I’m sure you do not need me to tell you that these uncertain times we’re experiencing are concerning, especially when it comes to completing your summatives. I’m here to bring you some reassurance that even from the comfort of your home, you can still submit great work with everything you will need.  

We are continuing to lobby the university for the fairest deadline extensions, at the moment all deadlines have been given a 10-day extension automatically added; you do not need to apply for this.  

We have transitioned into having all content being delivered online and this is also the case for some work like presentations being uploaded to Blackboard for submission. I would like to remind you to check Blackboard regularly for notifications from your module leaders about submissions and any other course-related updates.  

On Blackboard, you can have Collaborate sessions where you can create a virtual classroom or webinar session to present and interact with your students or other members of staff. For information on how to create on Blackboard, take a look here. 

I am currently in the process of transitioning the undergraduate dissertation café to an online resource, please be patient and keep your eyes peeled for when this is ready.  

The Library Access tool is a downloadable application which allows you to access more journal articles and reading from the comfort of your own home. If you find a site and don’t know if you can download or read the content because you might not have access, the application will tell you if you have access and give you it straight away. This is useful in a time where some resources are short.  

Ally on Blackboard will help you to download your reading and content in a format that is right for you. You can do this by hovering over the ‘A’ symbol on Blackboard, this will give you lots of options to make learning easier for you.  

If you have queries relating to your course or any student issues, you can still get in contact with Student Support Services, but you should expect some longer waiting times during this period as there is a lot of work for them to do.  

Plans are still being put together by the university as this situation develops every day. The university have put together some FAQs for you to gage an understanding of where we are at. You can read through these here. 

I realise this semester has been very stressful, especially for our final students who are expecting to graduate this year. The university is coming up with a no-detriment plan for final year students with the commitment that they can progress as planned. UEA is dedicated to ensuring students get their degrees and will strive to be as flexible as possible.  

Any important information will be shared through our social media accounts, I'd advise you follow the university on social media to keep in the know.  

As always, you can email me with your queries at [email protected]. I will try my best to help you resolve them or direct you to someone who can. At the end of the day, this epidemic is unprecedented to us all and we are all trying to provide you with the best options as quickly as possible.  

Please do be patient, be kind and follow all advice from the government and healthcare professionals and hopefully we will slowly get back to normality.