Teaching and Learning in 2021/22 | University of Reading

Our vibrant, active community here in Reading will help you to benefit from all that university life has to offer.

Your teaching will be through a combination of regular face-to-face on campus sessions and online learning. Although this will be different to how we delivered teaching and learning before the pandemic, we are offering more teaching and other activities on campus compared to what we were able to do last academic year.

We have used everything we have learnt, together with your feedback and in consultation with RUSU, to help you benefit from all that university life has to offer.

Our teaching is therefore based on:

Flexibility – to support students who may need to study remotely temporarily
Adaptability – just in case the pandemic means we need to change our plans

We believe bringing together in-person and online learning provides the best learning experience for you. All students benefit from the flexibility that blended learning brings such as having structured guided learning and pre-recorded material in advance of on-campus sessions.

Teaching & Learning in the spring term

We are retaining our approach of live in-person teaching and online asynchronous material (core course content such as pre-recorded lectures and guided learning activities). Online provision of classes that are held in person on campus will not continue in the spring term.

You will be taught through a combination of:

Live interactive sessions (timetabled, in-person)

On-campus. You will have regular, live interactive sessions on campus to provide you with opportunities to engage, discuss and interact with both academic staff and other students. Depending on the discipline, this could include tutorials, seminars, laboratory and practical work, workshops, breakout sessions, and lectures that involve a high level of interaction and discussion.

In a very small number of subjects there may be cases where there are a large number of face-to-face teaching sessions scheduled for a particular module per week. Some of these sessions may therefore be held as live online sessions as part of our blended approach.

Guided learning activities (asynchronous – to plan in your own time)

You will have regular guided learning activities for your modules that you need to schedule around your live sessions, either individually or as part of a group. This will include two elements:

Core course content provided online (such as pre-recorded videos). These sessions will replicate contact hours that would normally be delivered through lectures or similar sessions with limited interactivity.
Complementary materials and activities to support your learning and self-study. This could include watching additional screencasts and videos, listening to audio recordings, or taking formative tests through Blackboard.

All learning materials will be published by your Module Convenor at least 48 hours before the relevant live session.

We do not expect that the overall contact hours for your programme will change, although they will be delivered through a mix of live interactive sessions on campus and asynchronous core course content provided online, as explained above.

Learning from our collective experiences

We have listened carefully to feedback from our student community. It has been very clear that you value being able to engage in regular, live teaching sessions (on campus as much as possible), as well as having organised modules with learning materials published consistently and on time.

We have therefore made several enhancements for 2021/22. This includes:

weekly timetable reminders for you to schedule time for engaging with your asynchronous (not live) learning materials;
weekly updates to outline all your learning activities for that module on a week-by-week basis (including live sessions, asynchronous core course content, and any other relevant self-study);
new resources and training for using different technologies to support your learning.

Can I study remotely in 2021/22?

For the autumn term, students were able to request to study at a distance temporarily for specific circumstances. We have outlined the expectation that those studying at a distance will travel to Reading to continue your programme in person, as soon as possible – by the start of the spring term at the very latest (Monday 10 January 2022).

We have written to all students who were permitted to study at a distance temporarily with further advice. If you have questions you can contact your Support Centre using ‘Ask Us A Question’. Students in Henley Business School should email henleyschooloffice@henley.ac.uk and students in ISLI should contact isli-admin@reading.ac.uk. Further information about how to get in touch is published on Essentials.

If you know that you will not be able to come to Reading by the start of the spring term, you may wish to consider suspending your studies until the start of the next academic year.

Will my Tier 4 or Student Route visa be affected if I am granted permission to study ‘at a distance’ temporarily?

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has published updated concessions for students who are unable to travel to the UK (due specifically to travel restrictions) and need to continue their studies ‘at distance’. If you think that you will not be able to travel to the UK for reasons other than travel restrictions (eg due to health or caring responsibilities) please contact our International Student Advisory Team for advice.

If you re-enrol with a Student Route visa, you will not have your visa sponsorship affected, as long as the reasons you cannot travel meet the published UKVI concessions and that you travel to the UK as soon as you are able to do so. Once in the UK, students must be attending face –to-face teaching that is provided by the university in addition to any continued online learning provided. At-a-distance learning whilst inside the UK is not permitted. Absences from face-to-face attendance due to quarantine after travelling to the UK or individual periods of self-isolation due to COVID will not affect visa sponsorship.

If a visa is issued and you cannot then travel, UK Visas and Immigration do not refund the visa application fee or Immigration Health Surcharge.

What can I expect from my teaching and learning experience, including face-to-face teaching?

For both undergraduate and PGT students, we are aiming to provide a minimum of one-hour in-person teaching on campus a week per 10-credits. Typically, students take 60 taught credits in the autumn term, which means you should experience at least 6 hours per week of on-campus sessions across the term. Many students will have more, but in a small number of cases, it may be less. Some more information about why this might be the case is provided on this page.

Your face-to-face teaching will be complemented by timetabled online activities and untimetabled activities that you complete in your own time. This includes things like watching screencasts and videos, taking online quizzes, or essential reading, as well as undertaking work needed to prepare for upcoming classes and for assessments across the year.

