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Student Update: Critical worker letters, hardship fund and SU activities

19/01/2021
Student Update: Critical worker letters, hardship fund and SU activities

Please be aware that this information was shared with students by email and correct at the time of sending. For the latest Covid-19 guidance, please visit our coronavirus webpages: www.wlv.ac.uk/coronavirus. If you are a student who has a query or needs support, please log a helpcall with ASK@WLV in e:Vision (www.wlv.ac.uk/evision).

I want to thank you for everything you are doing to ensure that our University and the wider community stay as safe as possible. This continues to be a highly unusual and challenging start to the year for everyone.

Today's update includes information on:
  • Critical worker letters for students on critical worker courses
  • Additional hardship funds now available
  • Semester 2 timetables
  • Support for students
  • Activities delivered by the Students' Union
  • Covid-19 safety and reporting procedures

Critical worker letters

The Government's current guidance states that students on critical worker courses (for example, Nursing, Pharmacy, Paramedics, Social Work, Initial Teacher Training) with placements can be identified as critical workers. Students on a qualifying course can now request a letter in e:Vision.
  • Log into e:Vison and go to your Student Home Page
  • Select Generate Letter in the COVID-19 Critical Worker Letter notice.

Please note that if you are not eligible under the Government guidance to be identified as a critical worker, this option will not be available to you in e:Vision. Students should contact their Faculty Student Services via the e:Vision Helpdesk if they have any further questions.

Hardship funds available 

In addition to the significant funding the University has put in place to support students experiencing financial hardship during the pandemic, some additional funding has now been made available from the Office of Students (OfS). Any students experiencing financial hardship, including international students, are invited to apply.   
  • Log into e:Vison and go to your Student Home Page
  • Select My Finance and then Scholarships and Bursaries
  • Select Dennis Turner Hardship Fund
  • Applications should be submitted before Friday, 12 March.
Full details of the Dennis Turner Hardship Fund can be found here: www.wlv.ac.uk/fund. 

Timetables

Student timetables for the remainder of Semester 2 will go live this week. This includes all undergraduate courses and postgraduate courses. Students should continue to check their timetable in the MyWLV app regularly for any changes that have to be made due to any further developments in Government guidance and restrictions.
 
There are three main components to your learning; live (sometimes called synchronous) online learning sessions, recorded online content (e.g. lectures) and scheduled on campus learning (currently for critical worker courses). Only the live online and any on campus sessions will appear in your timetable, so the number of hours in your personal timetable will appear to be fewer than usual. All large group lectures will be recorded and released online through Canvas so that you can access it at a time that works best for you.
 
Live learning, which includes online and on-campus activities, will be included in your timetable. This may consist of online seminars, group discussions and on-campus practical classes, for those courses permitted by the Government to return to on campus teaching. Students should ensure that they have accessed any related recorded materials and reading for the session beforehand. To ensure that you do not miss any activities, you should familiarise yourself with the module content in Canvas. Each module will have scheduled learning activities so that you will progress through your studies on a week-to-week basis.
Timetabling FAQs

Student Support

We know that many of you are undertaking remote assessments in January. I recognise these are challenging times for you and that Covid-19 may have impacted your ability to study. As we outlined in a student update in October, the University will continue to operate a trust-based system for extension requests for coursework assessments in semester 1. This means that where you require additional time to complete your assignment (for example, due to illness or circumstances related to Covid-19), you will not be required to provide evidence of these circumstances. Requests can be made through e:Vision and should be accompanied by a statement explaining your need for additional time.
 
Your Faculty Student Services are your first point of call to access support and advice. The easiest way to contact your Faculty Support Services is via the e:Vision Helpdesk. A key benefit to using the Helpdesk is that it's easy to track your query and have a record of our responses for the full duration of your course.
 
All of our students can access online mental health and wellbeing support 24/7 through Togetherall – an online community monitored by trained clinicians. In addition to this, our own dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing service offers one-to-one support and can signpost you to additional support services.

Find out more about the student support services available to you here:  www.wlv.ac.uk/support.

Activities with the Students' Union

Whether you’ve just joined the University of Wolverhampton or back for another term, our Students' Union wants to make sure you hit the ground running with a week of fun and new opportunities.
 
A full line up of the week's activities is available the www.wolvesunion.org/welcome. Everything is free to attend unless specified, and all students can attend all the events.
 
To stay up to date with latest events, follow the SU on social media - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or visit the Welcome to Wolves webpage.

Covid-19 safety and reporting procedures

Everyone must continue to play their part in keeping our University community safe; this means following Government guidance and social distancing when required. Please follow these simple steps to create a safe environment for everyone:
  • Wear a face covering when required. Face coverings must be worn on campus in all our buildings at all times (including communal accommodation areas, stairwells and teaching spaces) unless you are exempt.
  • Wash your hands regularly and use hand sanitising stations where available.
  • Socially distance at all times and respect the space of others.
  • Follow the national lockdown guidelines, which restrict socialising with anyone outside your household.
If you develop coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature, a new continuous cough and/or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste), you should self isolate and book a Covid-19 test.
 
Anyone who experiences coronavirus symptoms or receives a positive test result must not come on to campus or must leave campus immediately, avoid touching anything and return to their home or residence. 
 
You should follow our Covid-19 Reporting Procedures and email: Covid-19help@wlv.ac.uk providing your full name, student number and a contact telephone number. Students should also contact their personal tutor to inform them that they are self-isolating.

Stay up to date with the latest information

Please keep checking your University emails and reading these updates. We are committed to keeping students up to date. We do this by email, on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) and the University Student News web page.
 
Visit our dedicated Covid-19 webpages for information on how you can stay safe and help protect our University community during the pandemic.
 
Thank you, and stay safe.
 
Professor Julia Clarke
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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