Exclusive: Leaked email reveals King’s teaching could be online until January 2021

A leaked email from the Dean of Bioscience Education at King’s College London, shown to The Tab King’s, has revealed online teaching may continue until January 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The email addressed to colleagues, listed a number of strategies for the upcoming academic year, revealing university’s plans if full campus-based teaching cannot return until January 2021.

The reopening of the university will depend on advice from the U.K. government, however, the email claims that students will have the option to receive online teaching for Semester One even if university returns to normal.

The email revealed the university’s “academic strategy for delivery of education in the 2020-2021 academic year.”

It said: “The likelihood of students not being able to join us on campus is challenging for all programmes, but particularly those with significant laboratory or clinical placement activity.

“Our approach to this is summarised as follows:

– We understand the concerns applicants and returning students have around their studies in 2020-21

-The likelihood of commencing campus-based teaching in September will be dependent upon both UK Government policy and any international travel restrictions in place

-We plan to deliver all our programmes “on-line” until the end of December 2020.  Should restrictions be lifted before the end of December, students will have the choice of either joining us on campus or studying from home for the first semester.

– We plan to commence full campus-based teaching in January 2021, but we will keep the situation under constant review

-If some restrictions remain in place, we plan a phased return to campus-based study, with first priority being given to Level 6/7 programmes and modules (final year UG including iBSc and PGT), followed by level 5 then level 4 modules

-Where campus-based delivery is not possible during the 2020-21 academic year we will either deliver online or where this is not feasible, discuss with students their options for interruption or deferment until the situation is resolved.

“Converting all our first-semester teaching to make it suitable for online delivery is no trivial undertaking and will require a significant investment of time from all of us, but we have no choice if we are to ensure students study with us over the next year.”

The email revealed plans will be under constant review and commencing campus-teaching in September and the following months will depend upon advice from the UK government