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Writer's pictureMorgan Forbes

Are British Universities Doing Enough to Support Their Students During the Pandemic?

The UK saw its first national lockdown in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020, and at least to some small or larger degree, restrictions have remained in place throughout the nation ever since. It seems no individual has been left unaffected by the virus, whether their hardships be from having contracted the virus themselves, burdens on their social life, working from home, or financial deprivation. One societal group who have been particularly affected are college and university students in the UK — their lives have undeniably been changed in significant manners, and the effects arguably still linger today and will continue to last.


I decided to send out a very general survey targeted at students who were currently studying or had studied at university or college level. Out of all of the anonymous students who participated, the responses to the questions were slightly varied; the vast majority who took part are currently in education studying for a bachelor’s degree (around 9/10) and agree that on some level, they have been negatively affected by the repercussions of the pandemic and its resulting lockdowns. However, in the face of a worldwide outbreak of a virus that is certainly difficult to contain and has proven equally challenging to treat and even prevent, it can sometimes fall on individual institutions to support their students.


From arts and other humanities-based students to aspiring teachers and future STEM workers, a large portion of participants agreed that their universities could have provided more support. This was especially true for the following areas: physical and mental health support (78.95%) and changes to workload/expectations of their course (68.42%). A fairly large number also argued there could have been more support given in regards to online lectures and teaching standards (47.37%), tech support for working from home (42.11%) and financial aid (21.05%). A small percentage would have wanted more help in exams and assessments (10.53%). Only one response recorded, specified that none of these areas could have been prioritised for their institution to improve.


On the bright side, the majority of participants stated that their institution had at least made some improvements to the level of support offered since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, meaning that over time, universities and colleges seem to have adapted better to the negative side effects of COVID-19 over time. As the country has been forced to coexist alongside this virus that has flipped so many lives upside-down, while many hope for a better sense of ‘normality’ to return in the future, it is appropriate that workplaces and education centres will continue to at least offer a degree of empathy and understanding in the face of these mitigating circumstances. Longer breaks in the face of illness have been permitted, travel arrangements have been set up for international students when moving into new cities, and grades and entire degree classifications have been adjusted due to the drastic changes education institutions have been forced to put in place. One additional comment given by a survey participant highlights how ‘work load was eased and marks were given out in support of the [COVID-19] situation’.

However, not everything has gone so smoothly. Numerous other comments put the spotlight on the lack of communication between universities, tutors and their students; oftentimes it has been perceived that when students have been suffering — whether that be due to health concerns, personal expectations of their courses, or tech concerns with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and the faulty attendance-taking SEATS app — they have had next to nobody to turn to. ‘A general feeling of apathy’ was also experienced amongst many students in response to the actions their universities took to try and combat the misfortunes of COVID-19.


It is difficult to say whether British universities have been doing or will continue to do ‘enough’ to support their students during these challenging and unusual times. There are an abundance of resources available for students: The Student Room is a helpful online community for pupils in school level and beyond to share concerns with one another; universities typically offer support services from Enquiry Centres including welfare support, financial aid, international student support and counselling; no detriment policies have been put in place by select colleges; there is continuously-updated information on coronavirus guidance including regulations on face masks, social distancing, hygiene and codes of conducts. It seems there are many areas of support from higher institutions that could be improved and this continues to be a concern for many, but things generally are improving with time as we all learn to adjust to the new normals of a global pandemic.


Figure 1: Screenshot taken from results of a survey: how supportive has your institution been during the pandemic?, Survey Monkey.


Figure 2: Screenshot taken from results of a survey: if further support was provided, which areas should your institution prioritise?, Survey Monkey.

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