Student FAQ COVID-19 - University of Huddersfield

Table of contents
Frequently Asked Questions
Student updates
Accessing Services and Support when away from campus

Update 11 May 2020

Dear Student

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday I need to confirm that for the time being the University campus remains closed and you must not visit the campus.

There is a significant amount of work taking place to prepare a small number of essential spaces to be used, but this requires careful planning and supplies of appropriate equipment. Our overriding concern is to ensure a safe environment for students, staff and visitors, and we will be adopting the Government’s guidelines to achieve this. Therefore, you must not return to campus for any reason until you are advised it is safe to do so.

We do hope to restart some on-campus teaching in September and are currently working on a range of scenarios to allow us to respond to the Government’s requirements for this. As you would expect, all teaching, whether on campus or on line will continue to be at the level of Gold-standard excellence you have experienced during your studies so far.

As our plans develop we will keep you updated on progress through emails to your University email account and you will be able to see the latest information on the Covid-19 information pages which are accessible from the home page of the University website. Messages relevant to your particular course will continue to be posted in Brightspace by your tutors. In the meantime, please continue to work from home as you have been doing.

I hope you and your family remain safe and well.

Professor Bob Cryan

Vice-Chancellor

Teaching and assessment arrangements

Dear Student,

I hope you and your family and friends are keeping well in these difficult times. I am writing to update you about teaching and assessment arrangements at the University and to explain our continued intention to ensure that no student is disadvantaged by the current circumstances. I appreciate that everyone is worried about the current situation so please remember to visit the FAQ for students as this contains lots of information and helpful links to explain what the University is doing to help students through this difficult period. (Close the pop-up to view FAQ)

I would like to remind you, whether you are living in student halls, private rented accommodation or at home that our wellbeing service is open. You can contact this via studentwellbeing@hud.ac.uk. The service can provide advice and help if you are feeling alone and anxious. The service can also provide help if you are in financial hardship due to the coronavirus situation through exploring short term options such as referral to local community support, local food banks, application to the hardship fund, or other interim options.

Regarding your studies, we have endeavoured to be as flexible as possible over deadlines and timescales so that we can meet the diverse range of needs across our student body. We have a substantial number of students who want to complete assessment to the originally stated time as they are holding job offers subject to confirmation of their degree awards. As an institution that is focussed on Inspiring Global Professionals, the majority of our programmes are accredited by the relevant Professional and Statutory Body, for example law, nursing and pharmacy. As such, any decisions made around assessment are based on ensuring that you still receive an accredited degree such that you can then progress into your chosen profession. Course leaders in these areas need sufficient flexibility to work out the impact on you in relation to the regulations imposed by their professional bodies to ensure your final qualifications remain accredited by them.

Given the circumstances we have taken the decision to cancel most of the examinations for first and second year students dependent on the requirements of any professional body. Our final year students will be asked to undertake an alternative assessment which will replace an examination - details about the types of alternatives can be found in the FAQ (Close the pop-up to view FAQ). We are following national guidance to ensure that any new arrangements we put in place do not diminish the quality and standards of the programmes on which you are studying.

Please be reassured that all of our planning around assessment is based on the commitment that no student should be disadvantaged. This applies whether you have family responsibilities, varying degrees of access to IT, may be key workers, or are unwell with Covid-19 or any other illness. We always operate on the basis that there should be no detriment to students who are facing problems with regard to their studies - this approach is continuing during the current situation through our extensions and extenuating circumstances procedures and will be considered as mitigating circumstances in the Assessment Boards.

We know that this is a very stressful time for everyone, particularly students who have seen all their plans disrupted. Please be assured that staff are doing their upmost to provide robust and practical on-line learning and assessment material and you should continue to refer to the student FAQ (Close the pop-up to view FAQ) and check in with your course leaders and the VLE on a regular basis.

Professor Jane Owen-Lynch
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning).

COVID-19 FAQs - International Students

My visa is expiring soon – what do I do?

