Students may be shunning lectures because they feel “intimidated” by large numbers of people, the Ucas chief has suggested.
Jo Saxton said the English regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), was concerned by declining attendance for in-person classes and more needed to be done to “break down barriers”.
Lecture attendance has plummeted in recent years, with academics frequently complaining that only a handful of students turn up to their classes.
The issues were exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and the widespread switch to online learning that followed.
Saxton, who took over as chief executive of the admissions service in 2024, said it was “important to support students in adapting to what university learning is”.
