How much f2f has your student had?

[avenueq]

What year, subject, where in the country?
Dd, 2nd year, languages, South -
50 % socially distanced f2f until December, online since then

I’m glad to hear that he has made some friends. DD has met one person, the Post Grad she shares a private halls flat with.
I agree about the need for meeting with others on the course.

Ds 2nd year of engineering degree. SW England

All lectures online in Autumn tern, one f2f group work session per week

Spring term, all online. Told to go back at the start of March for a practical but it kept getting deferred and did not take place until the Easter holidays

All lectures will continue online this term but there are some practicals planned.

I am in HE and I've had 3 lessons f2f lasting 3 hours each

3 language sessions in September/October.

Wow I’m really shocked reading all these experiences. My DS at least has been at uni throughout as his halls have been open and he has chosen to go back. He has had 3 of his 4 flatmates there all the time and one only intermittently. He has been able to use the library although has to book. He has socialised with his flatmates, others from his halls and those course members he did meet in the few f2f seminars he had, although mostly outside. The tech for lectures and seminars has been v good and he likes being able to watch lectures at a time that suits him. He has been getting through his essays and they have been marked and returned with feedback given in seminars or office hours over zoom. It hasn’t been normal by any means but it has been the best of a bad job.

But it sounds like he has been very lucky. My heart breaks for those who have had no f2f and not been at university so haven’t met anyone. I am furious for those who have had shit tech - there is no excuse, the whole world is managing remotely. I am really sad for those who have not been allowed back to halls so couldn’t even choose to live away from home.

It is worrying that the experience has been so different at different places for no rhyme or reason. My DS2 will be applying for uni in September for 2022 entry - it would be interesting to know whether his chosen unis did well or badly during the pandemic and how they treated their students. I can feel some threads coming on...

Yes we should compile a chart of which unis have found solutions/been pro student.

It seems the old ones - Oxford, St. Andrews etc have been slowest and most restrictive, partly due to term timings and also because well they won’t lose students will they!

The newer (old polys) seem to be far better.

Yes @Newgirls that is interesting - particularly shocked to hear from @KingscoteStaff that Durham has such a crap tech solution in place - not what I would expect - but maybe for the same reason you highlight. I don’t want to spend my money with an institution that doesn’t pull out all possible stops for their students and that sort of info means I will probably not encourage DS to apply to Durham. Decision is his of course.

Medicine - one week in the lab

Year 4 but intercalating to do a BSc so there were no clinical placements this year anyway.

TBF, the first 2 terms were excellent. Exactly the same teaching, live lectures, tutorials and group projects, just online/Teams. COVID 19 has really affected their individual research projects though as some were cancelled or delayed.

I keep reading about how well Loughborough is looking after their students.

Re Oxbridge, aren't most if not all of their halls catered? Social distancing must be more difficult there.

@RampantIvy

I keep reading about how well Loughborough is looking after their students.

Re Oxbridge, aren't most if not all of their halls catered? Social distancing must be more difficult there.

Yes that will be an issue tho also true of places like Leeds that have been more welcoming

One in 3rd year of a 4y degree. No f2f since March 2020. Stem. Scottish uni.

One in 4th year of a 4y degree. Same uni. No f2f since March 2020. No labs despite being a science degree.

First year, social science.
Six, weekly one hour face to face sessions in the autumn term until the second lockdown arrived, missing a couple of weeks for having to isolate. Nothing at all face to face since then.
She has stayed in her halls for most of the time and made friends there but doesn't know anyone on her course. Cameras are always off in seminars; I'm not sure why.
This cohort are going to need a lot of extra help and support next year; even finding their way around the library is going to be a challenge.

Cameras are always off in seminars; I'm not sure why.

That must be utterly soul destroying for the lecturer/tutor delivering the seminar. I read on the WIWIKAU Facebook page recently about one tutor being close to tears because all the students were muted and had their cameras turned off. It must be like talking at to a brick wall. Aren't seminars meant to be a two way communication thing?

First year nurse at Glasgow Caledonian University. No f2f teaching at all and online teaching has been pretty poor, albeit most of the lecturers have tried their best. The exception are the lecturers who teach Anatomy and Physiology- they've not done any lectures (apparently there are too many students and they'd be overwhelmed with questions!) so we've had to teach ourselves from pre-recorded material and workbooks.
We've had 2 sessions f2f - one in hospital for moving and handling training and a one hour lab session for basic life saving skills.
We've not had our clinical placements - we have been told we'll get 9 weeks of placement prior to September but the rest will need to be made up next year.

@RampantIvy

Cameras are always off in seminars; I'm not sure why.

That must be utterly soul destroying for the lecturer/tutor delivering the seminar. I read on the WIWIKAU Facebook page recently about one tutor being close to tears because all the students were muted and had their cameras turned off. It must be like talking at to a brick wall. Aren't seminars meant to be a two way communication thing?

We are unable to turn cameras on in lectures and seminars because the software we use cannot handle the bandwidth. Very impersonal and I really feel for the lecturers as many students do not participate.

Yes, tech constraints don't help.

@Delphigirl your description absolutely mirrors my DD experience - plus she is second year so living off campus in a private rental so coming and going from accommodation not so much of an issue. On the whole she doesn’t think that her learning has suffered too much - all the essay writing and research etc would be a solo activity anyway and on her course the online seminars have been well attended with cameras on so she has some interaction with others. She positively prefers online lectures as she can listen to them at her own pace and revisit them if necessary

2nd year, performing arts. Except for 'full lockdown' (Christmas - March 8th):

• Lectures / seminars online, cameras on and interactive
• Allowed to play in small groups within 'bubble' (first 2 years mixed and divided into 2 bubbles) with some restrictions on use of rooms within building.
• Tutoring of small group f2f.
• 1:1 lessons mixture of online and f2f.

During full lockdown, lack of geographical restrictions for online meant a series of masterclasses online that would not have been possible live.

No large groups, so no orchestras / large bands.

Could definitely have been worse.

DC2 has to sort out who to live with next year
but has not met anybody on course or campus yet
and has not been to the city since last December

Poor him @ListeningQuietly. That’s crap. I might be tempted to look at some of the private uni halls in that case. Get him a nice central studio somewhere and meet friends by joining societies and clubs instead.

I might be tempted to look at some of the private uni halls in that case. Get him a nice central studio somewhere and meet friends by joining societies and clubs instead.
HA HA HA HA
You and I must live in different worlds.

After paying his hall fees he has £71 left of his maintenance grant.
Private halls are triple the price
and COVID has rather impacted my household.

He HAS to live out so that he can afford to live.

Final year BSc...Scottish Uni... no f2f since November and no practicals or fieldwork since March 20
Has been able to contact tutor re dissertation which he handed in yesterday and now only has 1 open book exam in May and he's finished his Uni 'experience'
Shares flat with another lad on his course but they have not seen their classmates since November
Had planned to continue with MSc but is now so despondent he's taking a year out before continuing as there's no point if he can't do any practical/ fieldwork!

Dd is doing Medical Sciences at Exeter.
She's had 4 lab sessions in the first term and doesn't know anyone on her course yet.
She does have a few more hopefully in May though, so she's really hoping to make friends then.

@listeningquietly Really? I’ve been looking at private halls in Cardiff for a foreign friends son and they are nicer and cheaper than the uni halls, but that might just be Cardiff. More expensive than a room in a shared house though. I was just trying to be helpful.

Delphi
DS gets £2600 a term to cover EVERYTHING
Most of the studio lets are 51 week
I've already put one through Uni
Private halls are not cheaper
sadly