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The institutions saying they might start first years in January seems more sensible — and means attention can be focused on shifting 2nd and 3rd year work to online for the first term (!). But unis need to think about student finances in all this, too. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/03/forget-freshers-week-universities-prepare-to-teach-new-first-years-online
If students didn’t start until January, presumably they wouldn’t get their student loans until then. That, plus the need to continue living at home for another term, will hit hard those from poorer families.
Asking students to study at home will also hit those from poorer families who don’t have a quiet space to study & access to resources, particularly freshers, who will feel very unsupported. And that’s without thinking about students who have difficult relationships with families.
There’s no good solution, but it’s important not to plan our teaching as if all our students have their own bedroom, a good laptop & fast internet connection, supportive parents, savings, no mental or physical health problems, and the motivation to embark on a degree remotely.
