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Student Update: Road to Reopening @WLV – Enrolment and Safety on Campus

16/09/2020

Please be aware that this information was shared with students by email and correct at the time of sending. For the latest Covid-19 guidance, please visit our coronavirus webpages: www.wlv.ac.uk/coronavirus. If you are a student who has a query or needs support, please log a helpcall with ASK@WLV in e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision).

This week we welcomed some of our early starter students back to the Walsall Campus, it has been fantastic to see students return to teaching on-campus safely whilst observing the social distancing instructions that are in place.

WLV Welcome and induction activities have now started, with teaching due to commence for most undergraduate students in the week beginning Monday, 28 September 2020 (this may be earlier for some courses). Most postgraduate programmes will be starting slightly later on Monday, 26 October 2020 (some courses are starting earlier).

I want to provide an update for all students around the measures that have been put into effect in our buildings and teaching spaces to help keep you safe and enable social distancing.

Before you arrive on campus

Enrolment 

Before you can engage with any teaching on-campus and online it is very important that you fully complete the enrolment task in e:Vision. For our safety measures to be effective, and for our compliance with government track and trace requirements, we need to know who is on our campuses and in our classrooms.

Until you are fully enrolled, we cannot create your personal timetable and you will not be able to access online study materials. Delaying your enrolment could also have an adverse effect on receiving your student finance.

If you are not enrolled and you have document checks outstanding, we will process these as quickly as possible. Please ensure you have uploaded all the items we have asked for to e:Vision.

For safety reasons, we are unable to accept hard copies of any documents or certificates on-campus at the WLV Welcome Points.

If you have any problems with enrolling online, please contact your Faculty Student Services via the Helpdesk on e:Vision.

3 Steps to Enrol Online

MyWLV app – your personal timetable

Once you have fully completed your enrolment, you will be able to access your personal timetable from 14 September.

It is very important that you consult your personal timetable on the MyWLV app, and only attend the sessions for which you are scheduled. If you do arrive at a teaching session that you are not registered to attend, you will be turned away. This is essential for ensuring your safety and managing social distancing on our campuses.

WLV Welcome and Induction

Our WLV Welcome and Induction topic in Canvas includes lots of useful information to help you familiarise yourself with life at the University of Wolverhampton in this new academic year. The topic includes advice and guidance on engaging with blended learning and information on how to access support services.

In the WLV Welcome topic you will also find our Health and Safety eLearning presentation which covers our Classroom Principles and what you will see on campus, including signage, hand sanitising and social distancing measures.

It is very important that you engage with welcome and induction activities both online and on-campus. It will introduce you to your course for this year, and what is expected in blended learning.

You will need to familiarise yourself with the health and safety and social distancing guidelines for our campuses. It is your responsibility as a member of the University community to be aware and abide by these guidelines so that everyone can be safe.

WLV Welcome topic

What to expect on campus

In semester 1 you will engage with blended learning, all large group lectures will take place online and you will have the opportunity to attend small group learning activities on-campus. This could be for seminars, lab workshops and practical classes.

Our libraries and specialist learning facilities will be open with social distancing measures in place, and to support your blended learning, your lecturers will provide access to online resources, teaching materials, and guidance which you can access at any time from home.

Prioritised Cleaning

For the new term, the University has invested in enhanced cleaning. Traditionally our facilities have been cleaned in the morning; this will now take place throughout the day with a particular focus on touchpoints such as hand rails and door handles etc. and increased frequency of cleaning our WC facilities.

We are also supplying teaching rooms with cleaning equipment, so students and staff can sanitise their work surfaces before and after use. You will also see new hand sanitiser stations across the campuses, including ones attached to walls and freestanding units. It is important that you make use of these frequently.

New Signage

We have introduced new social distancing signage which includes keep left and one way systems in corridors. Teaching rooms have a maximum capacity which is displayed on the door as you enter, and fixed room layouts to enable social distancing.

As stated in our Classroom Principles the layout of our teaching rooms cannot be altered, this means that students should not move any furniture or their chairs. The Classroom Principles will be displayed in teaching areas and on our digital display screens.

The safety, health and wellbeing of our students is very important and we will continuously monitor how our approach is working, and make any adjustments that are needed to maintain safety.

Face Coverings

We are closely monitoring Government guidance on the wearing of face coverings on our campuses.

In line with the latest Government guidance on the wearing of face coverings in higher education settings, these are now mandatory in all communal areas on campus such as corridors, social areas and when entering the library or catering outlets. Once seated in learning and teaching spaces which have social distancing measures in place, including classrooms and libraries, face coverings are optional. This is also the case for office environments.

When you return to campus I would encourage you to ensure you have a face covering with you to wear, should the need arise and you are instructed to do so by a member of staff.

Please be mindful that there may be some staff and students who are exempt from wearing a face-covering due to a disability. This includes hidden disabilities such as anxiety and autism. There is not a requirement for people to prove that they are exempt from wearing a face covering and students can choose to communicate their exemption in their own way. Please be sensitive to this.

It is essential that everyone understands that face coverings do not replace good hand hygiene and other safety precautions. This includes effective hand washing, the use of hand sanitisers where soap and water are not readily available, and social distancing.

WLV Welcome Points

Any student who requires help or support whilst on-campus will be able to visit a WLV Welcome Point, where they can ask questions and be signposted to student support services where needed.

These welcome points replace the Faculty Student Service offices. Faculty Student Advisors can be contacted at the WLV Welcome Points and online via the e:Vision Helpdesk.

There will also be a team of experienced Student Ambassadors at City and Walsall Campus, who will be supporting new students joining the University to navigate our campuses.
 
City Campus WLV Welcome Point locations
  • Alan Turing Building (MI024) from 14 September, 9 am - 5 pm
  • Housman Building (MX005) from 21 September, 9 am - 5 pm
Walsall Campus WLV Welcome Point locations
  • Jerome K Jerome Building (WA005) from 1 September, 9 am - 5 pm
Telford Campus WLV Welcome Point locations
  • Angad Paul Building (SA Reception) from 21 September, 9 am - 5 pm
Please note that for safety reasons, staff are unable to accept hard copies of any documents or certificates at the WLV Welcome Points.

Where you can find more information

You can find more information about our plans for the safe and managed return to our campuses in our Road to Reopening @WLV, this includes our latest updates, how we will manage your learning and teaching in the new academic year, and what you can expect on-campus.

We are committed to keeping students up to date and we do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and the University Student News web page.

We recognise that not all students will be able to return to campus straight away and where possible, we will make on-campus teaching also available in a virtual version. For example, students who are shielding/in quarantine, have caring responsibilities or have concerns about returning to campus, may be able to attend an online version of a seminar, access a recording or view live streaming of a session delivered on campus.

I want to reassure all students that staff across the University are working hard in preparation for the new semester. We strive to provide the best student experience possible, with the safety of our community at the heart of everything we do.
 
Thank you, and stay safe.

Julia Clarke

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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