If you are in the UK and your visa is due to expire soon, or has already expired, and you are unable to leave the UK due to the Covid-19 related travel restrictions or self-isolation, you must contact the Coronavirus Immigration Team at the Home Office to update this. You can email the team at CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk and provide them with the following detail:

your full name (as it appears on your passport)
date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy)
nationality
your previous visa reference number
why you can’t go back to your home country, for example if the border has closed

The Coronavirus Immigration Team will be in touch with you when your visa has been extended.

For detail, see the Home Office's Coronavirus update of 24 March 2020 as well as the UKCISA advice.

If you are in this position, and have emailed the Home Office Coronavirus Immigration Team, please also email the university immigration team on immigration@hud.ac.uk to let us know and we will update our records.

I have already applied for my Tier 4 visa extension but the UKVCAS centre is closed

Due to the ongoing situation, Sopra Steria UKVCAS have closed various centres across the country - see UKVCAS website for the full list. If you are affected by a centre closure then please be advised that Sopra Steria will automatically rebook your biometric appointments at the same locations in 6 weeks’ time. This of course means that there will be a long delay in the processing of your visa application decision but it will not affect your visa status in the UK.

I am an International Undergraduate, Master’s or PhD Student

What will happen if I leave the UK?

The University is operating a revised service and you will be able to complete your studies here through on-line learning and assessment.

However, if you feel that you must return home, we will continue to support you in your studies remotely through on-line learning and assessment for the remainder of the academic year, until you can return. Full details of this are part of the student FAQs.

Whom should I inform if I choose to leave the UK?

In accordance with your Visa conditions, you must inform immigration@hud.ac.uk and send us a copy of your boarding card and/or flight booking.

We can then confirm your location and can enrol you onto our on-line learning and assessment programmes and you can complete your studies remotely. Our intention is that all students will be able to complete their studies and progress and/or receive their final degree outcome.

The Home Office requires the University to be aware of your study location. If you do not let us know you are returning home this may cause issues in the future if you need to extend your visa or apply for a new one.

If you do leave the UK, you will also need to remember that you are responsible for any contracts that you may have signed, for example accommodation contracts, and inform the relevant parties.

If I am studying on-line in the UK do I still need to have my attendance at University verified.

No, we will monitor your engagement with your course through your Brightspace usage.

If I leave the UK before the end of this academic year what will happen to my visa?

We are not sure at the moment, we are awaiting new guidance from UKVI, but we hope that they will be understanding. Your visa will not be cancelled for at least the next two months.

However, you must inform us by emailing immigration@hud.ac.uk with copies of your boarding card/flight booking. The Home Office requires the University to be aware of your study location.

If you do not let us know you are returning home this may cause issues in the future if you need to extend your visa or apply for a new one.

If I am not in University, can I work longer hours in my part-time job?

No, it is still term-time and as such you are only allowed to work to a maximum of 20 hours per week. You should not work longer than this or it may result in you being deported from the UK.

I am an international student in the International Study Centre

What should I do?

Please refer to the guidance issued by Study Group on your Brightspace portal, and make sure you are checking your university email.

If you are studying on an International Year One programme and wish to return to your home country, you must inform us by emailing immigration@hud.ac.uk. with copies of your boarding card/flight booking.

The Home Office requires the University/or International Study Centre to be aware of your study location. If you do not let us know you are returning home this may cause issues in the future if you need to extend your visa or apply for a new one.

Drop-In Sessions

If you need more information we will be running weekly general advice drop-in sessions and immigration drop-in sessions via Zoom.

Immigration Team Drop-In Sessions

Wednesday 10.00am-12.00pm (UK time)

How to join?

Join the drop-in during the times above or use Zoom Meeting ID: 949 762 438 (no password is required).

International Student Support Drop-in sessions

Tuesday 9.00am – 10.00am (UK time)

Friday 2.00pm – 3.00pm (UK time)

How to join?

Join the drop-in during the above times or use Zoom Meeting ID: 959-642-421 (no password required).

