UCU response to University of Liverpool moving online

Yesterday, the University of Liverpool announced it was moving its teaching and learning online. It follows the decision of Liverpool Hope University and Liverpool John Moores University to move online last last month.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: 'It took the University of Liverpool weeks to follow Liverpool's other universities and move learning online. It was clear last month that the university needed to halt in-person teaching, and cases have continued to rise whilst it has dithered.

'The university is relying on the enormous effort of staff to move online and ensure students and colleagues are safe.  They are under significant pressure at the moment and the university must ensure that workloads are manageable and reasonable if it wishes to maintain the goodwill on which it relies. Much more support must be provided to staff so they can give students the best possible remote learning experience under these difficult conditions, and the university now needs to allow students to safely return home if they wish to do so and undertake careful longer term planning, instead of rushing to return to in-person teaching.'