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Just looking at some of the responses to @UCU’s call for colleges and universities to teach online at least for the Autumn term. There are some subjects for which online delivery is difficult and there are different views amongst teaching staff. However
what is clear is that a lot of students coming together from different parts of the country and the world will mean a spike in COVID-19 cases. Evidence from the USA shows us this. With F2F when a student or a member of staff exhibits COVID-19 symptoms the whole class will have to
move online. Teaching online from the outset avoids the disruption to learning and anxiety that this entails. In some universities, staff are asked to teach multiple bubbles. If that member of staff gets COVID-19, all the bubbles would need to isolate. Lots of disrupted learning/
& anxiety. The beginning of term is
always full of people with colds/flu - without a quick, functioning test/track/trace system, differentiating between flu-type symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms is going to be virtually impossible. Again - F2F classes will inevitably be disrupted.
always full of people with colds/flu - without a quick, functioning test/track/trace system, differentiating between flu-type symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms is going to be virtually impossible. Again - F2F classes will inevitably be disrupted.
And then there’s the impact of local lockdowns on how we organise teaching. Despite what some people are suggesting, there isn’t a consistent response on the part of colleges & universities as to safe systems of working, PPE provision, what teaching might look like.
We do know that sitting in an enclosed space, speaking to each other increases the risk of transmission & that this risk increases over time. This makes a number of activities risky - and it means the things we have to do to make them safe doesn’t make for a great teaching and
learning experience. Asking students to sit in rows, in masks, facing the front of the room isn’t a university experience, it is a version of a 19th C school classroom. We can arguably offer something better, richer and more like a “university seminar experience online right now
We’re not talking about doing this forever and, for me, if all the subjects that can be taught online effectively are taught online for this term then subjects that can’t be taught remotely can be delivered more safely on campus. One thing that would help is smaller classes &
More teaching staff - which makes the decision by many employers to make teachers/lecturers on hourly paid, insecure contracts redundant even more incomprehensible & damaging than it is already. Redundancy and non-renewal are safety issues in this context @Mcr_Precariat &
We need argue for the retention of this group of staff & for secure employment for them. To people talking about the astronomical tuition fees students in this country are saddled with - yes I agree with you, it isn’t fair or right on any level.
Obviously, @ucu isn’t responsible for tuition fees and campaigns against them. I am no doubt that young people in this country are getting a very raw deal. We need the government to recognise the vital role that post-16
Education plays in our economy
Education plays in our economy
& properly to support providers and students through this period.
All my colleagues want students to receive the high quality education they deserve, for staff to be as safe as possible at work. At the moment, we are looking at a situation in which F2F teaching is going to be
All my colleagues want students to receive the high quality education they deserve, for staff to be as safe as possible at work. At the moment, we are looking at a situation in which F2F teaching is going to be
... disrupted whatever we think about COVID-19 and in which online learning is going to happen. Having a more coherent/consistent and honest approach to this is important. @DrJoGrady @janetfarrarUCU @hazardscampaign
