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Teaching and Learning FAQs

Teaching and Learning

Road to Reopening @WLV

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to work differently, and everyone's safety is at the heart of what we do. We must meet requirements for social distancing on our campuses, and to achieve this, we are teaching our courses using blended learning.

Blended learning involves studying using a mix of recorded lectures, virtual learning resources, interactive activities and face to face teaching on campus and online. 

Students will access their learning resources through Canvas, the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). On campus activities will include seminars, group discussions and practical activities, for example, labs and performances. 

Latest update:

In line with Government restrictions, there will be no on campus teaching (apart from practical sessions for critical worker courses) until 8 March 2021.

The Government roadmap confirmed that students on practical or practice based courses who require access to specialist facilities can return to campus for in person teaching from Monday, 8 March 2021. Students are advised to check their timetable in the MyWLV app for the latest details. All other courses will continue to be taught online, and students should not return to campus unless they need to for health and wellbeing reasons or do not have appropriate access to a study space. 

Large group lectures are recorded and released online through Canvas to access at a time that works best for you. Students should ensure they have accessed any recorded materials before attending the related on campus seminar, workshop or practical class. You’ll receive more information about this from your course team.

Recorded sessions will not be part of your timetable.

Latest update:

In line with Government restrictions, there will be no on campus teaching (apart from practical sessions for critical worker courses) until 8 March 2021.

The Government roadmap confirmed that students on practical or practice based courses who require access to specialist facilities can return to campus for in person teaching from Monday, 8 March 2021. Students are advised to check their timetable in the MyWLV app for the latest details. All other courses will continue to be taught online, and students should not return to campus unless they need to for health and wellbeing reasons or do not have appropriate access to a study space. 

Seminars, workshops and practical classes take place face to face, online and on campus. Students are expected to follow social distancing guidelines displayed in all classrooms when attending in person teaching on campus.

Any 'live' sessions that take place online, and in person teaching on campus, is included in your timetable. 

All students will have the opportunity to access teaching that is delivered in a face to face environment. There will be some differences in how this is done, depending on the nature of the course being studied. 

Latest update:

In line with Government restrictions, there will be no on campus teaching (apart from practical sessions for critical worker courses) until 8 March 2021.

The Government roadmap confirmed that students on practical or practise based courses who require access to specialist facilities can return to campus for in person teaching from Monday, 8 March 2021. Students are advised to check their timetable in the MyWLV app for the latest details. All other courses will continue to be taught online, and students should not return to campus unless they need to for health and wellbeing reasons or do not have appropriate access to a study space. 

When permitted and in line with government restrictions, all students will have the opportunity to access teaching delivered face to face, both online and on campus. There will be some differences in how this is done, depending on the nature of the course being studied. 

We know that it is essential that our students meet with their academic and personal tutors on a one to one basis. This will be delivered online with your lecturers by appointment.  

Latest update:

In line with Government restrictions, there will be no on campus teaching (apart from practical sessions for critical worker courses) until 8 March 2021.

The Government roadmap confirmed that students on practical or practise based courses who require access to specialist facilities can return to campus for in person teaching from Monday, 8 March 2021. Students are advised to check their timetable in the MyWLV app for the latest details. All other courses will continue to be taught online, and students should not return to campus unless they need to for health and wellbeing reasons or do not have appropriate access to a study space. 

You can schedule one to one appointments with your personal tutor and lecturers. Your personal tutor is someone who can offer you guidance and advice; this could be about your course and any other aspects that affect your study. This is delivered face to face, online.

Find out more here

Many of our courses require students to have physical access to workshops, studios and labs on campus.

Given the need to observe social distancing and other safety requirements, we will need to carefully manage access and activities in specialist learning spaces. Students will be updated by email with details specific to their course.

Latest update:

In line with Government restrictions, there will be no on campus teaching (apart from practical sessions for critical worker courses) until 8 March 2021.

The Government roadmap confirmed that students on practical or practise based courses who require access to specialist facilities can return to campus for in person teaching from Monday, 8 March 2021. Students are advised to check their timetable in the MyWLV app for the latest details. All other courses will continue to be taught online, and students should not return to campus unless they need to for health and wellbeing reasons or do not have appropriate access to a study space. 

Access to IT and learning technologies will form a significant component of this year and your educational experience at the University. There are a set of standard and core IT essentials that all students will need to access and specialist software for some courses.

