Staff Update - 27 March 2020
As we come to the end of term today, I want to thank you all for the incredible amount of work that you have done over these challenging past few weeks. Your effort – which is so very much appreciated – includes but is certainly not restricted to:
- The preparation and delivery of online materials
- The support for this work from Professional Services
- All the additional work where overseas partners have been involved
- The support for our students which I know has been happening in all sorts of different ways
The rapid response from the entire university community in enabling our students to continue to engage with their learning experiences has been humbling. The work that you have done is a fantastic investment in the direction that it is likely to be necessary to take in these troubling times.
Given uncertainty around how long the pandemic could last, and until distancing measures are relaxed, it lays the groundwork for a transition to comprehensive online delivery should our students still not be able to return to campus by September and need to continue to study remotely, at least initially. If necessary, I am confident that we can rise to this challenge, because it has been incredible to see the way in which you have done what was needed and so quickly.
Should this be a necessity you will not be left to do this work alone. We will work together to understand what support and expertise is needed to take this forward. We will be back in touch soon to start those discussions.
For now, I want to reiterate my thanks to everyone. A huge task completed well, with a sense of community, creativity and caring that I feel is second to none.
I expect a number of us will be taking annual leave soon, as well as enjoying the rest day on Monday, and it is important to take much-earned rest, so that we are all ready for the fresh challenges that lie ahead.
Best wishes
Ruth
Professor Ruth Taylor
Vice-Principal (Education)