Ready for the future, ready for anything
We've been working really hard on a range of ambitious and innovative plans to bring our students and staff back to campus safely in September, and we're now excited to be able to share a first-look at what life will be like for our new academic year.
Our focus is providing a safe and welcoming environment that will ensure all our students receive the excellent experience they deserve; alongside the highest quality and most flexible learning and accommodation options - making sure that whatever happens, we are ready for anything.
Solent in September
While no one can be completely certain what life will look like in the coming months, our aim is to provide as much clarity as we can, so our students can start preparing and looking forward to the new academic year.
Our campus will be open in September for the 2020/21 autumn term, and we will be offering a mixture of on-site and in-class teaching alongside an ambitious programme of online learning. We are confident this blended approach will allow us to deliver the best and most consistent learning experience, ensuring our students can continue their studies successfully, whatever the future may bring.
Of course, protecting the health and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our top priority, and we will continue to be guided by Government and sector advice in all our planning.
Learning online and on campus
We are putting plans in place to ensure all students have access to the learning facilities and specialist equipment they need, alongside a range of dynamic virtual teaching tools which our academics will use to deliver engaging and challenging online learning and teaching.
We are achieving this by:
- Ensuring all students have access to the specialist facilities, technology and software needed for their courses.
- Providing synchronous learning and rich resources to support the highest quality teaching.
- Creating learning communities and opportunities to meet students from other courses through a blend of multi-media and campus-based activity.
- Launching our Transformation Academy to guarantee all students experience outstanding learning, teaching and student support, both online and on campus.
- Setting up a technology bursary fund for students who need support accessing IT equipment.
- Expanding our comprehensive range of online support services to ensure help and guidance is only ever one click away.
Changes to keep us all safe
We are also adapting our campus to provide a safe and welcoming environment where students can continue to enjoy the university experience they deserve.
Some of these changes include:
- Using scheduling systems, block teaching and extended teaching days and weeks to limit the number of students on campus at any one time
- Adapting our workshops, laboratories and studios to ensure they can be used safely and providing PPE where necessary.
- Introducing social distancing measures across campus, including managed walking routes with one-way navigation where possible.
- Providing bicycles for loan and spacious bike parks to help avoid public transport
- Providing easy access sanitiser stations at main building entrances and encouraging face coverings for general movement around campus where social distancing can be maintained.
- Providing compulsory face coverings where essential and in areas where social distancing cannot be maintained.
- Creating ‘social zones’ around campus to provide a safe environment for group working and communication.
- Ensuring easy access to self-service, takeaway food and drink stations to minimise queues.
- Running an enhanced cleaning programme throughout all our University buildings.
Timelines
21 September
- Welcome week starts for first-year undergraduate students
28 September
- Semester starts for foundation and first-year undergraduate students.
- Welcome Week starts for first-year postgraduate students.
5 October
- Semester starts for returning undergraduate students
- Semester starts for returning postgraduate students
More details on timelines will be shared as soon as possible.
Next steps
We will be continuing work on these plans as we monitor changing circumstances and respond to the latest Government guidance. We know students will be keen to know more about what these changes will mean for them, their courses and their plans for September, and we will share this information as soon as we can.
We will be in touch with students again by 1 July to provide more specific information on how individual courses will be taught and what flexible accommodation options we are able to offer.
In the meantime, over the coming days and weeks we will be adding to our lists of frequently asked questions with more detail, so please keep checking these webpages.
But in the meantime, we hope this information allows our students to start looking forward to the exciting next steps in their academic journey and to feel confident that whatever the next year brings we are ready to support them.
