I am now in lockdown mode for several months or so. Guardian is delivered. No education page today as such but page 14 has two related stories on Coronavirus. Institute for Public Policy Research has called for a "digital access fund" to make tablets available for school students who do not have one. Schools have moved online.
Second story about HE has no mention of moving online but explains concerns about suggested policy to limit offers of places for next year. In 2017 LSE had 8,000 of 12,000 students from overseas. Fear was that similar unis would expand UK places to replace lost income. Still a problem as overseas fees are higher. But also destabilises other unis.
I cannot see anything on how moving online turns out at this time or what might change in a new academic year or later.
Based as I am in Exeter my interest is also around the student accommodation still being built. Will it be needed? If it lasts 20 years will there be a more blended version of the campus? If mostly UK students can they afford the style that is being built? I find online speculation about this but not much in Guardian. they do report lost rents for retail. In Exeter it was assumed student accommodation could replace a shopping mall. Always seemed out of balance somehow.
Anyway, things changing rapidly. Times Higher Education has a story. This may underestimate possible changes for the campus but we just do not know. In a month or so scale and timeline may be easier to make out.
Also later there will be a different take on the MOOC etc. OU investment in Futurelearn could look to be sensible. I would still like to return to the Peter Horrocks lecture in Durham about the Fortress University. I still think Lancaster Castle would be a good venue / backdrop , especially if there is a conference at the Storey. And Kendal Castle is a good venue / location for the "ruins" that may follow. Scifi future sort of drama. But things shift so that a romcom set in cafes might work better. see previous posts / more later.
Meanwhile newspapers will eventually report what is happening or at least offer clues for blog speculation.
University online development, student accommodation
Continuing from previous posts. I realise there is more going on but this is to update on posts, tweets and remarks on radio. More on student accommodation at the end, it is clear by now what strikes awareness moving around central Exeter.
Tweets have shown many USA campus closures in recent days, now also in UK. Today the Guardian Education pages report issues for UK universities in coping with Coronavirus. Online moves included, mostly as problems. Dr Clow from OU warns that many lecturers do not have the skills to transfer courses as quickly as required. In Leeds the speed of change is a "shock" for some. Jo Grady from University and Colleges Union is concerned about how the content of recorded lectures can be used.
But I think there will be later stories on how online tech has been accepted longterm. This assumes problems work out. Much now appears as normal. Here is Layla Moran on schools but the same applies to HE
Future students will probably look at online options as they may be cheaper and involve less travel risk. There may be some shifts in how things are organised. Critique of the "Platform University" seems associated with the view that cloud tech comes from outside commercial interests. But existing university structures can be seen as part of an industry. This clip also from Sky is interesting as a way to describe things.
December 2017 Peter Horrocks spoke about the "Fortress University" and how Futurelearn could offer a more open approach.
January 2018 Guardian published an interview by Peter Wilby with many quotes from OU staff with questions about the policy of closing down regional support buildings to cover the launch costs of Futurelearn. Peter Horrocks resigned and later new funding for Futurelearn came from Seek, a jobs site in Australia in return for 50% ownership. Presumably opinions stayed close to the views in the Guardian. Other UK universities might have bought shares, one would guess.
It is possible to look again at the issues covered in the Durham lecture. Maybe better when the current difficulties are more settled. An earlier Guardian story covered the cashflow problems for UK universities since the start of the coronavirus crisis. Putting the stories together there may be a shift online both from student demand and university offers. Some form of blended learning is probable.
My guess is that much less student accommodation will be required than is being built. I still cannot find and projected numbers or scenario for what is expected to happen. As mentioned previously I just notice Exeter and it seems out of proportion.
This post is partly a repeat of previous ones with some new material. Creative commons so please feel free to use parts of it in another text. The outline is something moves online , will this continue? , then why the investment in the campus / turning the city into accommodation? . Maybe later the other way round if there is news about cancelled buildings or finance issues. any comments welcome.
Expanded tweet -coronavirus, UK uni cashflow, student accommodation, newspapers
Needs more space than a tweet. Repeats previous content but links now getting clear.
Guardian print on Saturday reported that UK universities realise that coronavirus will result in fewer international students and reduced cash flow. Page 2 column 5 "hundreds of millions" also lost in accommodation, travel, entertainment and living expenses. I have noticed not much follow up on this, even on Twitter. Some teaching will move online, but will it stop there? If it works will there be more of it? Is the accommodation boom set to continue? The more viable investments seem intended for the higher end, possibly the international students able to pay higher fees.
I am just in guess mode. there seems to be very little public info on what is expected over 20 years or the life of the recent buildings. A move online during the rest of this year may raise some questions.
I think part of the lack of reporting is that UK newspapers are getting closer to a stage when print will not be viable and a move online will be urgent. Just seems to be a gap in reporting how much online HE already exists. Guardian quite hostile to Peter Horrocks and Futurelearn . If it seemed more viable would this be reported?
In Exeter we have a lot of building in the city centre. shopping mall Harlequins soon to be demolished for more student accommodation. Just seems odd. There must be informed reporting somewhere on what the research basis is for this and if it changes.
By the way, Reach PLC now claiming a 7fold increase in online readers over three years. seems to be believed by investors. How much print will continue? Exeter interesting case as now with dedicated website and still a newspaper.
