Impact on Universities

[Jozhua]

I'm doing a media tech course, so a lot of our study involves getting hands on with the equipment and getting to grips with it.

Trying to study surround sound mixing online last semester did not work out so well for me. I'm going into 3rd year, so after this there will not be any opportunity to improve any of my skills. A lot of areas I'm still not very confident in, as I haven't really had the hands on. We're supposed to be doing in detail surround sound study, no idea how you're supposed to get to grips with Dolby ATMOS over Zoom...

We're just hoping equipment stores, labs, studios and the library will at least be be open for use, although I have my doubts...

 

[Adam Williams]

If I was in complete control of things at my uni, I'd move 90% of timetabled activites online, with exceptions based mainly on the nature of what's being taught - it would mainly be skills/methods material in-person. I'd then give all students a fortnightly meeting in an office with a personal tutor who can discuss progress, readings, assessments etc. This doesn't sound like a lot but actually in a well-run meeting, a lot of guidance can be given in this sort of context. These meetings are also just about the safest thing you can do as you can maintain 2m distancing, masks can be worn and sanitizers used. Then also make sure all lecturing staff have at least 3 hours-worth of additional bookable meeting slots a week for other students.

+1 for this. I think being held to account in an in-person meeting for what you've done since the last meeting is a) a powerful motivator and b) helps to ensure any difficulties are caught early and handled ASAP.

Unsure about your university, but student numbers at my alma mater barely seemed to allow for termly [i.e. every 10 weeks] tutor meetings (and they weren't even individual, it was done in groups) in normal times. Particularly with increased risk of illness and constraints on space, I'm not sure how likely departments are to try and give this sort of arrangement a good stab, which is a shame.

 

[backontrack]

I deferred entry. Hoping this'll have cleared up by next September.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I deferred entry. Hoping this'll have cleared up by next September.

I think I'd have done the same, to be honest.

 

[AdamWW]

I deferred entry. Hoping this'll have cleared up by next September.

A very difficult issue. It's the rational choice for an individual....but if too many people do it then there may not be a university to go to the following year....

(I don't suppose the government will stand back as the sector goes under, but I wouldn't be so sure it would bail out individual institutions if the majority are coping).

 

[backontrack]

A very difficult issue. It's the rational choice for an individual....but if too many people do it then there may not be a university to go to the following year....

(I don't suppose the government will stand back as the sector goes under, but I wouldn't be so sure it would bail out individual institutions if the majority are coping).

Universities will still need places to fill next year. Even including a larger volume of deferrals. There's fewer international students, for example.

As it happens, my dad works at a post-1992 university with a low placing in the rankings. Despite covid, they've managed to fill all their places this year.

 

[BJames]

I deferred entry. Hoping this'll have cleared up by next September.

Don't blame you to be honest. Going into second year this year and most of my academic activities are online until at least after Christmas.

 

[Huntergreed]

Update from my university. Thankfully they have reversed their decision to go completely online this year. The plan is to do mostly online right now, with a limited amount of on-campus learning. I study music education, which involves some one-to-one lessons, so I’ll be receiving one of these on campus twice a week. We also have a limited number of on campus tutorials/seminars/workshops (two or three) with mandatory masks and social distancing of 2m.

The library is closed until Christmas for use in person, although you can “order” books and they’ll have them ready to collect at the door, and you can self renew books for up to 9 weeks. Capacity in the whole building is down from 1500 to 175.

I don’t mind losing a term of my second year, but if this goes on into March, I do mind missing a whole year of my university experience, one which I’ll never get back, and one which is often one of the most memorable in life.

 

[Yew]

mandatory masks and social distancing of 2m.

Oh dear.

 

[FQTV]

I'm doing a media tech course,

Oh dear.

 

[Jozhua]

Oh dear.

The cheek
Oh well, there's no prospect for any graduates anyway. I'd rather do something I enjoy, or did enjoy before it went entirely online...

