Study spaces across our campuses

September 17th, 2020

With social distancing requirements in effect on campus, study spaces for students will be a little more limited this year. To help counteract this, the University is creating some new spaces.  

In addition, we will be encouraging students to make use of all available study spaces across our campuses. This may mean working from cafes, social spaces, atriums and residential spaces; students will not always be able to find study spaces close to their school/department. 

We are also encouraging students to bring their personal devices onto campus with them (including laptops and tablets) in order to study between timetabled teaching and reduce reliance upon computer rooms. 

The new study spaces will be clearly marked with ‘Study Here’ signs, which will help students identify appropriate spaces to study in. Staff are also asked to make a note of these locations and support students by directing them to the study spaces.  

Study spaces will be set out at 1m+ following the University Guidance. This includes the requirement to wear a suitable face covering in these spaces in line with the University Face Coverings Policy.  

The following information provides more detail about new and existing study spaces. We will issue further communications as new study spaces are added. 

Existing study spaces 

Libraries 

 The capacity of our libraries has been reduced to comply with 1m+ social distancing regulations. Limited numbers of socially distant study space for individual, silent study will be available in most of our libraries. Study spaces need to be booked online in advance. Bookings for Hallward and James Cameron-Gifford libraries will go live on Friday 18 September. Study space can be booked for up to three hours with a limit of two bookings per week, per person.   

Computer rooms in libraries will not be open initially – they will only reopen once all library buildings have successfully opened. Students will be expected to wash their hands regularly and wipe down equipment before and after use.  

Computer rooms  

There will be fewer computer rooms this year; we have reconfigured 12 of our 46 computer rooms as standard teaching spaces to ensure we have enough space to deliver the timetable.  

Remaining computer rooms will be available for individual study outside of timetabled sessions, but with teaching timetables extended to account for social distancing, the availability of these spaces will be limited. Please note that not all computer rooms will be available immediately. We will be opening these on a phased schedule to ensure they meet University Covid-Secure standards, including social distancing guidelines, and will communicate the schedule as it is confirmed.  

Students will be expected to clean their workstations (desks, keyboards, mice, etc) before and after use to reduce the risk of spreading infection. 

Cleaning is a key COVID-19 control and everyone in our community is being asked to do their part. Cleaning materials in the form of wipes or spray and cloths are located at key points throughout the buildings and are provided for users to clean shared equipment and devices, including computer stations and desks. Everyone is asked to clean workstations, shared equipment and devices before and after use. 

Additional study spaces 

The Recovery Board agreed to convert underutilised spaces into student study spaces. This includes offices that are not currently being used as a result of staff with alternative working arrangements. The following spaces are currently being set up for the start of teaching. 

Hemsley Staff Club, restaurant area 

The ground floor restaurant is closed and we are making approximately 30 study spaces available. We’ll closely monitor usage and are reviewing the café which could potentially be made available to provide additional services.  

Pope Building, A02/A08  

The ground floor space in Pope Building offers capacity for 20+ student study spaces. The space was previously occupied by the Campaign and Alumni Relations Office (CARO); alternative arrangements will be made for CARO staff.  

The Barn, Sutton Bonington 

The existing refectory area on B Floor can be used for study with social distancing measures in place. 

These additional study spaces will be for the use of all students. In addition, students will be encouraged to make use of all available spaces across our campuses, including cafes, atriums and informal spaces in schools and departments. We will provide further communications of any further study spaces that are made available. 

Tags: coronavirus, COVID-19, social distancing, study spaces
Posted in News | Comments Off on Study spaces across our campuses