National Lockdown Update (26 February 2021) - The Glasgow School of Art Media Centre

Exiting National Lockdown Update

On the 5th February, we said that we would update students once the Scottish Government guidance on exiting lockdown had been confirmed. On 23 February the Scottish Government published its strategic framework and in light of this updated guidance we have been able to progress some planned changes.

Route Back to Campus

The Scottish Government framework allows the GSA to make some limited, but significant, changes to campus access from 15 March. These include a greater range of access to technical resources including workshop spaces, and an enhanced range of available study spaces for individual final year students who do not otherwise have access to suitable and safe home working environments.

Until 15 March, the existing technical services bureau and fabrication service and access to safe study and work space in the Library, Digital Hub and the Reid Building continue:
All learning and teaching continues online. Students should 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 on campus you must follow the GSA’s Safe Campus guidance, which includes wearing a face covering unless medically exempt.

Then, on the basis that the Scottish Government guidance does not change, from 15 March, in addition to the continued services above, we will extend controlled access to some workshop facilities where we can maintain social distancing and our safe campus approach for final year and postgraduate students who are already in Glasgow:

To minimise face-to-face contact, TSD staff will supervise workshops remotely, and as such hazardous processes will be restricted. TSD will publish details on Canvas next week outlining which workshops and processes will be available.
Workshops will be bookable through Connect 2 if students have been previously inducted, or via a technical consultation if students have not accessed the service previously. For most areas, students will have to complete an online re-induction process before booking is activated – this is to make sure students are up to date with all safety procedures. Information on any induction required will be shared on Canvas.
To comply with current government guidance and to maintain physical distancing, capacity is limited. However, we will continue to support making at home through the bureau services. Students can also find a range of safe making at home guides and support from TSD on Canvas.

Services will continue to be available to all final year students through the Spring Break, (with the exception of Good Friday and Easter Monday when the GSA is closed).

Scottish Government restrictions in place currently allow no more than 5% of our students to be on campus at any one time, so until restrictions allow greater access, we are prioritising access for final year and postgraduate students. If Scottish Government guidance changes and we can bring more students back more quickly onto campus, we will, and give as much notice of any changes as is possible.

Assessment support measures

In light of the continuing challenging circumstances of the pandemic, GSA is applying some exceptional measures to assessment during 2020/21. We made adjustments to programmes this year to ensure that students could engage fully online, including changes to assessment for all programmes as necessary.

Undoubtedly students have all faced considerable constraints on how they have been able to work during this session, even more so following the introduction of national lockdowns in Scotland in December 2020. We know that in addition, some of have faced and continue to face extremely challenging personal circumstances. The measures being put in place now build upon the changes we made ahead of the session and recognise students’ different experiences.

Set out in this document is the approach we are taking to upcoming assessment. If students have any questions or concerns about assessment they can discuss them with tutors and Programme Leaders.

Read: COVID-19 assessment support measures – academic session 2020/21

Winter COVID Discretionary Fund

As we mentioned in our email of 4 February the Scottish Government has released limited additional funds as short-term assistance to all enrolled students in Higher Education who have been negatively financially impacted as a direct consequence of the pandemic to enable them to access and/or continue in Higher Education. We have now received guidance on how the scheme will operate and the GSA’s Winter COVID Discretionary Fund (WCDF) is now open.

Students should be able to demonstrate that COVID-19 has impacted financially causing additional hardship, including but not limited to if they are facing additional accommodation costs and are unable to secure rent rebates while not returning to your term-time accommodation.

The fund is limited and awards will be allocated on a first-come-first–served and individual case by case basis, and we will seek to support students who are facing unexpected hardship due to the pandemic as best we can whilst funds last.

We would like to encourage any student of the GSA who can demonstrate additional hardship caused by COVID-19, to please apply to the fund as soon as possible.

Graduate Immigration Route: Deadline Extension Proposed

From summer 2021, international students who have successfully completed an undergraduate or master’s degree are able to benefit from two years’ work experience in the UK upon graduation, through the UK’s new Graduate Route.

However, under the UK Government current rules students who started their programme in Autumn 2020 remotely need to be in the UK by 6 April to take advantage of the Route. This contradicts both the current travel bans in place across the UK and the hotel quarantine rules for all international arrivals in Scotland.

The GSA and other HEIs are supporting a postponement of the deadline. Universities UK (the collective voice of all UK universities) colleagues are submitting a paper to the Home Office requesting to postpone the deadline until later in the year. We expect that the Home Office will make an announcement on this in the next few weeks and we will keep you updated on any developments.

Digital Showcase 2021

As spring approaches, we are now beginning the detailed planning process for a digital showcase of our graduating students’ work in June. The Deputy Director, Academic and Heads of School met with final year and lead reps on Friday 19 February to discuss our approach which is broadly as follows:

We will offer a digital showcase, building on last year’s showcase with greater functionality, for students from undergraduate and 2-year Masters programmes. (For students on 1-year Masters programmes who usually exhibit in August, we will review plans with later in the year as the Scottish Government guidance changes.)
Depending on public health constraints, we will facilitate graduating students to engage in physical activities on campus to support the digital showcase. Academic Schools will now work locally to establish what sorts of exhibition practice, installation work etc would be most beneficial to students and this information will feed in to inform decisions about which part of the campus can be given over to this activity.
The GSA’s Digital Showcase Working Group, (which will include student representation) will now come together under the Director of Strategy and Marketing, Scott Parsons, to lead on detailed arrangements and more details will be issued as soon as we are able.

Vaccinations: Registering with a GP

Vaccinations against COVID-19 are now continuing at pace across the world and we would urge all students to please ensure that they are registered with a local GP in order to be notified when a space is available for you. If you are in the UK and this is your first registration with a GP practice in the UK, please note that medical records from outside the United Kingdom will not be traced, and that all prescriptions in Scotland are free of charge.