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Planning ahead: Slides and the Q&A from the online sessions [updated 2/7]

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Thank you for attending and taking part in these sessions. The final session for now has taken place, and you can view the slides and Q&As here.

Prof. Jane Harrington, Vice-Chancellor and Louise Watson, Chief Financial Officer, have hosted online sessions with members of the Vice-Chancellor's Group.  

The sessions provide the opportunity for you to share your thoughts, comments and suggestions on how we can deliver on our two key priorities, financial planning and flexible learning, alongside our promise to students and carry out our important research, while continuing to manage our finances and maintain staff wellbeing.  

The sessions cover the principles which Jane set out recently, alongside our two key priorities, of financial planning and flexible learning, for the next academic year.

There is one further session, in this series, which is taking place on 25 June - if you have not been able to join a session so far, you are very welcome to attend.

The slides from the sessions are included here, along with the questions you asked at the sessions, and their answers.  We will be adding further questions and answers to this post from the most recent session.

Recently Jane set out our two key priorities for the next academic year, and shared the principles which will help us achieve and manage this in a way that enables us to work both differently and flexibly. 

If you have further questions, or suggestions, please send them to Internal Communications.


The government recently relaxed the guidelines for vulnerable groups shielding, however many feel that this is premature. Will the university still support those in vulnerable groups who wish to continue to shield?

We understand that many people – staff and students - in vulnerable groups will want to continue to shield and most staff have been continuing to work very well from home.  We don't want to force anyone to come back onto campus before they feel safe to do so, the health and wellbeing of our staff and students is our highest priority.

Will we have to wear masks or gloves on campus, and will the university be providing staff and students with masks or visors?

VCG has agreed that we will ask everyone to wear face coverings when on campus, and we are looking into the possibility of providing paper masks, but we also realise that most people will want their own. We're also considering where gloves should be worn and looking at providing these for staff and students when needed, as well as having hand sanitiser available across all campuses.

Has the university undertaken a risk assessment around safety for vulnerable groups, including BAME, and what measures are being taken to mitigate the risk of Covid infection for people in these groups?

We are acutely aware of the concerns facing these groups and our H&S team are working very hard to ensure that our working and studying environments will be such that people feel safe to come on campus. We're hoping the BAME staff network will meet with the health and safety committee to support this. We're also aware that some students and staff will not be able to come back onto campus and it is something we need to work through.

Are the unions going to be included in developing policy for safe return to campus?

Yes, we continue to meet with recognised trade unions.

Who is informing our decisions as a university? Some of the guidance from the government seems confusion, so are we using any of our own experts to inform our decision? [Added 2/7]

We are a part of groups in Universities UK and the University Alliance, who are pooling expertise and looking at sector-wide solutions. The Health and safety executive also give us advice.

What is happening regarding inter-campus transport?

We will operate the university buses when it is safe to do so. We're currently looking into how this will work with social distancing.

What is university doing to do to replace student life on campus life?

We are working with the Students' Union and hope to at least partially open the libraries soon to allow students to meet together in groups at safe distances.  We have groups looking at the Welcome Experience for students, and Chris Shelley is co-chairing a group with Bilal Ijaz to ensure we offer the best student experience we can.

Are we/the UUK discussing the implications of the pandemic with the government, and are we seeking government support? 

Both Jane and the UUK have been in discussion with the government who have made it clear that there are no plans to help fund help universities at this time. However, there are discussions around money potentially being available that universities would hold to provide short courses and CPD courses to people to help support employment.

Could we introduce more short professional/CPD courses to increase revenue?

It is a good idea and it's worth us looking at the market to see what we could offer, and hopefully get some new short courses up and running quickly.  We know that in times of recession, training is key and we are clear that this is something we can offer our local community.

We're also very keen to increase our investment in apprenticeships and we're working with University Alliance to put forward proposals to government on this.

What are we doing to encourage our final year students to go into PG study with us?

The Fast Track programme lets graduating students quickly and easily apply for a postgraduate course with us. There are also a range of bursaries available to continuing students. We encourage all staff who have contact with students to share details of the Fast Track scheme with them.

In regards to retention, how the university is planning to make better use of the digital information and learning analytics that we have?  Will there be a retention task force? [Added 2/7]

We have access to a lot of data, down to programme and even module levels, so we do plan to put together a project group or task force to effectively analyse this data and take actions. Jane will be working with GLT to work on the best ways to approach this.

Have we considered shifting the start or restart of all courses from September to January?

We did consider it as an option, but feedback from our students is that they want to get back to their studies as soon as possible. So while we have made a January start available for some courses, we will be starting as many as possible in September as usual.  

Some classrooms do not allow for one route in and one route out, which is a concern. Will classrooms be cleaned between each class?

We are currently carrying out risk assessments and plans are currently being developed. We need different approaches for different locations and we will share the plans as soon as they are complete.

What support and training will be available for students to adapt to online education? 

A number of online courses and resources have already been made available for students, and we will continue to run these in the run up to and during the new teaching period.

Are we getting any new equipment for online teaching? [Added 2/7]

We plan to keep the technologies we have already, including Moodle. We want to keep to what we have as our core provisions, as we can support that well and provide training, and with the financial situation we want to keep a balance and not spend too much on licencing where we don't have to, but it is an area that we ae reviewing, and if we do need to spend money to make appropriate improvements, we will. 

