Our Commitment to New Students 2021
We are delighted that you are interested in studying at the University Centre South Devon (UCSD). We all know that preparing to go to university is an exciting time, but it can also be slightly daunting. You will have great hopes but also many questions.
I want to address particularly any concerns about what university will be like while the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the UK. Importantly, I want to reassure you that UCSD is committed to starting the 2021/2022 academic year for all students in September 2021.
Of course, it will be wonderful if we are able to start the new year as we would normally. If we can, we absolutely will, and plan for in person delivery. But the first important element of our plan relates to your safety and that of our whole community.
We will follow government advice on social distancing and personal safety to ensure a ‘Covid secure’ working and learning environment. Our facilities will be operational, and you will be able to study and engage in person regularly with other students and staff. After all, this is what university is all about.
During the 2020/21 academic year whenever possible we enabled students to attend in-person as we recognised that for many students this is an important factor in their university life. We also provided access to delivery remotely for students who were unable to attend in person, as well as recording most sessions for future access and recap. This meant that last academic year all programmes that were designed for in person delivery were delivered in this way until Christmas, when additional national lockdown measures were put in place.
We were delighted that students gave us an overall satisfaction score of 94% from our Student Perception Questionnaire for their experience for 20/21 and provided so many excellent examples of feedback on the support they were provided.
It is our intention to once again return to in person delivery from September 2021. So, this means you will be able to participate in lectures, face-to-face face tutorials, and seminars. You will be able to access laboratory and studio experiences, the library, and all student support and welfare services. If they are needed, either to enable social distancing or to support your individual circumstances, options for remote access or online and blended learning will be available alongside the face-to-face experience. We know that we all may need to adapt if Covid conditions change.
If circumstances dictate that we proceed to another lockdown we will continue to deliver a high-quality teaching, learning and assessment experience, following your timetable but utilising technology to support your delivery.
Our priority is to offer great teaching, learning and a positive experience for all our students. We look forward to being able to welcome you to UCSD.
We are pleased to also be able to share recent Department for Education guidance for Higher Education students access to vaccinations that we encourage you to read Coronavirus » COVID-19 vaccination FAQs: students in Higher Education Institutions (england.nhs.uk).