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UK colleges told to be truthful about online lessons

Online Lessons - Level 4

A regulatory body has warned UK universities to be honest about online lessons. The Office for Students said universities should not promise that lessons from September would be in-person. Thousands of colleges are giving lessons online because of coronavirus. The quality of lessons often depends on how well teachers can use video websites. Cambridge University said its lessons would be online until the summer of 2021.

The body said universities should be "as clear as they can" about the teaching situation. It said no one knows what things will be like in the autumn. It said colleges should not promise students they would have a normal on-campus experience if that is not true. It said students should know the situation before accepting university offers. The body said, "every reasonable effort" should be made to ensure that, "the quality of their teaching is robust".

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Online Lessons - Level 5

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".

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Online Lessons - Level 6

A regulatory body in the UK that looks after student affairs has warned universities to be honest about online lessons. The Office for Students issued a request to higher education providers not to make promises that lessons from September will be in-person or face-to-face. Currently, thousands of institutions worldwide are delivering lessons online because of the coronavirus pandemic. The quality of these lessons quite often depends on the proficiency of teachers to successfully exploit video conferencing platforms to replicate a classroom experience. The body said: "Tailored support needs to be put in place." Cambridge University has announced all of its lessons will be online until the summer of 2021.

The Office for Students chief executive, Nicola Dandridge, warned universities and colleges to be "as clear as they can" when informing students of what kind of teaching situation they will receive. She said: "None of us knows exactly what is going to be happening in the autumn. What we don't want to see is promises that it's all going to be back to usual with an on-campus experience, when that is not the case." She added: "The point here is absolute clarity to students so they know what they are getting in advance to accepting [university] offers." She said that, "every reasonable effort" should be made to ensure that students, "receive good outcomes and that the quality of their teaching is robust".

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson