Financial Statements 2019/2020
OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE (continued)
We collaborated with mental health fitness app Fika on a nationwide study to understand the impact of the coronavirus on the emotional and physical wellbeing of higher education staff and students. Professor in Dance Vida Midgelow documented how arts research was being conducted during the pandemic. This was part of wider work to find new ways to keep arts research going during lockdown.
Our researchers produced resources and offered advice to directly help families during the pandemic based on their research. For example, Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies Dr Jacqueline Harding reviewed academic studies on play, for a report in conjunction with toy manufacturers Fisher Price. The report concluded that parents could reduce their stress levels during self-isolation by playing with their children, and that laughing with children during playtime is as good as a gym workout for the immune system. Experts from our Centre for Abuse and Trauma studies offered advice to parents on how they could keep their children safe online during the lockdown. Colleagues across the University blogged on coronavirus-related subjects, such as risk perception and the psychology of lockdown. These blogs helped us share what we know from research about dealing with the pandemic.
WORKING TOWARDS A NEW NORMAL
We have focused on providing a COVID-19 secure environment on campus, following government guidance at every stage.
This includes implementing 1m+ and 2m distancing as appropriate, new routes around campus to support distancing, as well as changes to cleaning, catering, waste disposal and other supporting services. Face coverings are required indoors except by those with an exemption, we have repurposed larger office spaces to provide more teaching space and have rethought how our specialist spaces in science and the creative arts can be effectively used. Our staff are encouraged
to continue to work from home where this is possible, and those needing to return to campus have completed risk assessments and are supported through our specialist teams.
At the onset of the lockdown, we started working to reassure our prospective students about their future studies. The Marketing and Student Recruitment teams quickly created a virtual experience on our website, where people could chat to staff and students, have a virtual tour of the campus, or sign up for online events. The programme of online events included Postgraduate Open events, which were attended by almost a 1,000 people, and 46 livestreams for Undergraduate offer holders by subject.
Over the summer, we made arrangements so that new and current students could have a successful start to the Autumn term. We followed government advice, putting the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and students at the forefront of all decisions. Our planning was also informed by findings from the Middlesex COVID-19 Student Experience Survey. We have used a responsive, continuum blended learning model – a mix of virtual and face-to-face teaching. For example, big group lectures take place online while some smaller classes or practical activities happen on campus. If students are not able to practice their skills in the facilities on campus at any point during their course, then we will support them to create a learning environment at home with appropriate software and other resources. This model provides structure and consistency, while being flexible and agile enough to enable us to respond as conditions change. Importantly, it is designed to maximise student engagement and success with our values of equality, diversity and inclusion at its heart.
Our student support services are available online including all library services and access to the core texts. We also have academic, writing and numeracy support and employability, wellbeing and personal support available virtually. We continue to review our plans and inform our approach as we get more information from the government and, together with the Students’ Union, we gather feedback, questions and ideas from our students.
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Middlesex University
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