the bristol SU statement on how they are lobbying for more F2F is a profoundly sad indictment of the fees regime and its consequences

it is absolutely valuable for students to give feedback on their experiences of teaching so that teachers of all kinds can reflect upon what students find difficult / easy / uncomfortable etc.

it is more difficult to come up with a justification for why students should be lobbying the PVC for Education for changes in pedagogy about which they are not expert

students' unions absolutely have a right to lobby in the interests of their members - don't get me wrong, i don't mean that they shouldn't say what they want, but what evidence do they have that distanced F2F in a pandemic is better?

because that should always be the basis for decisions about pedagogical practice - what do the trained and experienced educators think will work, and how do they know it - if you think we can't make these decisions why do you want to be taught by us?

this is not about 'gatekeeping' or 'elitism' it is about being taught by people who know about teaching. "the university experience" is not available at present, and that sucks, but F2F teaching won't bring that back given all the changes needed to make it halfway safe

and the mention of 'tuition fee refunds' is only half of the picture - it isn't just the 'customer is always right' because that has never fully taken root in classrooms where most students can see it doesn't quite work

the issue is the bigger picture of what they are being sold to come to university - a particular experience of teaching / socialising / living which they are absolutely not getting -(pandemic) - and so they want (seemingly) to get 'as close as possible'

but unfortunately - 'as close as possible to the old experience' *under the new conditions*, is thought in the main, by a large number of teachers, to be less effective and less safe than planned and structured online synchronous and asynchronous activities

and that's not even mentioning safety, this is simply keeping it to pedagogy / END

ps: statement here

https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/coronavirus 

pps: i am absolutely not 'blaming' students, i am trying to think through why this is happening and why i disagree with this stance - if there is blame to be handed out, it is to the fees regime first and foremost