Cambridge confirms ‘no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year’

In an email sent to Senior Tutors today (19th May), it was announced that the University of Cambridge plans to move all “face-to-face lectures” online in the 2020/21 academic year.

In an email leaked by Varsity, a local student newspaper, Alice Benton, the Head of Education services, states that Cambridge Uni’s General Board’s Education Committee has “agreed that, since it is highly likely that rigid social distancing will be required throughout the next academic year, there will be no face-to-face lectures next year.

“The decision has been taken to provide a degree of certainty to facilitate Faculties and Departments when planning for educational delivery next academic year”.

Lectures will be live-streamed, recorded and made available on Moodle, while there are plans for lecture theatres to be used for small group teaching in line with social distancing requirements: “Faculties and Departments should continue to plan for face-to-face delivery of seminars, workshops and small group teaching.”

In reference to Michaelmas exams, Benton also notes that it is “highly unlikely these examinations will be able to take place in examination halls”. She suggests faculties adapt to this scenario accordingly.

A University spokesperson told The Cambridge Tab: “The University is constantly adapting to changing advice as it emerges during this pandemic. Given that it is likely that social distancing will continue to be required, the University has decided there will be no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year.

“Lectures will continue to be made available online and it may be possible to host smaller teaching groups in person, as long as this conforms to social distancing requirements. This decision has been taken now to facilitate planning, but as ever, will be reviewed should there be changes to official advice on coronavirus.”

Cover photo: Jean-Christophe BENOIST, Wikimedia, Creative Commons License

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