Following the first of the Prime Minster’s daily Coronavirus briefings yesterday, Vice President for Education Professor Alex Neill has announced plans for ‘all teaching and academic support’ to be delivered online.
With all assessments also being set to take place solely online, this means that students will not be required to return to campus following the Easter Break.
Whilst University halls, Hartley Library and other ‘key academic services’ will be remaining open, the email notes that this will be ‘until further notice’.
This comes after the University pushed the end of term forward by a week, with teaching ending on Friday 13th March. Summer graduations have also postponed until further notice, with Southampton’s annual Varsity against the Porstmouth University also being cancelled.
Some schools within the Humanities Faculty like English and Philosophy have implemented extensions to assignments due this coming Thursday in specific modules – with some modules seeing an extension to 24th April.
Furthermore, the Social Sciences Faculty and the School of Biomedical Science are amongst the limited number of schools and faculties so far who have seen their dissertation deadlines being extended, with other Faculties being expected to follow suit in the near future.
Signing off the email, Neill says:
We hope that this provides you with the information you need to decide whether to stay in Southampton to study or to continue your studies from elsewhere through online-enabled distance learning, support and assessment.
We appreciate and share the concerns you are experiencing about the current situation with Covid-19. We are working very hard to ensure that the University is able to continue to offer the high-quality education and student support that you expect from us and will endeavour to resume teaching (online) at the end of the Easter Vacation, as planned. We appreciate your patience during this difficult time.
Wessex Scene would like to thank all of our audience, committee members and contributors for making this academic year the best yet.