What to expect:

Sessions will be on a 1-1 basis and you will automatically enter the queue. Please do not close the holding window or you will lose your place and have to re-join.
We will alert you when the session is about to end. If you have not been seen during the session and your query is urgent, please email the relevant team on immigration@hud.ac.uk for Immigration and visa advice or international.office@hud.ac.uk for general email advice.
When your session is over, please click ‘leave the meeting’ on Zoom, alternately, we can put you into the waiting room if you may need to speak to us again

Continuing studies

What is the University Doing to ensure that students are not disadvantaged in terms of student outcomes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic?

At the heart of the University’s philosophy is the ongoing principle that no student should be disadvantaged in achieving their potential and that position has been very strongly maintained throughout the emerging Covid-19 disruption.

We have strengthened this stance through the development of additional policies and processes over recent weeks, which take as their starting point a recognition that our students may be impacted by Covid-19 in a number of direct and indirect ways, and our students are understandably anxious about how this may affect their degree outcomes. We know that many students have family responsibilities, they may have varying degrees of access to IT, and that they, or family members may be key workers, or may indeed be unwell at the moment. We have made, and are continuing to make, adjustments to how we deliver and assess our programmes to take account of this.

Our concern has been to introduce methods of assessment that enable our students to continue their studies appropriately, and to the standards they and their future employers would expect despite the current situation. This ensures that students and employers can be confident in the quality and integrity of the final marks that a student achieves compared to marks from previous and future cohorts of students.

Equally importantly, we are ensuring that our assessments allow our students to demonstrate that they meet the competency requirements of the many professional bodies that we work with – in many instances such competences simply cannot be estimated on past performance and so it is essential that students complete the alternative assessments and they will have our full support in doing so.

In addition to adjustments to our extension and Extenuating Circumstances processes, one key component in our approach is that we are introducing a “safety net” for our final year students to ensure that where they have completed and passed their final year assignments, their degree award will at least match the classification indicated by second year grades. This means that if your marks in the second year indicated an Upper Second Class degree, then your final degree outcome will be an Upper Second Class degree, or better if your final year marks improve on this when the normal degree outcome calculation is applied. Also, second year students who have completed and passed this year’s assessments can receive final degree outcomes based on final year marks only, if this is to their benefit. The safety net applies to all undergraduate bachelor level programmes which have assessment due in this academic cycle that counts towards final degree classifications, dependent on

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body agreements. This 'safety net' approach is a model that has also been adopted by Cambridge University. We have also made provision under the same general principle for integrated masters and non-standard provision which takes place over more than one academic year.

The emergency regulations to cover this can be found on the Registry pages.

Our student support and wellbeing staff have prepared additional measures to deal with individual circumstances and we would encourage any student with concerns to contact wellbeing or their personal academic tutor. Please be assured we are working to support final year students to continue their studies, so they can complete their degrees and not be disadvantaged in the workplace once things stabilise and we return to more normal times.

University Rules and Regulations

The University has approved a range of adjustments to enable students to complete their studies and assessments during this emergency situation. Your School and course leaders will be contacting you with specific arrangements. The regulations and procedures are accessible via the Registry pages.

I’m ill, what happens about my studies?

The University will do its best to support you during your illness and as material is online you should be able to catch up once you have recovered. Where this impacts on assessments, students should in the first instance apply for an extension. It may be that you need to apply for Extenuating Circumstances should you need a longer period of time to catch up. We recognise that it may not be possible to produce evidence in the usual format and this will be taken into account when considering extension and EC claims.

Will I be able to graduate on time?

There are two things that happen when a student graduates. Students receive a certificate of confirmation of their award, and there is also a celebratory graduation ceremony. You will be receiving your certificate through the post, which is the normal practice anyway. However, we will not be able to hold the graduation ceremonies in July, though hope to be able to reschedule these when circumstances permit.

What will appear on my degree certificate and transcript this year?

