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Student coronavirus update: 28 & 29 March

30/03/2020

Following the Prime Minister's announcement of social restrictions which came into force from Monday 23 March 2020, all campus libraries will close until further notice to ensure the safety of students and staff.

 

Student update Saturday 28 March

Studying at home & being aware of online scams and fraud

 Whilst we are all in the position of having to work and study at home to keep ourselves and our families safe, we will be making more and more use of online facilities and we wanted to ensure that you stay safe in the virtual world as well as the physical world.

 Can you spot a Phishing email?

 Fraudulent emails are getting cleverer all the time and there are more of them circulating at the moment while we are all online more.

  Useful tips to spot these Phishing emails include:

  1. Follow your instincts, if it feels dodgy, it probably is.
  2. Check the email address, not just the sender’s name.
  3. Hover your mouse over any links, to check they go to a valid address or website.
  4. Check the grammar as well as the spelling.
  5. Look out for a sense of urgency, don't be rushed into doing anything!

One of our Cyber Security academic experts, Tony Proctor, has written this blog about cyber scammers and the opportunistic manner of Cyber Criminals in light of COVID-19.

There is lots of software available for you to use on your own laptops and PCs

 You can now access a range of software while you learn off-campus. There are three main ways to do this:

  1. Using AppsAnywhere - open a browser and go to https://appsanywhere.wlv.ac.uk and log in using your University credentials. You will find approximately 70 applications.
  2. By visiting the University’s software download catalogue, logging in and selecting which software you wish to download. To download SPSS you will need to follow the instructions carefully as it is a three-step installation process as well as a code to activate the software. 
  3. Adobe Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator are free to use until 31 May 2020. Visit https://creativecloud.adobe.com and use your University username and password to sign in.

Everything you need to know about how to access the available software can be viewed online.

 

Coronavirus Student Update: Sunday 29 March  

Welfare Form Available Online 

We recognise that these are difficult times and the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 crisis is affecting people in all kinds of different ways.  Your health and wellbeing is a priority for us and we also realise that you are reaching a crucial stage in your studies and need all the support that you can get – both with your learning and with your wellbeing. 

The Student Support and Wellbeing Team has created a form that you can fill out if you feel you need someone from the University to stay in touch with you over the coming weeks. The welfare form is available at www.wlv.ac.uk/welfare. If you don’t have access to the internet you can call 01902 32 1834 between the hours of 9.00 am and 5.00 pm Monday to Friday.

There is also a wealth of other information that you may find useful if you are looking for support in other areas: www.wlv.ac.uk/ssw. 

Care Leavers and Estranged Students 

The University also offers support and resources to enable fair access to higher education for students who have spent time in care, or are 18 to 24 and have no communicative relationship with either living biological parent and wider family. Additional support can be found here: www.wlv.ac.uk/care.  You may be eligible for extra pastoral and financial support, so please do get in touch with us. 

Additional Counselling Services 

Members of the Department of Psychology who run a research project, Psychology Community Research Clinic (PCRC), at the University are offering students over the age of 18 free counselling sessions online through Zoom which is GDPR protected. The clinic is open between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm every FRIDAY and you can book a session by email: PCRC@wlv.ac.uk. 

The staff leading the PCRC are fully qualified British Psychological Society Chartered and Health and Care Professions Council Registered Psychologists, experienced in working with psychological issues. Several members are in training to become either a Counselling Psychologist or a Doctor of Psychology.

These trainees offer counselling as part of their placement and course requirements and have experience working in the NHS, schools, charities and private settings. Students are all members of the British Psychological Society. 

This service has run for the past two years and covers a range of issues including stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, family issues, phobias, anger management and bereavement. Students can either book an information meeting which will last 10 minutes or an assessment for 30 minutes.

 

General Advice

Visit NHS 111 Online for the latest health guidance. This includes the latest advice and guidance about the symptoms and what to do if you think you may have Coronavirus.

Public Health England is regularly publishing information, advice and guidance on Coronavirus. This includes the latest travel information.

The wellbeing of our students continues to be the University’s priority and we are encouraging everyone to be mindful of their own health and that of their family and colleagues. Thank you for your continued patience and co-operation during this time.

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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