 

[Scotrail12]

We're online for the next 3 weeks, not looking forward to it remotely but remaining optimistic that some more in person learning will resume soon.

I just can't with working at home. I wonder if I'd get away with doing some of these remote Zoom meetings whilst on a train ride or in a coffee shop or something.

 

[BJames]

My timetable is quite empty but so are a lot of others' timetables. I've got maybe 2-3 hours in person a week if I'm lucky for this whole semester. Everything else online.

I intend to work out of a coffee shop for a few hours a week as part of a routine. I'd recommend it and especially if you're studying in a city there would be lots of options of places to go. My campus is enforcing face coverings throughout so I'd rather go and work in a coffee shop where I don't have to wear a mask than work on campus where I do.

 

[Scotrail12]

Nearly 2 weeks in, I think that not having in person classes or interaction is affecting many people. I'm getting by fine but I've noticed that many just don't seem very invested in everything that's going on, I wonder if things are getting to them a bit. Tutorials are quite awkward, some don't bother to speak at all.

If it was a working environment, I'd assume they were only in it for the pay check. I wonder if an eventual return to in-person learning would improve things.

 

[Huntergreed]

Nearly 2 weeks in, I think that not having in person classes or interaction is affecting many people. I'm getting by fine but I've noticed that many just don't seem very invested in everything that's going on, I wonder if things are getting to them a bit. Tutorials are quite awkward, some don't bother to speak at all.

If it was a working environment, I'd assume they were only in it for the pay check. I wonder if an eventual return to in-person learning would improve things.

I find it much much more difficult to stay motivated if I am working online myself, I find being in a room with my classmates makes it easier, gives the opportunity to ask peers for help, and even just seeing classmates in person can have a huge impact on my mental health and ability to stay motivated.

Of course, none of this is as important as a virus with a 99.5% survival rate, obviously...

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Tutorials are quite awkward, some don't bother to speak at all.

My course hasn't fully started at university yet, but I did have my first virtual meeting with my small study group today and can vouch for this. It felt a bit awkward, nobody really wanted to speak and most resorted to just typing in the chat box to start with. Although once one person spoke the majority of us did

I find it much much more difficult to stay motivated if I am working online myself, I find being in a room with my classmates makes it easier, gives the opportunity to ask peers for help, and even just seeing classmates in person can have a huge impact on my mental health and ability to stay motivated.

I agree. It felt a bit awkward to ask any questions in the group session I had today, but we're all in the same boat. I think we're all just a little bit lost (we're freshers) and not sure what's supposed to be happening.

Listening to the bin lorry outside someone's house when they couldn't figure out how to mute their microphone, was not something I was expecting, however.

 

[Scotrail12]

Was also shocked that nobody else had a change of scenery - everyone sitting in their bedroom, office or living room whilst my background was a snazzy looking wall in Starbucks.

Surely people want out the house as much as possible?

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Was also shocked that nobody else had a change of scenery - everyone sitting in their bedroom, office or living room whilst my background was a snazzy looking wall in Starbucks.

Surely people want out the house as much as possible?

I might try that but I'd be a bit concerned about background noise and distractions, tbh.

I have to use on-campus facilities one day a week as I have my (only) on-campus class directly after a two-hour lecture. I'm not sure whether face coverings are mandatory when seated in these facilities, I'm hoping not.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Surely people want out the house as much as possible?

I'm no fan of doing conference calls in coffee places, they're too noisy.

 

[route101]

I'm no fan of doing conference calls in coffee places, they're too noisy.

I have the same problem with finding a quiet place to make a phonecall when out and about in the City. Shows how noisy our cities are.

As for online learning, the final bit of fourth year was online. I prefer physical lectures as with stuff posted up or a recording, i wasnt watching it afterwards.

 

[A Challenge]

I think that most Universities are insisting on masks being worn in all University buildings at all times, including the whole length of any in person classes, which I thought was not the government guidelines?

 

[Huntergreed]

I think that most Universities are insisting on masks being worn in all University buildings at all times, including the whole length of any in person classes, which I thought was not the government guidelines?

