Largest in-person English lecture will have 45 students

An email to students in the school of English today confirmed teaching arrangements for Michaelmas term

Students in the school of English received an email today that outlined the teaching arrangements for on-campus teaching in Michaelmas term.

The email was from the head of school, Prof Jarlath Kileen, and its director of teaching and learning for undergraduates, Dr Mark Sweetman.

According to the email, ‘“College has allocated each school a certain number of rooms in which all teaching delivered by that school must take place.’’

It continued: “At least for the first half of term, for all face-to-face teaching, we will adopt one metre social distancing with mandatory mask wearing’’ for all students and staff.

This echoes the statement made from the school of physics in its email to students last week requiring one metre social distancing during all face-to-face teaching.

Since the largest teaching room given to the English school ‘’can accommodate only 45 students with social distancing’’, larger lectures, mostly for junior fresh students, will remain online. This is again similar to the school of physics, which will have a maximum lecture size of 50.

However, the school of English said that they intend for the majority of tutorials and seminars to be face-to-face. Following the completion of registration by all English students, the school is to confirm precisely how many students are to be in each classroom.

The school said: ‘“Depending on numbers, it may only be possible for some larger options to meet face-to-face once a fortnight, with online teaching on alternate weeks.’’

At the beginning of the month all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) stated their commitment to ‘’maximum on-site presence’’ for the upcoming semester. The HEIs’ joint statement announced measures to be implemented across the sector, while allowing for institutional discretion, in consultation with staff and students.

According to Trinity, no in-person lectures will be larger than 150 students. Schools have discretion on whether lectures of between 50 and 150 people are in-person and online. However, the schools of both English and physics have set their limits at or below 50, citing insufficient space in allocated classrooms.

College stated last week that individual schools are to be left to determine restrictions for in-person teaching in September, with the school of physics and school of English being the only schools to confirm their plans as of yet.

Speaking to Trinity News, College said: “Each school within Trinity has been asked to make all lectures for more than 150 students online and to make all lectures for fewer than 50 students in-person.”

“There is discretion for schools regarding lectures for between 50 and 150 students’’, the College spokesperson confirmed.

The school of physics plans to, until November 1, hold all lectures over 50 students as pre-recorded videos online. All physics students will be in laboratories and tutorials, the email claimed, from the first week of term on September 1.

Bella Salerno

Bella Salerno is currently a Deputy News Editor of Trinity News. She is a Senior Fresh Middle Eastern, Jewish and Islamic Civilisations and French student.