COVID-19 update (HE Learners)

On Monday 4 January 2021, the UK Government implemented a national lockdown with immediate effect, which will last until at least mid-February 2021 – but possibly longer. This represents an update to any previous government guidance, which we communicated to students for the January 2021 restart.

The following communication includes the latest available information for students. For further details of the UK Government’s new guidance, please visit the following gov.uk webpage.

Teaching and learning during the national lockdown

• Students studying at BSDC

  If you are a Staffordshire University student studying with Burton and South Derbyshire College (Collaborative Academic Partner), please refer to the information on our website Learner FAQs and on CANVAS for local arrangements supplied by your course team.

• Virtual delivery (online only)

  On 6 January 2021, we switched all face-to-face delivery to online delivery for all courses and will follow existing timetabled sessions. Of course, as soon as we receive further guidance from the government that allows for a return to face-to-face campus delivery, we will contact you.

• Assessments

  The University is extending first-semester assessment deadlines by two weeks from their original dates. In the small number of cases where this is not possible, your course team will notify you directly.

  Although this extension is available to you to support you in case of any disruption caused by the current lock-down, we would encourage you as far as possible to meet the original deadline date. This will ensure that you have completed your work for semester 1 and are better able to focus on your semester 2 learning. It also provides more time for staff to complete their marking.

  Where assessments are received after the initial due date, there may be a delay in marking and feedback as staff will be marking alongside their teaching duties and may also be managing additional pressures due to lockdown. I hope you will bear with us.

• Disruption to studies due to the latest national lockdown

  Staffordshire University are in the process of reviewing their Academic Regulations in line with the latest government restrictions to ensure students are not unfairly disadvantaged by the disruption caused to their teaching, learning and assessments. Both the university and BSDC are considering the measures we can put in place to assist students, taking into account the disruption caused by the national lockdown, and we will share further details of these measures as soon as they are confirmed.

  Academic staff are also considering whether additional support needs to be put in place on a course-by-course basis, and will contact you directly with further information once any additional arrangements have been confirmed.

  If you have any questions about your specific course of study, please contact your course tutor in the first instance.

  We appreciate that some of you may have further questions regarding how the national lockdown will affect your studies, and we will continue to provide answers as further guidance is released by the UK Government.

  Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.