Millions of us

At our uni I'd expect to hear students deferring their place until next year if things are unclear in the autumn.

We've been told as a university to expect, "significant remote working until at least Autumn". Face to face teaching is a massive part of learning and it's hard to replace that in the rather sterile e-learning environment.
Nursing, my area of support, is a potential issue but mitigated somewhat by the fact that placements last maybe 8 weeks at a time and they have no reason to come in to uni at that time. I expect they'll have to be tested before returning for face to face teaching if there is any.

All our Healthcare courses for September are being planned online. Of course that may change and I expect at some point there will be a mix with restrictions on the numbers in a room or lecture theatre.

As long as there's an 'experience' to be had outside the learning, people will come. Leeds Uni has spent hundreds of millions on buildings in the past 10 years, so some courses will benefit from that.

I'm not sure they will be able, long term, to charge the same fees though, but if you reduce overheads elsewhere then you could probably recoup the difference.

So yes, there might there be a move to offering the same course online instead of turning up each day,where it suits the coursework and its possible to make it work. We already have some lectures recorded and available to watch in students own time. Although knowing how data driven ours is they would be monitoring results like hawks and keen only to provide distance learning if they can show you're getting the same results across all students. No one really wants a worse outcome because you're learning in your bedroom.

 

Deferring students is a tricky one and Jamdrop higher up made some good points as to why they wouldn't.

At the same time you risk disruption to your learning, a lesser teaching experience and a lesser social experience too. Plus if your parents aren't paying for the whole shabang then jobs are going to be more difficult to find to help pay your way if bars restaurants etc are closed down, or out of business.

University in my view has already become financially unviable for too many people, this virus might just make it even more so.

 

Anyone who wants to read Leeds Uni's current planning as of this afternoon...

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to let you know of the steps we are taking to plan the gradual re-opening of the campus and the resumption of on-campus activities and services as and when the current ‘coronavirus lockdown’ is eased. I must emphasise that resuming activities on campus will be a complex operation, and that it will involve several phases, probably spread over several months.


The key points are as follows.

1. Our priority is to protect the safety, health and wellbeing of members of staff and students.
   

1. In this context, and for various legal and operational reasons, we need a standardised and controlled approach to re-opening the campus. Decisions on how and when we return to work on campus will therefore be taken at institutional level – by a steering group reporting to the University Executive Group – rather than left to individual faculties, schools and services to determine for themselves.
   

1. Clearly there are a lot of uncertainties about the path of the coronavirus pandemic and the way in which governments will manage it over the coming months. Our planning therefore needs to be flexible and agile, and we expect to adjust our plans as events unfold. But we are currently planning on the basis:
   

1. that recommissioning buildings and facilities closed since March could take several weeks;
   
   
2. that the current national lockdown will be lifted in phases, with some restrictions perhaps being re-imposed from time to time to control further waves of infection;
   
   
3. that it will be necessary to practise some form of ‘social-distancing’ throughout the summer and autumn, and perhaps for longer still;
   
   
4. that social distancing will require some significant changes to the way we work – including the reconfiguration of space in our buildings, the adoption of new ways of working or staggered working patterns, the introduction of prescribed routes within and between buildings, and the appropriate use of personal protective equipment;
   
   
5. that enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures will be necessary.
   

1. As noted above, we are also planning on the basis that returning to work on campus will be effected in phases, probably spread over several months. Whatever relaxations are announced by the Government this weekend, or subsequently, it is likely that we will continue to need a significant degree of ‘remote working’ at least into the autumn. It is likely that the first phase will see no more than about a fifth of staff working on campus.
   

1. We have adopted the following principles to shape our planning:
   

1. as noted above, we will prioritise the protection of the safety, health and wellbeing of all staff and students;
   
   
2. we will be guided by advice and, where applicable, instructions issued from time to time by the Government, Public Health England and other health authorities;
   
   
3. the re-opening of particular buildings and the resumption of specific activities will be subject to formal risk assessments to be approved by the steering group;
   
   
4. subject to (a) to (c) above, plans for re-opening the campus – and the management of associated workload – will reflect institutional priorities, including in particular the needs to recruit and register students for 2020-21, to develop the delivery of student education for 2020-21, and to resume critical areas of research;
   
   
5. the steering group will determine common, standard protocols – for example, on social distancing and hygiene measures – to be applied across all faculties, schools and services.
   

1. The steering group will take appropriate expert advice, and we will consult relevant stakeholders – including the trades unions – as we develop plans for returning to work on campus.
   

1. As part of our planning:
   

• the executive deans will be asked to draw up (for review by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation) proposals on research areas or projects to be prioritised for the resumption of research activities in their respective faculties;
  
  
• a sub-group has been established to oversee the delivery of student education for incoming and returning students for the 2020-21 academic session;
  
  
• heads of services are being asked to identify which of their functions need to be delivered on or from campus (as opposed to remotely) between May and December 2020, with appropriate timeframes.
  

I apologise for writing at such length, and on the day before a Bank Holiday, but we wanted to be transparent about the basis on which we are planning for the re-opening of the campus. It is important that everyone understands that returning to work on campus is going to be effected in phases; and, that whilst individuals and groups will be told as soon as possible when they might be able to work on campus again, this cannot be done immediately.


We will issue further bulletins to keep you in the picture as plans take shape. In any event, we expect to communicate with you again early next week, in the light of the Government announcement due on Sunday, and we shall also publicise next week a mechanism by which you can raise questions or make suggestions to inform the planning.


With my best wishes to you and your families in these troubling and uncertain times,


Roger Gair

University Secretary

 

interesting that the good professor wants people like you to stop misrepresenting his work.

 

I did indeed misunderstand. Apologies.

 

Eh? That’s not the point made at all?

 

He has asked people to stop misrepresenting his views to defend their positions.

 

Has tyketical masterstroke misrepresented his views though?

 

He’s asked people to stop saying we can’t make international comparisons. That wasn’t what the BBC article (note - not my article) was doing.

 

My daughter just finishing at York (3 years - physiotherapy) - had a brilliant time there - what really upset her was her and her friends who had lived together for three years had to leave York with very little notice because of the virus.
They were looking forward to end of course celebrations etc.
(mentioned in an earlier post the huge problem facing students now in their 1st or 2nd year if there's a practical requirement/placement to their course. If practical element not done they can't move on to next year e.g. nursing/physio/vocational courses.)

 

WAKE & GROW UP fella. Maybe you are OK? Worst recession since the 1700's.

 

He’s alright Jack. Absolutely typical of his generation.

 

You really don't like us oldies do you?

 

Hey dunt lump me in with him for Christs sake.

 

Harsh. Very harsh generalisation.

 

Less of this kind of behaviour on here you two! This isn't the place for sensible adult resolutions!

 

No.

 

Shut up you ******* cultist ******.