The recent pandemic disrupted all aspects of life. After a two-year period of interruption, isolation, uncertainty, and instability where plans became statements of hope rather than expectation, students at RMIT University are now returning to campus, hopefully on a permanent basis. Some aspects of campus life are the same as in the pre-pandemic era, however many are not. These include the role and use of technology, frequency and length of campus attendance, assessment arrangements, transport, and security arrangements, and perhaps most importantly, student perceptions, expectations, and experiences.
There has been much discussion on the negative consequences of lockdowns and isolation such as the lack of networking opportunities arising from informal contact and mental health issues related to a lack of social interaction. In contrast, there has been comparatively little attention to the positive impact on the forced reassessment of university life necessitated by COVID-19. In particular, students and staff have had to engage more deeply and more routinely with digital tools enabling greater opportunities for flexibility with study due to the lessened requirements for physical presence on campus. This leads to questioning the role of a university campus in post-pandemic times. In other words, the key question is no longer what can be done online (or can't be done on campus) but what should be done online (or on campus).
To answer such questions, we will hear from and engage with four students about their lived experiences in the pandemic, what the return to campus has been like, and what they think the role of the university campus should be in the future.