On Wednesday 18 March the University of Law suspended face to face teaching at all its campuses, including at the London Road campus of the University of Reading, and moved its teaching online. Whilst a daunting prospect, the University of Law has over ten years’ experience of delivering online programmes and so the transition was remarkably seamless.
Lectures and workshops were streamed live to ensure that students had an opportunity to ask questions of their tutors. However, in order to ensure that students would be able to access teaching, even if they were unwell or out of the country and so in a different time zone, the University decided in addition to record lectures and workshops. It was not just the teaching sessions which were moved online. Personal tutor meetings, careers appointments, welfare and counselling appointments were moved onto virtual platforms. Assessments too moved online and took the form of either open book courseworks submitted via the Turnitin platform or live examinations invigilated by the online invigilation service, ProctorU.
Understandable anxiety in the student body quite quickly transformed into acceptance of the new normal. Students have increasingly engaged with online employability workshops, employer talks and competitions including a summer Commercial Awareness challenge. Our undergraduate students have received their results and as of 30 July so too will the students on our postgraduate programmes. The SRA has allowed those offering the LPC course to operate a ‘no detriment policy’ so that students are not disadvantaged by the transition to online examinations.
Now, as lockdown restrictions begin to lift, the University is starting to reopen its campuses. It is already possible for students to book three hour study slots on the University of Law’s own campuses. This is particularly important for students who are in digital poverty or find it difficult to find a quiet place to work at home. In readiness for the return of face to face teaching in September the University has introduced at its campuses various measures to ensure the safety of student and staff. These include social distancing markers, thermographic cameras on entry, hand sanitiser stations, Perspex screens at reception desks in Student Services and the Library as well as requiring staff and students to wear face coverings.
In the event that Government guidance changes and the University is not able to open, the University’s Study Guarantee means that sessions will be streamed until such time as we can return to campus. If University campuses are open but a student is unable to attend (perhaps because of travel restrictions or concerns about coming to campus) then they will be able to access their sessions online until they are able to switch to face to face teaching.
It has been a challenge but the University has continued to deliver its courses throughout lockdown and is now looking forward to welcoming its students back on campus for the new academic year. We have been heartened that legal employers have been equally resilient and the University of Law’s Employability portal has a good number of Thames Valley and national opportunities for paralegal and training contract positions.
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