It is vital that you familiarise yourself with your digital learning environment and those IT essentials you will need for your day to day studying.

Whether you are studying from home on your own device or on campus using a University PC, you will have access to all our core applications:
  • Microsoft 365 for your email, file creation and storage.
  • Canvas for your Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
  • MyWLV app for central access to everything in one place (including your timetable).
  • E:Vision where you can update your details and log a Helpdesk call.
You can find more information about your IT essentials, including a video tour of your virtual learning environment here: www.wlv.ac.uk/its/essentials/

Software and PCs are available for you to use on campus in the library.
You can also access a full range of free software to use on your own laptop or PC, including a free version of Microsoft Office 365.

If your course requires access to specialist software, for example, Adobe Creative Cloud, your course team will provide you with more information during WLV Welcome and Induction on how this will be managed.

For help and support, you can contact the University IT Service Desk by email (itsupport@wlv.ac.uk) or via the online portal, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

We recognise that it may not be possible for everyone to return to campus. Some students may also need to quarantine for periods of time.

Our blended learning approach will allow you to continue to access recorded lectures, virtual activities and course materials through Canvas. You will also be able to book one to one appointments with your Personal Tutor or Academic Coach and access student support online.

There are some programmes where it will not be possible to study wholly online.

More information about our Covid-19 reporting procedures and what to do if you are contacted by Test and Trace can be found here.

Students can access a wide range of learning support online through the Library teams.

  • Visit the library website wlv.ac.uk/lib to access Subject Resources. 
  • There are thousands of online resources accessible through LibrarySearch.   
  • Search for journal articles, reports and other materials specific to your subject on the database page. (Log in with your student number and IT password.)
  • Your Reading Lists can still be accessed via your Canvas topics. 

Need help? 

If you have any problems accessing e-resources or you want some support in finding and using them, we recommend you contact us by ASSIST online chat. More contact options are on our contact us page.

For more information and the latest update on services available from the library, go to www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/reopening

Whether you have a general query or don’t know where to start, we are here to help. You can contact the Library in several ways, including live chat (ASSIST), email or by social media. See our Library Contact us page for more details. 

We’ve got extra staff answering live chat enquiries, so please try that method if you’re struggling to get through to us via other routes.

Skills for Learning  

The Library’s Skills for Learning team can support you with a range of essential study skills, including how to find research articles, referencing, and your writing style.

We offer workshops, as well as 1-2-1 appointments and email support. All of this is held within our Canvas page.  

Check wlv.ac.uk/skills for our workshops, or email Skills@wlv.ac.uk to arrange an appointment.

For more info and latest updates on library services, visit wlv.ac.uk/lib/reopening.

Assessments and extensions

Information on assessments and extensions for semester 2 of 2020/21

Due to the continuing national and regional restrictions in response to Covid-19, the University is planning for most assessments this semester to be held online. This means that we will convert physical exams to online assessments wherever possible.

The only exceptions will be those courses where there is a regulatory body requirement for an on campus examination. Students affected by this will be advised separately by their course teams and tutors.

In response to the pandemic and the current national lockdown, the University is continuing to support students through its trust-based approach to deadline extensions and extenuating circumstances.
 
This approach means that if you require an additional week to complete your assessment, you can request an extension through e:Vision that will be automatically and instantly approved. This extended deadline will be reflected in your Canvas assignment due date.

If one additional week is not sufficient, you should contact your module leader to discuss whether a further extension is possible (this may not be feasible for all modules). Again, no evidence will be required for this to be authorised.

Please remember that you should try (wherever possible) to submit your assessment work by the due date. Students can check their assignment due dates in Canvas.

If you feel that an extension will not be sufficient to enable you to complete the assignment, you may want to consider requesting a deferral to the next assessment period in July through the extenuating circumstances process. Again this will operate on a trust basis.

It is important to consider that you may create challenges for yourself in the future with a build-up of work to be submitted by deferring your assessment. You are strongly encouraged to discuss this with your personal tutor, academic coach or module leader before making this decision.

It is important to remember that when you submit work for an assessment, you are declaring that you are fit to do so. This means that you cannot claim extenuating circumstances retrospectively after submitting your work.
 
If you have claimed extenuating circumstances, you should not submit an assignment on the original due date unless you are doing so deliberately. The 'Fit to Sit' policy will mean that your extenuating circumstances claim for the assessment is no longer valid, and the submission will count.

Road to Reopening @WLV

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