A university has been forced to pay a student £5,000 in compensation for a ‘less valuable’ experience of teaching during the UK’s first national lockdown.
The case was revealed by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) who released a number of complaints students have made regarding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their studies.
Among the complaints was one from an international medical student who had been studying at an unidentified university with fees of £38,000.
The student lost out on invaluable practical experience after the university stopped all clinical placements as a result of the pandemic, and the university has subsequently been ordered to pay £5,000.
The OIA said the student was awarded the money due to the “severe disappointment and inconvenience” they experienced because their final year at the university had been “less valuable” than expected.
Also among the complaints revealed by the OIA was a healthcare student who was awarded £15,00 for the “inconvenience and significant disappointment” after a lab-based research project was cancelled as part of their master’s course.
Another student was granted £200 for missing out on 14 hours of learning time due to industrial action in late 2019 and the pandemic.
Felicity Mitchell, independent adjudicator, said: “The case summaries reflect the hugely challenging and complex situations that students and providers have faced as a result of the pandemic.
“Where possible we try to reach a settlement and we are pleased that in many cases providers and students have been very open to this.
“The summaries illustrate our approach to deciding what is fair and reasonable in these kinds of situations. We hope they will be helpful to providers and students.”
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “We have been clear that the quality and quantity of tuition should not drop, and should be accessible to all students, regardless of their background. The Office for Students is monitoring online teaching to ensure this is the case.”