Cornwall students anxious about 'digital lectures' as they prepare for university life
A pair of students from Cornwall have told ITV News they would consider deferring their places at university if all teaching were to move online.
The University of Bristol has become the second in the country to move lectures online for the next academic year.
Friends Jake and Poppy, from Whitsand Bay in Cornwall, are both due to start at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol next term.
In September UWE will run a four-week 'digital' teaching programme, with plans to bring offer face to face sessions for small groups the following month.
Read more: West Country schools welcome more pupils back as lockdown eases
Exeter and Plymouth universities have confirmed plans to introduce a mixture of face-to-face and online learning from September.
The University of Plymouth say it is "committed to starting the new academic year for all new and returning students."
It added: "Safety will come first and we will follow government advice to ensure a ‘Covid secure’ working and learning environment.
"The campus will be operational, with our students able to participate in lectures, face-to-face tutorials and seminars.
"If needed to enable social distancing, or individual student needs, options for remote access or online and blended learning will be available alongside the face-to-face experience.
"We know that we all may need to adapt if Covid conditions change, but our priority is to offer a great teaching, learning and social experience for all our students who we look forward to being able to welcome in September."
The University of Exeter also said health and safety was its priority.
It says: "We are currently finalising plans for the start of the next academic year and obviously the health and safety of everyone on campus is the overriding priority.
We are committed to doing everything possible to welcome new and returning students to the university campuses for the start of the autumn term.
"As long as it is safe to do so, we will keep our campuses open – though adapted for social distancing - and will adopt a blended learning approach to combine face-to-face teaching with guided online learning.
"We will follow government advice and regulations throughout."
Watch Sam Blackledge's full report: