On Friday 26 June 2020, TIGA, the trade association representing the video games industry, published an update on Parliamentary activity for the higher education sector. These include written questions on the quality of online teaching, students deferring their university place, and the adequacy of the response to the coronavirus crisis.
TIGA have also welcomed statistics published by UCAS which indicate a rise in the number of students planning to start university this autumn. The statistics can be read in full here.
Written Questions:
Further Education: Standards
Department for Education
18 June 2020
Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the (a) quality of education at universities and (b) the attainment of students of universities that are planning to operate online during the 2020/21 academic year.
Michelle Donelan: Higher education providers reacted rapidly to move provision online (in many cases within 24 hours), to enable higher education students to complete the 2019/20 academic year. Providers are currently planning to move to blended or dual provision for the next academic year. They have redesigned courses and timetables to be suitable for these new styles of delivery, as well as front-loading the year with more online friendly provision and moving areas which require practical, face-to-face teaching or assessment to the back of the academic year.
Providers have also demonstrated a high level of agility while addressing issues around infrastructure, changing course content and developing new methods of assessment. To help support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19, the government has worked closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding worth around £23 million per month for June and July, towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment.
The OfS has published information and guidance for providers and students, including frequently asked questions on a broad range of issues. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has also published a series of guides to support providers to secure academic standards and to support student achievement during the outbreak. The OfS has made it clear that all higher education providers must continue to meet conditions related to the quality of their courses and the standard of qualifications that they award. This means ensuring that higher education courses are high quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected.
Higher Education: Internet
Department for Education
23 June 2020
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to support students that wish to defer their 2020-21 academic year as a result of their academic tuition potentially being taught in-part or fully online.
Michelle Donelan: There is no need for students to defer entry this year unless they want to.
We understand this has been a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. We have seen some fantastic and innovative examples of high-quality online teaching being delivered by providers across the country.
Furthermore, for the next academic year, providers are planning for a blended approach, where teaching is delivered through a mix of online and face-to-face provision, or a dual approach with face-to-face provision replicated online to support those who are unable to attend in person and to allow self-isolation as and when required as societal and personal circumstances change.
If students do want to defer, it is a matter for individual providers and not the government, so students should speak to their providers directly to determine what flexibility exists.
Given the exceptional circumstances, the government would encourage all providers to offer as much flexibility as possible for all students, whether they are international or domestic.
Higher Education: Internet
Department for Education
23 June 2020
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of universities’ response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Michelle Donelan: We are very proud and grateful for the leadership that we have seen from our higher education providers in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the incredibly creative and pragmatic ideas they have managed to develop in such a short space of time.
This sector is one of those at the frontline in the battle we are facing – from developing ground-breaking research and supplying equipment to releasing thousands of volunteers to support our NHS.
We also know this has been a difficult and uncertain time for students, but we are working with the sector to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. We have seen some fantastic and innovative examples of high-quality online teaching being delivered by providers across the country.
Furthermore, for the next academic year, providers are planning for a blended approach where teaching is delivered through a mix of online and face-to-face provision, or a dual approach with face-to-face provision replicated online to support those who are unable to attend in person and to allow self-isolation as and when required as societal and personal circumstances change. This will ensure a high quality academic experience can be delivered for students during 2020-21.
Higher Education: Internet
Department for Education
25 June 2020
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of online education compared to face to face learning in universities.
Michelle Donelan: For many years, UK higher education (HE) providers have delivered education online successfully and effectively, and a leading proponent of this has been the Open University, which in 2018/19 was the largest UK university – with over 63,000 UK full-time equivalent students.
The growth in the use of educational technology has enabled HE providers to develop and grow their online offers, something which has been significantly accelerated by the recent COVID-19 outbreak, where online provision has been key to ensuring that effective teaching, learning and assessment have been able to continue. A recent report [1] from the Higher Education Policy Institute, attached, suggested the possibility that remote learning post-lockdown had brought some closer engagement between teaching staff and students and that this had even led to improved directed independent learning.
To support the effectiveness of continued online provision, the Office for Students (OfS) has published information and guidance for providers and students, and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has also published a series of guides to support providers to secure academic standards and to support student achievement during the outbreak.
The OfS has made it clear that all higher education providers must continue to meet conditions related to the quality of their courses and the standard of qualifications they award. This means ensuring that courses are high quality, students are supported and achieve good outcomes and standards are protected. The OfS will monitor outcomes to assess quality, using measures such as continuation rates, completion rates, student surveys and what students move onto after completing their studies. They will also be polling students in the next academic year to identify any providers or courses that are a cause for concern. This will allow for a targeted and focused approach to tackle any areas of concern.
[1] https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/The-Student-Academic-Experience-Survey-2020.pdf