Cases of Covid-19 continue to rise, and universities are facing pressure to switch back to online teaching. Students are having a university experience that is more than a little different – and are coping with constraints to their social interactions, maintaining their engagement in learning and managing their own wellbeing.
This Wonkhe @ Home event will consider what the higher education sector could do to avert a possible retention crisis this year. We’ll get a picture of what’s going on on the ground – including launching brand new research on retention we’ve been conducting this month with students’ unions – and how universities are responding to the challenges thrown up by Covid-19.
We’ll ask what support students might need to maintain engagement with learning and expand their social and academic networks safely. We’ll also consider the policy implications: should there be a national scheme for “managed exit” to help students who are struggling to cope and might otherwise slip away under the radar? What might current events mean for non-continuation as an indicator of university performance? And what, if anything, should the sector ask from governments to support students returning after Christmas?
