What is it all about?
Hi everyone, I'm Adnan, your 2020/21 Education Officer.
As you'll know, COVID-19 has exposed many issues for students and we want to make sure that you are listened to. To help us do this we have launched a COVID-19 Reporting Portal whereby students can report concerns, particularly around any learning adjustments or additional costs you have incurred. You can access the portal below.
Everyone is working as hard as they can to make sure that the blended learning model 'ignite' is fit for purpose. But, it may still expose issues around WiFi or barriers to learning. We want to provide a platform for you to voice any concerns, as we know that your university experience may be different to what you expected.
Our COVID-19 reporting portal is a chance for you to help us ensure that you are heard and that the University is acting on it.
I hope this can be of benefit to you. If you would like to find out more or have a question about any of the above, please email me.
Resources and Tools
Experiencing financial barriers, poor value for money, or just feeling the impact of Covid-19 on your University experience?
Starting a new term at University can raise financial (& other) challenges at the best of times, let alone in a global pandemic that has changed the face of learning & student life.
We know this is going to raise some questions & concerns over the quality, affordability & value for money of your experience & learning at Leicester
We need your help to identify the areas that are affecting you most, including:
Student groups, sport & other co-curricular activities
Employment, placement & work experience opportunities
Student representation
Accessibility of digital resources
Experience of teaching
Additional costs or money problems related to Covid
It’s important that as many students fill this out as possible, to build a strong & convincing body of evidence & demonstrate the need for adaptations & changes in a difficult environment.
Once you’ve filled it out (& you can as many times as you like), your responses will be logged & raised by Adnan, your Education Officer, directly to SU, University & student leaders. You also have the option of leaving your email address, which means we can update you with our progress. We may also contact you in the future with other Covid-related studies, to continue to find out more about how we can support you.
If you have multiple concerns, just fill the form out again.
Please note - all personal information will be held in accordance with GDPR.
We've put together information explaining what the Digital Divide is and what to do if you are impacted.
What is the Digital Divide?
• The Digital Divide exists because some students have access to Wi-Fi, properly functioning devices, and everything they require to continue their studies online once they leave campus. Some students don’t have everything they need, whether it’s access to a new computer, or basics like a consistent Internet connection. The Digital Divide is the gap in between these groups, and it has widened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where does the Digital Divide come from?
• Students across the country found themselves studying remotely in the last part of the 2019-2020 academic year, and the disruption that caused was felt by everyone as the ‘new normal’ took hold. Now, however, we have the figures illustrating what that actually looked like. According to WONHKE, a higher education policy blog, which you can read here.
What does the research show?
• 71% of students say they lacked access to a quiet study space, with 22 per cent “severely” impacted.
• 56% said they lacked access to appropriate online course materials, with almost 1 in 10 “severely” impacted. 1 in 5 say they were impacted by lack of access to a computer, laptop or tablet.
• 10% said they were severely impacted by having too little money to live on.
• According to research carried out by The University of Cambridge: “The likelihood of having access to the internet from home increases along with income, such that only 51% of households earning between £6000-10,000 [have] home internet access compared with 99% of households with an income of over £40,001.
What do I do if I’m impacted?
• You can access a range of support resources here to help you.
• Your Exec team are also working closely with the University Library & LSP to address any disparities. Updates on access to online texts, laptop loans and the community fridge scheme will become available soon.
This report outlines some of the additional costs faced by students in the Academic Year 2019-20, before the Covid-19 outbreak.
This includes the proportion of Semester One texts that are available electronically through the library per school.
The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has led to adaptations to course content, including the introduction of a greater number of online texts. However, we still thought it would be useful to share the report to outline some of the key challenges faced before the outbreak, and now.
Library Reading List and Additional Course Costs Report
Please find below a list of resources to support you, ranging from financial/budgeting advice to emotional support relating to COVID-19. We hope that these resources are useful.
Budgeting & Financial Advice
• Our Advice Service have put together a budgeting guide and a link to Money, Budgeting and Legal where many more support services can be found,including on-campus advice clinics and the University welfare service, the wider support available in the off-campus Leicester community, and a collection of online resources.
• You can visit the University's Financial support page which includes support surrounding: undergraduates and postgraduates, the Hardship Fund, and other information, including employment, tax, the Disabled Student’s Allowance, budgeting, grants, and more.
Workers Rights
• Our How to Adult section includes information about disclosing a disability to your employer, statutory sick pay, what to look for when reading your employment contract, and what to do if you get called for jury duty.
• The Government website includes information about rights specifically for interns. This covers: minimum wage, complaints, and different types of work placements.
• Target Jobs covers the rights students have as part-time workers/ employees. It covers information related to: minimum wage, working hours, tax, and the gig economy.
• Save the Student includes details on holiday entitlement, the difference between interns and employees, and what to do if you feel your rights have been violated.
• The Student Job website covers an array of questions you might have, including what garden leave is! It also has information on workplace discrimination, constructive dismissal, maternity leave, and plenty more.
Emotional Support