A regulatory body in the UK has warned universities to be honest about online lessons. The Office for Students requested universities and colleges not to make promises that lessons from September will be in-person. Thousands of institutions worldwide are delivering lessons online because of coronavirus. The quality of lessons often depends on the ability of teachers to exploit video conferencing platforms to copy a classroom experience. The body said: "Tailored support needs to be put in place." Cambridge University said all of its lessons would be online until the summer of 2021.
The Office for Students warned higher-education providers to be "as clear as they can" about what kind of teaching situation they will provide. It said no one knows what things will be like in the autumn. It said it didn't want to hear promises that everything would be back to normal, with an on-campus experience, when that is not the case. It asked for "absolute clarity" so students know the situation before accepting university offers. The body said "every reasonable effort" should be made to ensure that students, "receive good outcomes and that the quality of their teaching is robust".