As in previous years, your transcript will set out the final actual assessment grades from all of the modules you have taken at the University on your course. The certificate and the transcript will also state your degree outcome, which may be based on actual marks awarded, or, may be based on the outcome of our "safety net" process.

Extension and extenuating circumstances

We acknowledge that the current situation is difficult and appreciate that engagement with your studies may be disrupted. If you are unable to complete assessment to deadline because you are ill, caring for a family member who is ill, are a key worker or are unable to access appropriate IT, you should in the first instance apply for an extension through the normal route from https://my.hud.ac.uk/Pages/default.aspx.

We are encouraging, wherever appropriate, the use of extensions which will be longer than in normal circumstances. We hope this helps most of you to complete your assessments in time for them to be considered by the relevant Course Assessment Boards, normally in June. Some of you may require longer than we can offer through the extension, in which case you should apply for Extenuating Circumstances. This will allow us, if necessary, to consider your marks at a later Course Assessment Board although this will mean that your final outcomes will be released slightly later.

We are unable to offer extensions for some assignments, such as open book examinations, in which case you will need to apply for Extenuating Circumstances to be considered if you are unable to complete these assessments on the date set. In some cases, our Professional Regulatory and Standards Bodies set the rules around extension requests, and in these cases we have to follow their guidance.

Please be reassured that we recognise that it may not be possible to produce evidence in the usual format and this will be taken into account when considering Extension requests and Extenuating Circumstances claims.

Returning Library books or laptops

There will be no penalties for the late return of library resources.

Due to school closures I have additional childcare responsibilities. This will impact on my ability to complete assessed work.

There are a number of things you can do. Request an extension to give you more time to complete your assessments in the first instance. If you require a long term extension, apply for Extenuating Circumstances.

What should I do if lecturers are not responding to my emails?

Please be patient. Responding to individual enquiries does take a little longer in an online environment. We also have a number of members of staff who are ill or caring for dependents who are ill, and they need a little longer to be able to get back to you. Your query might be answered through our FAQ pages, so please check there. If your email is urgent and you haven’t had a response to your email in two working days, please email your course leader or School admin office who might be able to help.

Guidance on working from home

Our library team has put together information which you will find useful in working from home.

What is happening with my exams?

Under the current circumstances you will not be asked to come into University to sit exams. We have put in place alternative assessment arrangements and these vary, dependent on your course. You have received an email from your School about these arrangements and how they apply to you and more detail will be provided by module leaders.

The changes involve using online delivery methodologies as set out below:

1. Coursework assessments which you would normally submit to Brightspace will largely continue unchanged.

2. Any type of examination which would normally require you to be on campus is being substituted for an assessment which can take place in an online environment. Assessments affected include presentations, performances, interviews and of course traditional exams which you would normally “sit” on campus.

3. We ask for your patience as in some cases we need the approval of professional accreditation bodies before making any changes to assessments, for example on programmes which carry professional recognition such as in pharmacy, nursing, accountancy and law. We are working closely with professional bodies to ensure that any substitute assessment is fair and accessible for our students.

Your tutors and module leaders will provide the detail about approved alternative assessment.

4. There are a number of alternative arrangements we will be putting in place and this depends on your year of study and adherence to professional body requirements.

a) Some exams will be substituted for written assessment such as essays, and you will be given appropriate time in which do to this.

b) Some exams will move to an “open book” exam system where you will attempt the paper on-line. You will be given at least 24 hours in which to complete this “exam” (this may be different for students who have to work to professional body requirements). Please note that the amount of work you will be expected to do will be the same as for the usual 2 or 3 hour exam, we are opening the 24 hour window to allow students to pick the best time for them to complete the work and to allow international students to work within their time zones. You will submit the work through Turnitin and it will go through the usual plagiarism checks to ensure that your work does not breach our academic integrity policy. We may also select students at random to undertake a viva after the examination (online or on the telephone) as part of the quality assurance process, but again you will be given plenty of notice about this.

c) Some first and second year exams will be cancelled altogether and your module grade will be calculated from the remaining assignments.

