Nearly all institutions responding to a Universities UK survey say they are planning to provide some in-person teaching at the start of the next academic year.
The survey of 92 institutions found that 89 universities – 97 per cent – are planning to provide on-campus teaching in 2020, with the remaining three saying they would provide teaching online.
It also found that 87 per cent said they would offer in-person social opportunities to students, such as outside events and wellbeing and sporting activities “in line with government and public health guidance”.
However, a number of institutions, including the universities of Cambridge and Manchester, have already announced that lectures will be provided online in the autumn. Manchester has said that smaller group teaching will be provided in person, while Cambridge left that option open.
The UUK survey comes as universities try to stave off the prospect of deferrals by students unhappy about the idea of portions of their learning being delivered online, or about the perceived scope for other traditional elements of the university experience to be diminished in the era of social distancing.
The survey found that 95 per cent of institutions would provide the “full range of student support”, such as mental health support and careers advice, via both online and in-person services. Only five universities planned to deliver these services online.
For example, the University of Gloucestershire said “there will be face to face small group teaching; students will be able to use our specialist facilities on campus; there will be engagement with personal tutors; we will continue to provide all of our student services, including welfare and wellbeing, helpzones; counselling, libraries and learning support, pastoral care, and employability and careers support”.
The majority of those who responded to the survey – 90 per cent – said that they had communicated their plans to prospective and current students, while the others said that they would be “doing so imminently”, UUK said.
Of those surveyed, 82 universities said that they are working with bars and cafes in the local community as they develop their plans.
The UK sector, as elsewhere around the world, has faced a great deal of uncertainty – particularly around institutional finances – when it comes to predicting whether students would be put off attending university if a significant proportion of teaching is online.
Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of UUK, said that “universities across the UK are well advanced in their planning to welcome students this autumn and ensure they can benefit from a high-quality, full and exciting university experience”.
“Following the latest health guidelines, universities are continuing to develop detailed plans for the new academic year and will be regularly updating new and returning students over the coming weeks,” he said.
“Although their first term will be different from previous years, most students can expect significant in-person teaching and a wide range of social activities and support services. Universities are committed to providing an engaging academic and social experience for all while ensuring the safety and welfare of the whole university community,” Mr Jarvis said.
