Published: 28 May 2021
After what seems like a long time, we’re finally starting to welcome you back to on-campus lectures.
But, as your safety is our priority, this is being done in stages with many of you continuing your studies online.
Keeping that in mind, we wanted to give you some advice on staying connected while remote learning.
There are loads of ways to stay in touch with your classmates and lecturers while you’re studying online.
Technology has gotten great, especially during COVID-19, at bringing everyone together while keeping us safely apart.
Talk with your tutors
At the University of Sunderland in London, we pride ourselves on having an open and friendly community of people excited to learn.
That environment hasn’t changed because of the lockdown. This means if you want to speak to your tutors about anything to do with your degree, all you must do is reach out.
Many will be happy to do phone calls or video chat. Simply get in contact with them through email.
You can find everyone’s details in our Academic Staff Profiles section.
Tutorials
Of course, you’ll also have remote lessons, which means every week you can log in to watch your classes as you’ve been doing throughout lockdown.
To make sure you know whether you’ll be studying online or in person, take a look at your Timetable.
Most of the time, you’ll be able to ask questions during remote lectures. We recommend you try and be as active in your classes as possible.
Not only does that mean you’ll get the most out of your educational experience, but it will help you feel connected with what’s going on.
Tips for online lectures
There are a couple of things you might want to think about when planning to join a remote class:
- Be certain your study space is quiet. If you don’t have a lot of room, make sure the people living with you know that this time is yours.
- Double-check your equipment is working. Is your laptop charged, does your camera, microphone and speaker work? You can always contact our TechGuru team if you’re having any difficulties.
- Mute your microphone if others are speaking. The last thing you want is the dog barking or the doorbell ringing when someone else is making a point.
- Don’t forget people can see if you. Keep that in mind throughout the lecture.
- Make sure you’ve left the call at the end of the class.
Keep in touch with us
Throughout your time at the University, we have a whole range of teams dedicated to helping you.
One of those is Student Engagement, which is there to enhance your student experience, giving advice on everything from attendance to non-academic guidance.
You can speak with them through email at student.engagement-london@sunderland.ac.uk or call on 0207 531 2352.
Don’t forget you can also speak with your Personal Academic Tutors who are there to help you with your academic studies.
They can talk with you about your assignments and dissertation, pointing you in the right direction when it comes to finding resources and understanding what you’re learning in class.
We have three Personal Academic Tutors at the University:
- Gheorghia Costandachi: Gheorghia.Costandachi@sunderland.ac.uk
- Mihaela Dariescu: Mihaela.Dariescu@sunderland.ac.uk
- Yasita Onyenke: Yasita.Onyenke@sunderland.ac.uk
You’ll have received an email telling you who yours is, but if you need help, get in touch with The Gateway.
Social media
One of the easiest ways to stay in touch with people is through social media.
That works for your university experience as well. Find your classmates on your favourite platforms to keep the informal chats going.
Plus, you can follow and talk with us as well. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for all the latest news and events from your student community.
We’re looking forward to the day soon when we’re all back on campus and thriving in the unique learning environment that is the University of Sunderland in London.
Until then, if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with The Gateway at gateway-london@sunderland.ac.uk or call them on + 44 (0)20 7531 7333.
If you’re struggling with anything during COVID-19, we also encourage you to contact our Health and Wellbeing team at londonhealth@sunderland.ac.uk.
Find out more by following #WeAreSunLon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.