5. If you have additional requirements as part of a Personal Learning Support Plan we will ensure that appropriate adjustments are made to take account of these. Disability services will be touch regarding arrangements for students who require access to specialist services. No students will be disadvantaged by the new arrangements for on-line assessment compared to the usual examination procedures.

Please be assured we are here to support you, and if you have any concerns about the alternative assessment arrangements which apply to you, please contact your Module Leader in the first instance. We will give you plenty of notice about these changes to assessment to give you the opportunity to seek help where you need it.

Please keep a careful eye on Brightspace for information about alternative assessments.

Accommodation and Halls

The Government’s advice has been updated (11 May 2020) to say that students who are still living in student halls, or private rented accommodation, may now return to their family home and remain there (you cannot commute back and forwards between the two residences). This only applies to those moving from halls to homes within England, as the devolved nations have not amended their guidance and a number of international travel restrictions remain in force.

Please remember that maintaining strict social distancing remains a crucial step now to slow the rate of transmission of COVID-19, to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed, and save the lives of fellow citizens.

If you choose to remain in your student residence and should you or any of your friends fall ill while in your student residence, there is guidance on self-isolating in halls. Let your halls provider know you need to self-isolate and let them know about the support you may need during this period.

If you are experiencing difficulties self-isolating in halls please contact your provider or studentwellbeing@hud.ac.uk.

Other Universities and Halls providers are releasing students from Tenancies. What is happening to students in halls at Huddersfield?

The University understands the difficulties that students will be facing during this period of disruption.

For many students this means they have returned to their normal out of term time homes.
For others, such as international students or care leavers, they remain in halls as this is their primary UK home.

The University of Huddersfield does not own any halls of residence. Students’ contractual and tenancy arrangements are with independent halls of residence but we are however engaging and working with halls providers to ensure the needs of both groups of students are considered and met.

I live in private rented accommodation, how will COVID-19 affect my tenancy?

Students’ contractual and tenancy arrangement with private landlords can be complex, so we would recommend that if you are experiencing issues related to your accommodation or tenancy, to discuss this with your landlord in the first instance.

There are a number of different resources available, which provide more information, including the Students’ Union Advice Centre, which has provided comprehensive advice for students.

Citizens Advice has also provided clear guidance for tenants, should any problems arise during this period; and the UK Government has provided technical guidance.

If you are experiencing difficulties self-isolating in private rented accommodation, please contact your landlord or studentwellbeing@hud.ac.uk.

Students remaining in halls

We have received assurance from the independent hall of residence providers that they will support students to adhere to the stay at home guidance that is specific to university halls.

Students not remaining in halls

We are aware that some Huddersfield providers are considering or have already put provisions in place to release students from term 3 of their contract.

The University continues to work closely with all providers to secure the best support and outcomes for students.

By way of summary on 1 April 2020:

DIGS	Storthes Hall & Ashenhurst	DIGS have confirmed on the 15/04/2020. 1. For students who left the site, emptied their room of their belongings and handed their key/fob back, DIGS is now able to offer a 50% discount off the rent from 1st May 2020 until the end of your tenancy agreement. 2. For students who left the site, emptied their room of their belongings but still have possession of their key/fob, please arrange to post your key back to us as soon as possible. Once received on site, DIGS is now able to offer a 50% discount off the rent from 1st May 2020 until the end of your tenancy agreement. Please include your full name and site address when posting your key back. Please ensure you post the key back to site no later than 1st May 2020. 3. For students who have left the site but have not taken your belongings, please do not travel to site to collect these until current travel restrictions are lifted, and the country-wide lockdown is no longer in place. Your items will be safe in your room. As you are not using the room at this point beside keeping your items in, DIGS is now able to offer a 40% discount off the rent from 1st May 2020 until the end of your tenancy agreement. 4. For students who are staying until the end of their tenancy agreement, our teams will continue to operate the sites as effectively and safely as possible. Students in residence are required to make the rent payment on time as normal. DIGS have indicated they will contact students and provide a webform for students to confirm their situation and preferences. Please contact huddersfield@digstudent.co.uk with any further queries.
Host	Saw Mill, Snow Island, Firth Point	Host have an updated contract release policy. Students need to confirm by email by 5pm on 10th April that they wish to surrender their tenancy. Please review the detailed information and conditions.
IQ	Aspley, Little Aspley, Castings	IQ provide an update centre. They have detailed: “For students who will not be staying for the summer term and pay their rent directly to iQ, we can confirm that provided you let us know by 5pm on Thursday, 9th April 2020 by following this link and completing the check-out process, we won’t charge you for the remainder of your current tenancy, effective from the 18th April 2020. We will treat this as a surrender of your tenancy agreement with us and take your room as returned. If we haven’t heard from you by 5pm on Thursday, 9th April 2020, we will assume that you are staying with us until the end of your tenancy.”
Hello Student	Oldgate House & Kingsmill Court	Hello Student have updated their contract release policy and will consider an early release from your tenancy. They have detailed “We will not charge you any rent from 25 April 2020 onwards…” Tenants will need to meet a range of conditions critically completing the ‘Early Release Form’ on this link by 5pm on 17 April 2020

