COVID-19: thematic guidance: accelerated degrees

We are making some assumptions about what the next few months might mean for higher education providers and students. Our initial guidance was written before the stricter social distancing conditions were imposed by the UK Government on 23 March, and some proposals for how the sector could solve issues relating to remote teaching and assessment were therefore superseded by the new measures in place. The new restrictions meant that most, if not all, UK higher education providers are now having to operate remotely. It is highly unlikely that 'normal' resumption of teaching, learning and assessment will occur before September 2020 and, even then, the current restrictions around physical access to campus provision across the UK will have significant ramifications into the next academic year and beyond. This will affect progression, award and graduation, especially for final-year students at FHEQ Level 6 and 7; SCQF Level 9 and 10.

The changes to pre-entry qualifications for higher education will also impact providers' admissions processes and students entering higher education for the first time.

These are significant disruptions to all aspects of a provider's systems and processes, including the more obvious ones such as learning, teaching, assessment and awards but also course monitoring, partnerships, validation, student support, estates, timetabling, facilities and resource allocation.