Guardian editorial on shift to online learning

 The situation on UK campus has got attention from journalists. Possibility of students not being allowed to travel home for Xmas is a headline item. Guardian has reported at length and today has an editorial, lengthy quote below - 

Now universities, as well as ministers, stand accused of recruiting students on a false prospectus, because of their reliance on the income from rents.

But a shift to online learning is only at best a partial solution. Students in Manchester and elsewhere are not thought to have caught the virus in lectures, but through social contacts. This contact with peers is part of the reason most people go to university, and would not automatically cease because in-person teaching has. Besides, many art, science and other courses require specialist equipment and can’t be taught remotely. There is also the question of knock-on effects for schools and colleges, because if lecture theatres are judged too dangerous to work and study in, where does that leave teachers and schools?

Final figures on the take-up of university places are not yet known. But predictions that the recruitment of international students would collapse due to Covid have not come true. This worst-case scenario having been avoided, universities must do all they can to ensure that students get the education they deserve, as well as obeying pandemic rules put in place to protect us all. But the greatest responsibility, as ever, lies with the government, whose job it is to make the test-and-trace system work. The future, as well as the present, depends on it.

This is not yet looking at the longer term issues. If online learning is accepted then will there be the same need for so many buildings? There is not just an issue of refunds because of a "false prospectus". If course mostly or partly online could it be cheaper? I still think the Guardian has a block on this sort of issue as there is a related conversation about news and print. There is still no rethink about Futurelearn and MOOC platforms. Peter Wilby might reconsider his take on Peter Horrocks and lecture on Fortress University. see previous posts.

While on repeating previous claims, just to explain some of my concern is from living in Exeter where the centre is now taken over by student accommodation . I cannot find any research on future numbers expected to be near campus most of the year. There are many other UK urban spaces with a similar situation. Guardian will report on UK. Meanwhile i will try to find out more about Exeter. Some of the buildings look solid enough to still be there 20 year time. How much HE will then be mostly online? The question is more or less allowed now in a newspaper.