The rule here is you need one to walk about, but as classes are distanced thankfully we can take them off in class.

 

[BJames]

I think that most Universities are insisting on masks being worn in all University buildings at all times, including the whole length of any in person classes, which I thought was not the government guidelines?

This is unfortunately the rule at mine.

The rule here is you need one to walk about, but as classes are distanced thankfully we can take them off in class.

Even though our classes would be distanced you still have to wear at all times. Lecturer yesterday was saying he's going to be strict on masks when we come on to campus and you need a sunflower lanyard to show you're exempt.

 

[takno]

I have the same problem with finding a quiet place to make a phonecall when out and about in the City. Shows how noisy our cities are.

As for online learning, the final bit of fourth year was online. I prefer physical lectures as with stuff posted up or a recording, i wasnt watching it afterwards.

Back when I did my first degree a couple of the courses were available on tape. Whilst I didn't have a clash, I did find it useful to grab the tape and listen back to it at 1.5 speed. It was still easy to keep up with the material, but my mind had less time to wander during the pauses and through the agonizingly slow delivery of the lecturer. The upshot was that for those lectures I was able to follow better and spend less time on it.

For a couple of maths lectures later on it would have been useful to have an online version that I could have paused while I got my head round some of the more fiddly concepts.

In short, the social and motivational sides of online lectures absolutely suck, but there are upsides, and it's worth using them

 

[MalaiseForever]

staff are doing their best to make lectures/seminars interactive whilst online. However, it just isn’t the same. I was chatting to some other students at the end of my seminar yesterday and it was unanimous that we all prefer in person teaching. I went to campus on Wednesday and it was pretty dead but they wouldn’t let me in the library as I hadn’t booked a slot.

 

[3rd rail land]

I'm no fan of doing conference calls in coffee places, they're too noisy.

Me neither. As well as being too noisy I don't want strangers overhearing my conversation, even if it is of no interest to them or not confidential in nature.
Plus my employer wouldn't be too happy for me to do work using public WiFi and without using a privacy screen.

 

[RuralRambler]

I think that most Universities are insisting on masks being worn in all University buildings at all times, including the whole length of any in person classes, which I thought was not the government guidelines?

They're not in campus college bars such as Lancaster where covid is now spreading rapidly. Completely disgusting that campus bars can get away with it when the local council/police have been closing down town centre bars nearby where the owners/staff weren't enforcing/complying with rules. Many campus flats are already in 14 day lockdown and they've not been back a week yet. The campus college bars havn't even been asking students to give their details/scan the app as they go into the bars. I didn't realise there were different rules for college bars as opposed to town centre bars.

 

[HSTEd]

So I am starting lab demonstration in person in a sort of pseudo lab on the 13th.

Should I start a pool on how long it takes me to get infected?

 

[david1212]

Pre-March driving to/from work the dedicated buses heading to/from the nearby towns to one university were well patronised and sometimes standing passengers. Virtually all were double deckers. Since late September I have seen far fewer. Of those I have seen numerous are single deckers. This morning a single decker looked to have just one passenger and tonight a double decker looked empty downstairs. I've no idea how the numbers of students compare to 12 months ago but I'd be surprised if the number of foreign students is not significantly lower.

Based on this there can be very few on campus lectures so it must be like a ghost town except for the residential blocks.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Pre-March driving to/from work the dedicated buses heading to/from the nearby towns to one university were well patronised and sometimes standing passengers. Virtually all were double deckers. Since late September I have seen far fewer. Of those I have seen numerous are single deckers. This morning a single decker looked to have just one passenger and tonight a double decker looked empty downstairs. I've no idea how the numbers of students compare to 12 months ago but I'd be surprised if the number of foreign students is not significantly lower.

Based on this there can be very few on campus lectures so it must be like a ghost town except for the residential blocks.

I was on-campus at my University yesterday and yes it was like a ghost town. The vast, vast majority of lectures/tutorials/etc are all being done online.