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Our plans for offering a safe campus experience for the 2021 to 2022 academic year

Read more about our arrangements for in-person, on-campus learning in Bath from September 2021.

We understand that you will want to know more about the shape of the 2021-22 academic year. Our teams have been working hard and planning for different scenarios, in order to be able to welcome you to the University of Bath. Thanks to this planning, we can now tell you more about our arrangements. 

Our overriding aim will be to deliver the experience and high-quality education you deserve, in a safe environment.

The testing programme we have in place, coupled with the excellent progress locally and nationally on vaccinations to date, gives us cause to put in place flexible but optimistic plans for a return to a more normal year ahead. We therefore look forward to seeing you in Bath in person.

An excellent learning experience

We are planning to deliver as much in-person learning as we safely can.

We are planning to deliver as much in-person learning on campus, including lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials and laboratories, as we safely can. The delivery of each course over the next academic year is being specially designed by each department to meet the needs of its students.

Having sought feedback from our current students and teaching staff about their experience of blended learning, we are also seeking to keep the best of what we’ve put in place successfully over the last academic year, using this to build on our teaching from previous years. The precise make up of delivery will vary, reflecting the specific needs of each course. We communicated course-level information to applicants at the beginning of June and for returning students and PGT applicants in August.

We are also planning for a flexible approach that will enable us to respond effectively to any changes in circumstances, for example, any new UK Government rules on Covid. This flexible plan ensures that we have the ability to deliver more blended learning, or indeed move fully online if needed, whilst helping you to meet the learning outcomes required by your course of study.

Where our courses include a high-quality, blended learning experience with in-person and online learning, this may be delivered in a range of different ways. In-person learning may include lectures, small group tutorials and seminars, laboratory work or design studios where relevant, peer-to-peer learning, workshops and group discussions. Online learning can include live interactive sessions on Microsoft Teams or Zoom as well as independent study. Your course will be designed to give you a quality learning experience, suitable for your degree.

Our plans for next academic year (2021-22) at University of Bath

Professor Peter Lambert, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning & Teaching and Professor Momna Hejmadi, Associate Dean, describe the shape of our next academic year.

Eman an Accounting and Finance student
‘The University has adapted to this pandemic incredibly well and is still being able to deliver knowledge to students. We are never behind with our course.’
— Eman BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance

Extra-curricular activities

We understand that your Bath experience is about more than studying for your course. Therefore, we will continue to put on extra-curricular activities, for instance in sports and arts, and we’re working with the Students’ Union (SU) on clubs and societies activity. Over the last year, we have delivered a mix of online and in-person activity, and we will be able to continue this approach wherever needed to give you opportunities to connect and meet new people. However, for the coming year we hope we can get back to as much in-person activity as possible.

Students playing hockey

Your health and wellbeing

Your health, wellbeing and safety is important to us.

COVID-19 signage on campus

Your health, wellbeing and safety is a priority in all our plans. Recognising that there may be further UK Government health guidance, we will continue to implement any measures needed for a Covid-secure environment and you will see signage across campus which will provide clear information about this.

We have had very few cases of Covid since the start of 2021 and our testing programme has played an important role in helping to keep our community safe. We expect regular testing will continue to be an important measure in the next academic year. We are actively engaging with the local Council and public health officials on the roll out of the UK vaccination programme to younger age groups and you can read the latest vaccination information; we will continue to communicate as we receive further information.

Guidance is available for students and staff about what we can all do to keep each other safe. More broadly, we have a range of Student Services to support you with wellbeing and practical advice, available in person and online.

If your arrival in Bath is delayed

We will support you in the best possible way we can to help you to meet your learning outcomes until you are able to come to Bath.

The expectation is that students should arrive as soon as they can for in-person learning. We recognise that some of our students may be unable to come to Bath in September, perhaps due to any remaining travel restrictions associated with COVID-19. Therefore, if this affects you, we will be supporting you in the best possible way we can to help you to meet your learning outcomes until you are able to come to Bath later in 2021 or early in 2022. Until that time, students who are unable to arrive on campus due to the impact of COVID will be offered access to online course content and academic and pastoral support until arrival.

We will communicate more information about the nature of online support available to those who are unable to join us in Bath from the start of the academic year, alongside course-level information on our teaching plans.

One of the things that has become increasingly clear over the course of the pandemic is that we need to be prepared to adapt to emerging situations. Please rest assured that we will continue to follow UK Government guidance and public health advice and will be prepared to adapt swiftly should plans need to change. Our staff and students have worked extremely hard to create a safe, supportive, and high-quality experience throughout the current academic year. We are proud of what we have delivered, and we are confident we can do it again if needed.

A COVID-secure day at University

Restrictions are now easing in the UK, but the University has adapted to changing circumstances and this video highlights some of the measures the University has taken over the last year to help keep our community safe and enable learning.