Student Update: Covid-19 guidance, return to campus, assessment support and SU Awards

Please be aware that this information was shared with students by email and correct at the time of sending. For the latest Covid-19 guidance, please visit our coronavirus webpages: www.wlv.ac.uk/coronavirus. If you are a student who has a query or needs support, please log a helpcall with ASK@WLV in e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision).

I am delighted that the latest Government announcement on the easing of Covid-19 restrictions has confirmed that England will proceed to the next step of the roadmap from Monday, 17 May, enabling more of our students to return to campus for teaching. You can read more about what this means for your programme below. 

This next phase of the Government roadmap also signals the opening of indoor hospitality and allows family and friends to meet indoors in groups of up to six or two households. While this is all excellent news, social distancing is still very important, and face coverings should continue to be worn in shops and on campus. More information about the changes to Covid-19 restrictions can be found on the Government website.  

If you live in University operated accommodation, we will contact you soon about what this latest easing of restrictions means for you. 

This update includes information covering: 

• Return to campus from Monday, 17 May
• Keeping our campuses Covid-secure  
• Covid-19 testing 
• Support with your assessments from the Skills for Learning team 
• Students' Union Awards 
• Santander Universities Enterprise Growth Fund 

I want to say thank you to all the students who joined myself and Tobi, your Vice-President Academic in the SU, earlier this week for the Vision 2030 Q&A session. A lot of great questions were asked, and a recording of the event will be shared soon.  

Return to campus 

The Government has confirmed that from Monday, 17 May, students on non-practical courses will be permitted to return to campus for in person teaching. This means that we will now start to look at managing the return to campus for any programmes which have not yet returned and for which there is still teaching after that date.    

As you will be aware, most semester two teaching and assessment for undergraduate courses have now completed.  

Postgraduate courses have two weeks of semester two teaching remaining and those students on programmes that have remained online, now have the opportunity to return to blended learning.  

We recognise that not all postgraduate students will be able to return to campus and some may feel more comfortable continuing to access their learning from home. If you would like to continue with online teaching, you should notify the University as early as possible via e:Vision to ensure we have the right support in place for you to access your learning. 

You can do this by selecting the ‘Update Preference’ button under the ‘COVID-19 Update: Teaching Preference’ section on your e:Vision home page. 

From there, you will need to select your course and then update your teaching preference: 

• Blended Learning – studying using a mix of recorded lectures, online learning resources, virtual face-to-face sessions and in-person teaching on campus. 
• Online Only – studying using a mix of recorded lectures, online learning resources and virtual face-to-face sessions. 

For some programmes, course teams have consulted with students, and they have opted as a cohort to finish their semester two teaching online. If this is the case for your programme, your lecturers will have been in contact with you already, and you do not need to update your teaching preference in e:Vision.   

Keeping our campuses Covid-secure 

Everyone must continue to play their part in keeping our University and the wider community safe; this means following social distancing guidelines, wearing a face covering and taking part in regular testing.    

Whilst Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease, there are specific actions that are crucial for everyone to adopt to ensure our campuses remain as safe as possible. Please be aware that household bubbles are not permitted on our campuses, meaning that everyone must maintain two metres social distancing, even if you live together.      

• Face coverings must be worn inside all University buildings, including practical learning spaces, libraries (study and PC areas), corridors, stairwells and teaching rooms.     
• Everyone must maintain two metres social distancing on campus both indoors and in outside spaces, including students who live in a household bubble.     
• Follow hygiene procedures, including washing your hands regularly with soap and water and making use of sanitising stations where available.    
• Clean work and study spaces before and after use using the cleaning products provided.     
• Follow all on campus signage to safely move around buildings and learning spaces, including one-way systems, QR check-in and only use workspaces that are designated as available, and not use those that have a cross. 
• Adhere to the isolation and reporting guidelines set out in our Covid-19 reporting procedures. If you are feeling unwell or experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, do not come on to campus.    

In line with Government guidance, everyone accessing catering facilities on campus must check in with the NHS Covid-19 app or provide their name and contact details. Anyone who does not comply will be refused entry.  Everyone must maintain two metres social distancing, and wear a face covering when not eating. 

The number of cases of Covid-19 at the University remains very small, but to keep these numbers low we need each member of the University community to do their bit in following the rules. The University will continue to review our on-campus safety measures in line with any changes to Government guidance. 

Visit our Safety on Campus webpage for more information.  

Covid-19 testing 

Students that have not yet returned to campus should take a test before travelling to the University, either through your local community testing programme or by ordering a home test kit online. If you test positive, you must take a confirmatory PCR test and self-isolate for ten days before returning.    

On arrival at the University, you should take three tests (three/four days apart) at an in-person testing facility. All students should then test twice a week, either using home test kits or at an in-person testing facility.   

We have a webpage that includes the Government's latest guidance about when to get a test, along with the locations for testing sites close to our campuses. You can arrange to get a lateral flow test using the facilities referenced on the webpage, somewhere local to you by ordering a home test kit online.  

Testing is just one part of our on-campus preventative measures against coronavirus, so please continue to follow our safety guidelines and wear a face-covering whenever you are on campus.  

Support with your assessments from the Skills for Learning team 

Our Skills for Learning team can help you to develop more effective approaches to your studies and assessments. You can access a range of online skills resources, academic skills workshops and book appointments for one-to-one support.     

Find out more 

Students' Union Awards 

On Thursday, 6 May, our tenth annual Students' Union Awards took place, with 11 awards being (virtually) handed out. 

The awards provide an opportunity for students to show recognition and celebrate the achievements of University academic and non-academic staff, SU staff and fellow students who have helped make their life at the University better. 

Congratulations to the winners (listed here), along with everyone who was nominated and shortlisted for the awards this year. 

Santander Universities Enterprise Growth Fund 

In partnership with Santander Universities, the University of Wolverhampton Enterprise team is delighted to offer ten of our student and graduate start-up businesses the chance to access funding support of £1,850 each to help their business grow.  

This opportunity is open to current students (undergraduate, postgraduate, taught and research) and recent graduates of the University of Wolverhampton.   

Find out more 

Stay up to date with the latest information     

Please keep checking your University WLV emails and reading these updates. We are committed to keeping students up to date. We do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram,  Twitter and Facebook) and the University student news webpage.     

Visit our dedicated Covid-19 webpages for information on how you can stay safe and help protect our University community during the pandemic.     

Thank you, and stay safe.    

Professor Julia Clarke   

Deputy Vice-Chancellor