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Worldwide Universities Network hosting best practice webinars on COVID-19 response

Posted on 5 May 2020

The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is coming together to share best practice on university responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a proud Worldwide Universities Network member, we are happy to announce the opportunity to share and learn best practice with our 21 fellow WUN member universities across the globe, on how leading international universities are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This illustrates how we can continue to collaborate globally to address shared challenges posed by the current pandemic. 

The first webinar, which took place at 12pm on Tuesday 5 May, focused on addressing student mental health concerns. It began with the sharing of both research and practice insights and experiences from members of the WUN Student Mental Health Working Group, which was followed by a broader discussion with all attendees. Professor Dean McMillian is the new representative for this group from the University of York.

Topics for subsequent webinars include:

  • keeping students’ attention and engagement during online delivery 
  • adapting courses designed for in-person to online delivery
  • managing the balance between synchronous and asynchronous delivery
  • effectively managing communication about rapidly changing conditions
  • assessment and academic honesty
  • coping with disruptions to ongoing research projects.

The WUN has also launched a special call for collaborative projects that focus on research challenges related to the present pandemic. £10,000 is available for each project, which must involve working with at least three universities in the network in at least two countries. The deadline is 15 May 2020. Find out more about the call for projects addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of York staff are encouraged to participate in the webinars. To get involved in any of the sessions listed or the WUN special funding call, please contact WUN Coordinator Elisha Witcomb (elisha.witcomb@york.ac.uk).