Cambridge University moves lectures online until summer 2021

[HermioneT 1,998]

Cambridge setting here an example for other universities might probably be devastating news for many students struggling with online lectures. My bf for example does not have a well working WLAN at his house (he has to share it with 8 other people) nor does he have a powerful laptop. As long as the uni won't resume work, he can't go back to a job there and can't afford better devices. And Zoom classes are a catastrophe on devices like old smartphones or low-budget tablets. And no, we aren't living in a region in the global south.

[Killa 18,859]

It's not for every student to do online courses. For most is highly unproductive. I thought Cambridge of all, could come with a better solution

[Bt1 5,213]

1 hour ago, ARTPOPNick said:

there won't be a vaccin until summer 2021 and there is 0 problem with online classes, so why not?

Because the chances of a young, healthy student to die from this is very small. People have more or similar chances to die in a car accident. 

[JoeMo 3,889]

1 hour ago, devilrhino said:

Not necessary at all 

The organisations that have the resources and manpower to get a system like this up and running should 100% be doing this. 

[xoxo Craig 55,649]

1 hour ago, FfFfFfFF said:

 

Thats the way it should be... infact, why not just make it online permanently?

[OMF 3,673]

That’s a bit of an exaggeration? That’s over a year from now

[OMF 3,673]

8 minutes ago, xoxo Craig said:

Thats the way it should be... infact, why not just make it online permanently?

Because it’s not the same, many people actually prefer face to face. I work for education, majority are not happy with just online studies

[HermioneT 1,998]

10 minutes ago, xoxo Craig said:

Thats the way it should be... infact, why not just make it online permanently?

Because it will exclude those with non sufficient internet and technical devices. 

[weed 79,077]

I hate online classes I cannot focus, I goofed all the way up this last semester once we had to quarantine  even doing homework at home was a struggle for me before (i.e. I'd do it at school or in the library) so with everything online I'm trash

[Mirrion Rizzons 12,732]

Lecture halls are huge. Why can’t they just enforce a 2 metre rule? 

[lodylody 1,790]

9 minutes ago, HermioneT said:

Because it will exclude those with non sufficient internet and technical devices. 

This is actually really untrue. Cambridge University are wonderful with providing student support financially. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of its constituent colleges have allowed for applications for grants to pay for sufficient laptops/noise-cancelling headphones/etc. Internet will be an issue, yes.

They are also allowing vulnerable students/those without a home to remain in university accommodation, where the internet is fine.

This is definitely not the same as other universities, I am aware, but Cambridge University (because of the ridiculous amount of money) are really actually good with student support, at least in my experience.

[lodylody 1,790]

Also on this point, in my experience Cambridge University is actually making the most of online classes as well. For some of my practical classes, lecturers have opted to run small-group calls (3-4 people) rather than three groups of 20, so that we get more direct contact time than we did before.

[lodylody 1,790]

1 hour ago, Mirrion Rizzons said:

My uni is still confident that they’ll have us in September  I just don’t see how this is possible?? I’m thinking January the earliest 

I’m very torn. I’m going into my first year at uni, but I’m also considering deferring my place because it’s gonna be so boring with social distancing and no clubs open + online courses. If I’m paying £9,250 I want it to be worth it. 

Oh goodness... Maybe it'd be better to defer your place and try to get a job or something to start saving  I can't imagine getting in that much debt for an online course  I'm coming out the other end of my degree in the next month, and even I feel shortchanged by this situation  

1 hour ago, Mirrion Rizzons said:

Nowadays all lectures can be streamed online even before the covid mess so you could sit in bed and listen  

  To my knowledge Cambridge University did not have these types of services. You had to turn up physically, and lectures wouldn't even be recorded officially for viewing afterwards. Quite outdated, really. I hope that when they get back to normal teaching eventually, they do modernise to the extent that many other universities already have, in terms of lecture recordings/streaming.

1 hour ago, Giorno Giovanna said:

wow groundbreaking... 

my university already did that since april, why are they so late to the party? 

 They did it since March/April as well, they just now announced the extension into the next academic year  

[TEANUS 16,155]

For anyone to cancel two semesters at once, I don’t think they care that much. Our university is literally looking at ANY and EVERY option or any safety measures possible before choosing to close again for a semester at a time. They want us to get back to normality while it seems like others are comfortable moving towards a 100% online dystopian bullshit with ease  

The biggest thing that gets me is how apparently the governments and scientists do know what we need to do to reopen safely (contact tracing, more testing, etc. —> if there’s no vaccine yet) and they can’t figure ANY of that out in the next four or so months?? Or even before spring semesters?? How can they not rally together enough testing in MONTHS? What are they going to do in that time span if not find resolutions? Find other things to close down? 

[AsleepOnTheCeiling 6,977]

 

1 hour ago, HEARTSTOP said:

There are lots of problems with lectures online. People can't properly learn this way. I know it's dumb but that's how our social brains work. At least reduce the tuitions if you're not providing the same resources and overall education quality...

As an option, yes. As mandatory, no.

In the U.K. student debt isn't as bad though, is it? I'm not educated on it, but wouldn't people just be able to take a gap year? I just don't think it would be very responsible for them to run classes in person, and I feel like it'd be hard getting faculty to agree with it. I'm also not sure about classroom sizes but another problem might be close proximity.