Disabled Students

I have extra time allocated to exams to accommodate my disability. How will this be reflected in any new modes of assessment?

This will depend on the new mode of assessment and the reasonable adjustments you have specified in your PLSP (Personal Learning Support Plan). These will normally be applied to any revised mode of assessment. As and when new modes of assessment are confirmed you should check with your School that they are alert to the reasonable adjustments detailed in your PSLP. Should any revised modes of assessment not be covered or present concerns, please contact the Disability Service via disability@hud.ac.uk

I want to continue support from my Specialist Study Skills Tutor/Mentor. Can I still do this?

A number of our tutors will need to work remotely and provide sessions by video-conferencing or telephone during this period of social distancing. They will liaise directly with you to arrange this. Where staff are unable to provide remote sessions we may be able to allocate an alternative staff member and we will do our best to secure continued support.

How will my note taking support be provided for remote teaching?

If you require notes from remote teaching provision, where it is recorded and/or note takers can access the session remotely we will ensure provision of notes.

My assignment is due soon. Am I entitled to an extension to mitigate any disruption in studies?

You can continue to apply for an assignment extension in the normal way and module leaders will be seeking to ensure that any disruption to studies or access to materials is mitigated with some additional time for the entire cohort to complete coursework.

I need to apply for Extenuation Circumstances but cannot get a medical note from my GP?

We understand that this may be difficult to obtain in the current climate. Please complete the EC form giving us as much information as you can and submit without medical evidence. If you have any queries students should contact their Disability Adviser or email disability@hud.ac.uk to discuss this further.

How will my examination and assessment adjustments that accommodate my disability be applied to any revised forms of assessment?

ARAs (Alternative Reasonable Adjustments) are taken into account in the revised assessment arrangements. If you have any concerns you should contact disability@hud.ac.uk who will talk through and consider your circumstances.

Where you are normally allocated extra time in exams, we will ensure this is reflected in the time allocated to complete an alternative form of assessment which is time limited.
If you normally have access to a Reader in your exams or a Scribe you should contact your Disability Adviser or disability@hud.ac.uk. The Disability Team will endeavor to contact everyone who has previously had these adjustments to look at how this can be facilitated remotely, if still required for the revised assessment format.
If you have previously used specialist software in an examination and still require access to it to complete the designated alternative assessment, please contact the Disability Team on disability@hud.ac.uk to discuss your support requirements. You may also be able to access refresher sessions in the use of Assistive Technology through HudStudy.

Student FAQ relating to Covid-19 virus

Frequently Asked Questions

Student Wellbeing

International students

Disabled students

Continuing studies

Self-isolation and Stay at Home Guidance

Accommodation and Halls

Student updates

Update 11 May 2020

Update 31 March 2020

Archive

Accessing Services and Support when away from campus

How do I access support services whilst I am away from campus?