..... unless they run for months!! They do take a huge amount of planning and not all universities have huge open spaces.

My university postponed ours a while back - hoping to run them in January 2022.

changi · 18/02/2021 09:12

I wonder if outdoor reduced ceremonies for some will be an option?

How would you decide who gets to go to a formal graduation ceremony and who doesn't?

mumsneedwine · 18/02/2021 09:25

You could ask ? Some might want to, others might not. And if too many want it then it's a no. But if it can be done would be nice to try. Outside in July. Might get a nice day.

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 09:27

And if it rains??

Wouldn't it be better to do it properly when we can?

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 09:34

And it would ever be just one day..... so you'd need weeks of nice weather

mumsneedwine · 18/02/2021 09:52

Always a reason why not. Get gazebos. A circus tent. Be creative. And no, it's not better to do it later. The moment has passed and people move on. Give the students something to look forward to, rather than this constant nothing.

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 10:10

@mumsneedwine

Always a reason why not. Get gazebos. A circus tent. Be creative. And no, it's not better to do it later. The moment has passed and people move on. Give the students something to look forward to, rather than this constant nothing.
You seem determined to portray universities as not making an effort and constantly ignore the insights of people actually working at universities and dealing with these issues daily. I would love nothing more then graduations to take place. I love seeing my students graduate and my husband is missing out on his PhD graduation.

However, while there is social distancing in place graduations can't happen.

We have 6000 students graduates per year plus guests. Even if only a third attended that's still a significant amount of people. We need a place for the ceremony plus a place for gowning ( which can't be done in a socially distanced way). Not to mention catering, photographers etc.
It would be irresponsible for universities to hold such large scale events in the middle of a pandemic.

Original poster
Newgirls · 18/02/2021 10:15

If postponement is an option that would be a start.

Not all universities are massive. I hope they take a flexible approach where possible.

OP posts:
mumsneedwine · 18/02/2021 10:24

All I want is something from Unis, rather than a blanket no, that's not possible. As a teacher I will soon be back in with 2,000 people every day with no social distancing (as I was all of last term), so my perception of what can be done is a bit different to people who have worked at home since September. If we have to do it, and we will be given no choice, I can't see why some concessions can't be done at Unis. They are much bigger than our over crowded school so why can't rotas work ?
I hope Boris doesn't forget Uni students yet again on Monday. They have been forgotten in all this and the mental health issues being stored up will last years.

GCAcademic · 18/02/2021 10:25

We graduate 10,000 students a year. The campus is rammed when that happens. There is robing and handing over of a certificate involved, so social distancing is not possible. All the gowns would need to be quarantined between each use, and there wouldn't be enough (you'd need six to eight times as many). Also, I've been attending graduation ceremonies for 18 years, and it rains more often than not (often that heavy, monsoon-like downpour that we increasingly get in July). So outdoor is potentially going to be a washout. We are postponing our ceremonies rather than go ahead in those circumstances. And that is not a decision to take lightly because the catch-up, when it happens, is going to be a serious undertaking with ceremonies taking up several weeks of the summer (there will be at least two summer and two winter graduation periods to catch up on). So we're not doing that to suit ourselves.

Freedobby · 18/02/2021 10:40

No university would take a decision to postpone graduations lightly. Even if restrictions were lifted by the summer I can’t see social event gatherings of thousands of people being allowed so their decisions will have probably been made on that basis. Also they will have all of the graduates from last summer to celebrate with first plus more if they normally hold winter graduations.

mumsneedwine · 18/02/2021 10:41

So no gowns. No certificate. Sit on the grass with picnic Just a ceremony outside with a loud haler and some nice words. The students just want to see humans - lots have been stuck on their own for months. Having something, anything, to look forward to in July would help. 10,000 is a lot so 5 days of 2,000 each day ? We have 2,000 outside when we do a fire drill and it's very doable.
My DDs own Unis have done a good job at f2f and being imaginative in group work and projects. But feel more could be planned so students can meet each other. First years have not met anyone on their course in some cases.

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 10:46

Yes universities are bigger than schools but they have many more students! We have 24k+ students at mine and we're not a big institution.
We don't have lots of spare space.

Graduation ceremonies are not being cancelled- just postponed. All students who have missed out an a ceremony will have the opportunity to attend one in the future.
It's the right decision.

Your expectations of universities is unrealistic.

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 10:53

So no gowns. No certificate. Sit on the grass with picnic Just a ceremony outside with a loud haler and some nice words
This is not a graduation ceremony.

10,000 is a lot so 5 days of 2000.
Plus guests.... socially distanced?
There are very few universities which would have the space for 2000+ people to have a picnic outside.

We have 2,000 outside when we do a fire drill and it's very doable.

A fire drill is not a graduation ceremony

My DDs own Unis have done a good job at f2f and being imaginative in group work and projects. But feel more could be planned so students can meet each other. First years have not met anyone on their course in some cases.

What do graduations ceremonies have to do with first years?

How can universities arrange for students to meet each other when we're in lockdown?? You're asking universities to go against all official guidance.

TheJerkStore · 18/02/2021 10:53

Also they will have all of the graduates from last summer to celebrate with first plus more if they normally hold winter graduations.

Exactly.

mumsneedwine · 18/02/2021 10:54

So you agree schools should remain on line too ? Because the issues facing them are exactly the same. Social distancing, lack of space, lots of humans in one place. And they both provide education.
I'm not even talking about Unis providing education f2f. Just opportunities for students to meet each other. On a small scale. In a lecture theatre (assume you have those ?). Some seat over 400, so have 40 in there. Lecturer still at home but some students together. And the government have not said you can't do this. Yes it's tough teaching on line and at home but I have to do it to much younger students who need more support so it can be done.
This is not going to go away quickly so imaginative thinking is needed.