Arden University’s Vice Chancellor, Carl Lygo, has the following information and advice for those worried about the Coronavirus pandemic.
March 2020
At times like these, it can be incredibly difficult not to get lost in worry and Covid-19 has undeniably caused worldwide concern and a great deal of uncertainty for all of us. At this very moment, traditional institutions are being forced to see the world of education through a different lens, and university life as so many know it is going to be rather different over the coming months - and may in fact never be quite the same again. Here at Arden, we’re doing what we always did before – what we do best – delivering an education that fits around people’s lives. And we’re lucky that this can be applied, even in the extreme circumstances we find ourselves in today.
To Arden students around the globe, both Distance and Blended Learners, I have the following message for you: You are our number one priority. As a University who delivers qualifications predominantly online, we are in a good position to enable you to continue your studies in a way that is as close to ‘normal’ as it can be.
For our Distance Learning students, it’s university as usual. This mode of learning has always allowed you to study when you want and at the pace that suits you, using our online portal, ilearn and that isn’t going to change.
For Blended Learning students, your face-to-face lessons will take place in the virtual classroom until further notice. This is to protect your wellbeing. You can access your online learning materials as usual, as well as continuing to benefit from real-time teaching and interaction with other students, doing so safely online rather than at your study centre.
I want to personally reassure you that we are here to support you; we have introduced measures to ensure we can be flexible given the current situation, and will continue to do so as new advice from the government is released. We will be keeping you up-to-date, but please don’t hesitate to contact your support team if you have any questions or concerns.
To all who were or still are considering University in the coming months: we are still here to welcome you. Our April intake for both Distance and Blended Learning will go ahead as planned, although with the face-to-face element removed for Blended Learning for the time being.
As specialists in Distance Learning, we have been delivering online learning for over 30 years. Today's situation does not mean you have to put your life on hold - if you still wish to enrol and take that exciting step towards securing that qualification, Arden will be here to help you do exactly that.
We are in this together and doing all we can to adapt or, in some cases, just continue as we are! Stay safe and stay positive – we will get through this.