We do not expect that the overall contact hours for your programme will change, although they will be delivered though a mix of live interactive sessions on campus and asynchronous core course content provided online. We will continue to support you to meet your programme learning outcomes, as well as providing you with regular opportunities to interact and engage to develop and apply your understanding of the subject.

What should I see in my timetable?

Your timetable will display all your live interactive sessions for each module, including:

• live on-campus sessions
• live online sessions for the whole cohort

New for 2021/22, you will also have weekly timetable reminders for you to schedule time for engaging with your asynchronous (not live) learning materials.

Why do on-campus hours differ?

One of the big advantages of studying at Reading is that you have huge flexibility to tailor your programme. This means that almost every student is on a unique path, and so the actual on-campus hours are likely to be different for different students.

There are a number of reasons why your hours on campus may vary:

· As in any year, the number of scheduled teaching hours varies depending on the subject, module choices and study level and, in some subjects, between autumn and spring term.
· Some subjects (particularly those with practicals) have more sessions scheduled in some weeks than in others.
· Things like field trips and tutorials are not always formally timetabled.
· Students undertaking a dissertation or research project often have fewer timetabled hours.

If, once you have seen your timetable, you have any question about your face-to-face teaching, please contact a Support Centre, Henley Helpdesk or ISLI Admin.

What support is available to me?

Academic and study support

You will continue to be supported through your Academic Tutor, and we recommend you meet with them at least once a term. We expect that you will normally have the opportunity to meet your tutor in person.

Our Study Advice Team continue to provide resources and materials to support different types of teaching and learning, including a blended learning guide. All students continue to have access to the Library and other study resources.

Additional support is available from academic staff for specific module queries, within their contact hours in-person or online. If you aren’t sure who to contact, Support Centres (or the Henley Helpdesk or ISLI Admin Office) are available for any queries you may have.

Specialist welfare support services

Our academic support is complemented by our range of specialist welfare support services including Careers, Financial Support, Disability Advice, International Visa & Immigration Advice, Study Advice, and many more which will continue to offer help and advice face-to-face on campus.

We continue to make these services available online, by phone and email for those who need to study remotely. Your Academic Tutor and Support Centre (or Henley Helpdesk or ISLI Admin Office) should be your first point of contact for any queries related to your programme – whether that’s relating to modules, exams, deadlines, assessments or other questions.

Will there be a reduction in tuition fees for 2021/22?

We are not offering a reduction in tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year.

We believe bringing together in-person and online teaching will provide the best learning experience for you in the anticipated circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. It means we have been able to optimise the amount of teaching we can provide on campus and support students who need to study remotely temporarily in the autumn term. All students will also benefit from the flexibility that blended learning brings such as having structured guided learning and pre-recorded material in advance of on-campus sessions.

We remain committed to helping you benefit from all that university life has to offer. We are using everything we have learnt in 2020/21, together with your feedback, to deliver a high-quality learning experience, which includes the same levels of teaching as before the pandemic, although the way in which some of these things are being provided may be different.

You will continue to be closely supported with your studies, through both your Academic Tutor and our wider network of professional, specialist teams. Our campuses are open with our full range of facilities and services – such as the Library, Support Centres, catering and SportsPark.

If you have concerns about the level of teaching or support you have received, speak to your Module Convenor or Academic Tutor in the first instance, to hopefully resolve this. If you wish to, you can raise a complaint using our Student Complaints Process.

What are the plans for exams in 2021/22?

Examinations in the summer term 2021/22 will be run in different ways, and we have given we have given a great deal of thought to the most appropriate format of assessment for students based on:

• the nature of the discipline
• the programme’s learning outcomes
• the best approach to facilitate your learning

Schools and Departments have written to their students with a summary of how their exams will be run. Exams in 2021/22 will either be:

• Take home online exams (time restricted or 23-hour)
• In-person exams
• Coursework

Should I switch my camera on during live online teaching sessions?

Some of your teaching may be through live online sessions using Teams Meetings or Blackboard Collaborate. When using Teams Meetings and Blackboard Collaborate, you have the option to switch your camera on. There are benefits to having your camera switched on. Just as in a face-to-face session, your lecturer can see your non-verbal cues (for example, head nods) and this can help them when teaching you. You will also benefit from seeing how other students in your session are reacting. Having cameras on can help build relationships with your group and reduce feelings of isolation.

The benefits of having your camera on can vary depending on the size and the format of the session. Having your camera on in small group tutorial may really help with your engagement but may not be of benefit if your lecturer is giving a presentation to a large class. Your lecturer may give you advice in situations where it may be particularly helpful to you to have your camera on.

We understand that some students may not want to have their camera on at all, or that some feel comfortable to have their camera on in some situations but not in others. We encourage you to consider switching your camera on, but you are free to choose and we respect your choice.

If your live online sessions use Teams Meetings you can blur the background when your camera is on to obscure your location, which you may wish to do.

Further advice on online live sessions is available for Microsoft Teams Meetings and Blackboard Collaborate.

Teaching and Learning in 2021-22

Learning from our collective experiences