Universities ordered to reveal online plans

UNIVERSITIES must be honest with incoming students about how much of their schooling will be online to allow them to decide whether they wish to defer their place, new guidance says.

Educational institutions should set out in the next few weeks how much of their courses in the new academic year might be delivered face-to-face or online and what the latter might involve, the Office for Students said.

In guidance published today, the independent regulator of higher education in England said prospective students should be provided with as much information as possible in order to make informed choices.

The OFS said information would allow students to make decisions about starting a course, choosing a different one or deferring.

It said: “Prospective students will need to understand what a provider is committing to deliver in the current circumstances and in different scenarios, how this will be achieved, and the changes that might need to be made in response to changing public health advice.”

Current students also need to kept informed about any changes their courses and should have access to a “transparent and flexible complaints process” if they feel suitable adjustments have not been made, the OFS said.

Universities and colleges should be clear on the balance between lectures, seminars and self-learning, and about the volume and arrangements of contact hours and support and resources if learning is going to be online, the guidance said.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive at the OFS, last month urged universities not to make any promises to students that everything will be back to normal in the autumn if this is not the case.

Speaking about the latest guidance, Ms Dandridge said: “These are exceptionally challenging times for both students and universities, but students must be told clearly how their courses will be taught next year.

“Where it is likely that arrangements may need to change, that should also be made clear.

“Choosing when and where to go to university are important decisions at the best of times, but now more than ever prospective students must be given clear guidance and information to make the decision that is right for them.”