Will prospective students know what blend of teaching will be available in term one, when they receive an offer? [Added 2/7]

We've been working with prospective students throughout the cycle, keeping them updated with our plans for term one. We have written to them recently to outline some key principles for next year, and during July faculties will be sending out bespoke communications outlining what those measures mean for individual programmes. We're also supporting prospective students with online chats, Instagram and other support.

Can we increase the caps on student numbers?

We are applying for extra places on courses that are not capped, including nursing and allied health courses.

Are we able to build on findings from the GSU student survey?

We are working closely with the Students' Union and they are contributing to all our task and finish groups, and we are looking at the survey responses as we develop our plans.

What will our policy be on student deferrals?

We are not currently seeing lots of requests for deferrals. We are seeing students who are worried, especially about their finances and the lack of jobs, and we are looking at what additional support we can give them to prevent them needing to defer.

Are there any plans in place to change or enhance our approach to Clearing?

We are developing plans for various options. We would prefer to manage clearing on campus with social distancing measures in place, but this will depend on the government guidance at the time.

Do you think there will be an impact on future tuition fees if universities move towards an online model of teaching for longer term?

No. UUK guidance is that if good quality courses are being delivered, the same fees should still be charged. We will keep this under review.

Will we open halls more flexibly in future? 

Yes, we are looking into this.  We have also launched our Accommodation Promise which aims to give students considering living in halls more peace of mind.

A drop in home enrolments has been identified as a possibility. What degree of drop at Greenwich was modelled in the financial estimates?

We do anticipate a fall in recruitment, but we were in a strong position. We anticipate this will be a temporary revenue shock. We have already made reductions in costs and are looking at things centrally with the aim of breaking even. We need to ask everyone to think carefully about what we're spending. 

How are we interpreting the OfS requirement that students get 'equal quality of service'?

We are looking at this as a question of equity; there will be not be identical methods or solutions for all.

From a funding, SLC perspective, short courses of less than 24 weeks, will not qualify for student support and TFL's. Will you ensure this is considered and disseminated when creating short courses for UG programmes?

We have been working with the University Alliance on this, and models have been created where government could provide funds and this plan is being put to government.

We have also formed groups within the university, further education institutions, local Chambers of Commerce and councils to understand what's needed and how we can work together to help our community.

Is there a specific strategy to support apprentice programmes? [Added 2/7]

Not currently, but this is something that we are going to be working on soon. 

What is the university's position on new VC Scholarships that would potentially start 20/21 academic year?

We are waiting on a statement from the government on funding for these. We are planning to have new scholars next year, and we will make announcements when we are able to.

Will staff be expected to pre-record all 10-12 weeks of lectures per course this summer?

We are proposing sessions are pre-recorded to avoid multiple modes for delivery. It is not intended to give undue stress or an additional workload. GLT are running online workshops to support academic staff https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/public-relations/glt-able-events

We have also decided to pause or stop some academic administration processes, to make things simpler for academic staff. 

You can also self-enrol to access the Adjusting to Blended Learning Environment Moodle site which offers pragmatic, practical advice.

I understand currently there are no plans for redundancies. At what point, financially speaking, may the university change its position on that?

With the measures currently in place and our financial forecasts, we do not anticipate redundancies, but if the financial situation does get worse, we will communicate that with you as soon as we know.

How was it possible to decrease directorate costs?

Many departments have managed to reduce costs by cutting travel, hospitality and with hiring freezes, some of which have naturally occurred as we work remotely.  We are also holding some vacancies, for example the appointment of a Deputy Vice-Chancellor is currently on hold.

We're asking everyone to reconsider what they spend money on.

There had been a plan to increase the staff numbers in the Student Wellbeing Service, which has been put on hold. Current circumstances are likely to lead to further support being needed for students with disabilities, so how will this be addressed?

We recognise that this is an important service. Vacancies in this area are not being held so the capacity of our wellbeing team will not be reduced. However, until we are clearer on our recruitment situation in September, we can't agree to additional posts.

Will the conference funding for the next year be still available to staff?

These is something that will need to be considered carefully in faculties and directorates.

Can project travel, funded by external bodies for research, still happen? [Added 2/7]

We are currently developing a code of practice for travel both within the UK and international, looking at the safety implications as well as financial.

Will there be any impact on the academic promotions? 

The academic promotion round for 19/20 is already underway and continuing.  We are clear that our staff are critical to our success.

Will we furlough staff?

We have furloughed some non-academic staff where they haven't been able to carry out their role. They have been paid at 100%.

I am a member of staff on a faculty funded PhD or PG course, is there a chance that my sponsorship may be declined in the middle of my programme?  

If you are currently receiving funding for a PhD or PG course, your funding will continue. We have made the decision not to fund any new PhDs that will be undertaken at universities other than Greenwich.

If I need to use public transport to commute to work, but am able to fully work from home, can I continue to do this after campus reopens?

Some activities need to be undertaken on campus, however we are looking at how we can continue with remote working in the future.

Is the sale of Mansion site still going ahead? If so, can we have an update on how this might impact on finances and also how we will manage the need for social distancing across a reducing capacity? [Added 2/7]

It is still going ahead and obviously it would result in a cash inflow. In regards to social distancing, we are planning our activity on campus around the new site, predominantly with Southwood in its new form. There are issues, but that is the same over all campuses.