National Lockdown update – plans for student return to campus
Earlier this week Scotland’s First Minister confirmed that the current National Lockdown in Scotland will continue until at least the end of February. We are now waiting for the Scottish Government to issue further guidance on what this means for universities and campus access.
Once the GSA has received this updated guidance from the Scottish Government, which we expect will be towards the middle of this month, and are able to confirm in detail what this means for students, we will let you know.
In the meantime, what we can tell you is that the current arrangements are likely to continue until at least the beginning of March:
- All learning and teaching continues online please refer to CANVAS for updates and academic staff remain available for contact through digital platforms as before;
- Access to Safe Study Spaces and Bureau Services continues through the Library and Digital Hub and Technical Services Bureau Service – continue to use the booking system via Connect 2;
- Access to all Student Support Services continue and further detail can be found on the Student Intranet;
- Bookable safe workspaces in the Reid Building continue to be available for all GSA students who are in Glasgow and who do not have safe or appropriate workspace at home during lockdown and you can book via Connect 2;
- Remember when are on-campus you must follow the GSA’s Safe Campus guidance, which includes wearing a face covering unless medically exempt.
We are planning however, in anticipation of a positive easing of the National Lockdown, for a return to campus for critical learning in studios and workshops for students who are graduating in summer 2021 from the beginning of March. For students not graduating this summer study will continue wholly online, but we are reviewing what on-campus access can be provided to support studies and making work. If updated Government guidance allows us to bring more students back more quickly onto campus, we will and will let you know about this as soon as possible.
As you know all of our courses were modified this year to ensure that students could study and submit for assessment wholly online if necessary. Academic staff are currently reviewing semester 2 assessment and will make further adjustments if necessary, and where possible, any changes to programmes will be discussed first with reps and confirmed later this month as they are approved. This could mean for some programmes that the work submitted can be contextualised to take account of individual circumstances and where complex work cannot be fully realised, other work including prototypes, samples and representations of work can be submitted and assessed.
Update on plans for the degree show.
There will be a meeting on the 19th February with Lead Reps and Final Year Student Reps to discuss plans for the degree show, following on from the meeting held in December. The presentation of work to a public audience is an important part of time at art school and we remain committed to this through digital platforms and support for physical shows once social distancing allows. Lead reps and staff from across the Schools will be involved in developing the detail of these plans in the coming weeks and we will keep you informed on progress.
Yesterday all students will have received a reminder that we all have the mid-term holiday and an additional rest day on Monday and Tuesday of next week and of the range of Student Support Services that are available to you if you need them. We all recognise that everyone is coping with numerous challenges right now – working from home, caring for others, home-schooling, managing without the usual levels of contact with friends and family and it is important to take time away from work and studies over the next few days and look after yourselves.
Finally, we wanted to thank everyone for showing kindness and understanding to one another during this difficult time and hope you all have a safe and enjoyable mid-semester break.