Staff & Student Update - 13 March 2020
Dear staff and students,
The health, safety and wellbeing of our community is paramount, which is why the University is escalating its efforts to mitigate the consequences of Coronavirus Covid-19.
In line with current advice from the Scottish and UK Governments, the University will remain open and continue to deliver learning and teaching and undertake our other activities. We have, however, decided that the time has now come for the University to suspend face to face teaching.
This will have profound implications for our work as a community over the coming weeks, but we feel that this is the right thing to do at this time. It gives us a better chance of reducing the risk of the spread of coronavirus among staff and students.
The University is suspending all face to face undergraduate and taught postgraduate teaching activities across our Aberdeen campuses from 6pm today (Friday, 13 March). We have been preparing for this for some time, and now feel that we are able to take this step while ensuring that learning and assessment for our students can be continued effectively.
For the avoidance of doubt this means that all face to face teaching activity - including but not limited to lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, seminars, computer lab sessions - will not take place from this evening. Schools will be in touch with students by 3pm on Monday by MyAberdeen and via email with details of how online learning, assessment and exams for each discipline will be delivered. Students should therefore not turn up for classes on Monday and should wait until then to hear from their Schools.
Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students are now free to travel home, if they wish to do so. We recognise, however, that some students may be unable or unwilling to travel at this time. The Aberdeen campuses remain open, including the Sir Duncan Rice Library and other libraries and computer classrooms, to allow students who need study space to be able to continue to study on campus. Halls of residence will also remain open. We will be making some changes to the way our catering facilities and student facing services operate.
From Monday onwards measures will progressively be put in place to enable the community to maintain social distancing, for example asking staff to conduct meetings online via MS teams. Heads of School and Directors also have the authority to make arrangements for home working where appropriate.
Staff with any concerns about their own health and wellbeing should contact their line manager.
Events and meetings
All events with over 500 people should be postponed or cancelled until further notice. We strongly recommend that smaller events are also postponed.
NHS guidance
Following yesterday’s COBRA meeting, new NHS guidance recommends that anyone displaying potential COVID-19 symptoms - a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature - should stay at home for seven days and follow this advice.
NHS advice on how to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus can be found here.
IT equipment provision
In readiness for this situation, the University has prepared a stock of laptops and tablets and purchased additional cameras and headsets. As stock is limited, we would ask Schools to submit requests for additional devices to the IT Service Desk in the first instance. Requests must be supported by Heads of School and will be prioritised accordingly.
Qatar
Guidance is already in place for our students based at our Qatar campus.
We recognise that this is an uncertain and challenging time for all of us. This period of difficulty will pass. If we ensure that we co-operate fully with national health guidance and continue to support each other, we will be ready to return to normal activity later in the year.
Best wishes,
George & Karl
Professor George Boyne | Professor Karl Leydecker |
Principal & Vice-Chancellor | Chair Coronavirus Steering Group |