The Student Room Group

Will universities follow Cambridge to do online lectures until summer 2021?

I'm quite shocked at this announcement and it's only makes me wonder what they know..

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It is going to be interesting to watch for further announcements from other unis now Cambridge has gone full on
Reply 2
I think it's cynical.Schools are returning why are universities doing this? One thing for sure you will be expected to take up accommodation as it is an income generator .Perhaps cost cutting as reduced overseas students.
Reply 3
I think unis other than Cambridge won't really be able to afford to do that, most have said it will only be first term for now
Original post by Surfsup
I think it's cynical.Schools are returning why are universities doing this? One thing for sure you will be expected to take up accommodation as it is an income generator .Perhaps cost cutting as reduced overseas students.

I think what Cambridge means that they won't hold lectures where there are like 300 students. They will probably do tutorials and such I think while living on campus.
Reply 5
Original post by Journeyiris
I think what Cambridge means that they won't hold lectures where there are like 300 students. They will probably do tutorials and such I think while living on campus.


they said workshops and tutorials face to face in small groups
Original post by Surfsup
I think it's cynical.Schools are returning why are universities doing this? One thing for sure you will be expected to take up accommodation as it is an income generator .Perhaps cost cutting as reduced overseas students.

How does delivering a lecture online via teams/zoom cut costs compared to delivering it in a lecture theatre?
Original post by Surfsup
I think it's cynical.Schools are returning why are universities doing this? One thing for sure you will be expected to take up accommodation as it is an income generator .Perhaps cost cutting as reduced overseas students.

How does delivering a lecture online via teams/zoom cut costs compared to delivering it in a lecture theatre?

Original post by Journeyiris
I'm quite shocked at this announcement and it's only makes me wonder what they know..


They know that their staff arenโ€™t willing to spend 2-3 hours a week in a crowded lecture theatre with 200+ students facing them?
Original post by Journeyiris
I'm quite shocked at this announcement and it's only makes me wonder what they know..

Had to make the announcement... Since Oxford kept trying to say we'll have a vaccine by September ๐Ÿ˜‚.
This decision seems absurd. What a way to ruin a year of university for people. How do you share in ideas when everything is online? Social life? Cambridge have taken the social essence out of university life and this will be damaging for them
Original post by PQ
How does delivering a lecture online via teams/zoom cut costs compared to delivering it in a lecture theatre?

Depends on how they do it. Delivering live lectures via teams/zoom is one thing. Recycling previous year's lecture slides and recordings is something else.
Original post by sp00kymcflukey
This decision seems absurd. What a way to ruin a year of university for people. How do you share in ideas when everything is online? Social life? Cambridge have taken the social essence out of university life and this will be damaging for them

They haven't cancelled tutorials or small group teachings, yet. This means students will still be in Cambridge, they just won't be in the lecture halls, which will probably suit the students who don't go to lectures nicely.
Original post by TigerRoll
Depends on how they do it. Delivering live lectures via teams/zoom is one thing. Recycling previous year's lecture slides and recordings is something else.

Even recycling slides doesnโ€™t actually cut costs unless you make the staff who produced those slides redundant. Theyโ€™ll still need paying!
Original post by PQ
Even recycling slides doesnโ€™t actually cut costs unless you make the staff who produced those slides redundant. Theyโ€™ll still need paying!

Lol some of the lecture slides being re-used from my course are from people who are long gone.
Original post by TigerRoll
Lol some of the lecture slides being re-used from my course are from people who are long gone.

Thatโ€™s nothing new though. Even back in the stone ages slides would be recycled each year (gotta save on the acetate!). Resusing slides <> cost savings
Original post by TigerRoll
They haven't cancelled tutorials or small group teachings, yet. This means students will still be in Cambridge, they just won't be in the lecture halls, which will probably suit the students who don't go to lectures nicely.

Seems like a damp Squibb rather than a waste of a year, then.
Original post by sp00kymcflukey
Seems like a damp Squibb rather than a waste of a year, then.

It will be a damp squib if they get rid of all the traditional social events.
Original post by TigerRoll
It will be a damp squib if they get rid of all the traditional social events.

A lot of people will be disappointed don't you think? Cambridge have messed up.
Original post by sp00kymcflukey
A lot of people will be disappointed don't you think? Cambridge have messed up.

Would you be happy spending 2-3 hours or more a week in a cramped lecture hall with 200+ students facing you?

I donโ€™t see protecting their staff from a high risk, low reward teaching method as messing up
Original post by PQ
Would you be happy spending 2-3 hours or more a week in a cramped lecture hall with 200+ students facing you?

I donโ€™t see protecting their staff from a high risk, low reward teaching method as messing up

Cambridge recently modelled that over 6.
5 million people in the UK have had the virus. If true, and seems like solid data, CFR is much lower than first thought , around 0.5 %. by September, with use of masks and sensible conduct, the risk to a teacher is going to be small. I think the uni are more concerned about students spreading in the theatres, than staff, but hey ho.

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