This website houses the guidance for staff in implementing the University Course Delivery Principles during the 2020/21 academic year. This guidance is kept under review and will be updated if and when new information becomes available or circumstances change.

The updated guidance contained within this website is informed by the experience of staff and students over semester 1 2020/21. The top 5 observations about semester 1 from a cross-university group were:

  1. Students need to feel engaged and motivated
  2. Students want face-to-face activities to be purposeful and different than online ones
  3. We need to focus on student outcomes
  4. Constant change is difficult, we need a clear path and stability where possible
  5. Plans going forward need to be contextualised by departments

Read more details about learning from semester 1.

Course considerations

Here are key considerations at the course level to think about first:

  1. Courses must continue to meet PSRB and regulatory requirements and follow CMA guidance.
  2. Course teams should focus on the Student Experience.
  3. Teaching must adopt a flexible model of delivery so that we can move flexibly between online and face-to-face delivery as required.
  4. Course teams should consider, and where possible make explicit, alignment to the Hallam Model principles.
  5. Courses should be designed to maximise inclusivity and value diversity so all students can engage and succeed.
  6. Use a consistent set of tools in consistent ways – it is important to decide which tools to use and how they are to be used at a course level rather than module level. This will mean that staff and student don’t need to learn multiple tools and ways of working for similar activities.
  7. Consider students’ access to learning –  where students are likely to be studying from abroad or accessing remotely, synchronous sessions should be scheduled to accommodate student needs. In addition, the technologies that can be accessed may differ between countries and should be accounted for.
  8. All lectures to large groups should normally be delivered asynchronously as pre-recorded videos (see Flipped Learning guidance).
  9. Most courses are using a new teaching model, therefore student engagement and ongoing evaluation of teaching approaches will be essential. In addition to lecturers using personal evaluation and reflection to adapt their own teaching, these findings should be shared with other members of the course team to continue to provide a consistent learning experience.
  10. Consider how different approaches and models may be needed based on level, demographics, and other aspects of your cohorts – level 4 students who have had limited opportunity to meet their peers may need a different approach than level 5 students who have already established peer and friendship groups, for example, while those students completing awards may also need a different approach to others who are earlier in their studies.

Read our course delivery guidance to help plan your modules and teaching activities during the 2020/21 academic year.

Feedback and Suggestions for Site

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