We are writing to you as University of Worcester students asking for the University to grant us special consideration for the academic year of 2020-2021.

We understand, based on the virtual all- student meeting from the Senior Pro Vice Chancellor, that the no detriment policy has been considered and will not be offered to students. We would like to dispute this and the explanation given.

Everyone has been affected by the extraordinary circumstances of this year, and for us students the impact on our education has been incalculable. Now, with the latest national lockdown, the challenges facing students – especially those in their final year – are particularly acute. While we appreciate that the University of Worcester have done their best to adapt to the pandemic, it is entirely unreasonable that these profound, year- long disruptions to our studies are not reflected in the grading.

In the virtual all- student meeting, it was made clear that the University believes they have provided adequate support and teaching this year, but for us students we find this view frustrating. The insistence that we should be used to online learning and that we should be able to provide the same quality of work as normal is outlandish. In previous years Universities have strongly discouraged the use of online lectures for the reason that it does not provide the same learning quality. Despite the best efforts of lecturers, online learning cannot simply replace an in-person experience, especially for those students further disadvantaged with a lack of access to a reliable internet connection or calm study space at home. This is confirmed by academic studies: “by most indications, students typically do worse in online courses than in on-campus courses, and the challenges of online learning are particularly acute for the most vulnerable populations of first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and underrepresented minorities" (Reich, Ruiperez-Valiente, 2019).

Notwithstanding the fact that for an overwhelming amount of University of Worcester students teaching was already online as despite the blended learning approach being in place, a large number of students have had no, or so few, in person lessons that this learning style cannot be justified in giving us the same learning quality. Thus, the level of support given is not adequate enough to match the experience of a normal year. We understand that a normal learning style cannot be achieved considering the circumstances of this year, but because of that measures need to be implemented. The updated government restrictions from the 6th January meant students are discouraged from returning to campus, even the limited in-person library services will be out of reach. Since courses are given essential reading, much of which can only be accessed via a library in person and are not available online, this has had serious consequences on students being able to carry out academic work to the best of their abilities.

This year also continues to be a time of great personal stress for many students. Most of whom have been conducting our studies in isolation, without the support network that comes from interacting with other students on campus. Everyone is coping with the huge stress of a pandemic that has worsened throughout the year. Many of us have lost loved ones. By not taking the situation into account in the grading of assessments, many students feel that their struggles are being minimised by the University.

To display the effects that online learning has had we have summarised some experiences reported by University of Worcester students. Students have commonly reported feeling extremely fatigued with online learning and that they have cannot find motivation to attend lessons or complete assignments due to the exhaustion of the pandemic and unstimulating lectures. Additionally, in some courses lecturers best efforts have not always been good enough, with them not providing support fast enough or as compassionate as needed. Furthermore, students experiencing additional difficulties such as autism or dyslexia have reported being given no help meaning they have been unable to submit their assignments on time. These effects and the general outcomes of the pandemic have had an extreme detriment for student mental health, with students feeling the effects of not being able to socialise with other people, with them having increased worries over the stress of still being expected to produce the same high-quality work and with little reference to students from the government.

A no detriment policy would not decrease the value of our degree, instead it would give us the opportunity to achieve at levels that we would have done if it were not for the extraordinary circumstances of this year. If, despite this letter and the attached petition the University decides to not instate a no detriment policy for 2021 may we instead offer some alternative options that you can consider for University of Worcester students. Firstly, if essential reading is required it needs to be online as students have been unable to access essential reading due to libraries being closed and them being at home and unable to travel back to university or to libraries. This has meant their assignments have been marked down and they are not getting the required learning. Students have still been expected to achieve the same quality of work despite these circumstances. Secondly, in March 2020 options for extensions were given for assessments and this should be offered again for assessments in 2021 as the situation has not improved and students are still struggling as they were in March. Therefore, blanket mitigating circumstances and special considerations need to be considered for all students.