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Original poster

How is everybody doing at the online-whiteboard face?

75 replies

CatandtheFiddle · 09/05/2020 10:22

Just thought I'd check in to see how academics are doing. Particularly after some pretty nasty trashings received by academic staff elsewhere.

How are you going with thinking through delivery of modules from September?

Or are we going to be required by our universities to risk our health in teaching incoming Freshers face to face? It puts a new meaning on Freshers' flu ...

This blog post explaining the riskiest activities really puts it in perspective for me:

erinbromage.wixsite.com/covid19/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them?fbclid=IwAR39YzYQMCZpxPvfG1rqZMqraJlxw0AbEtAEv4h57QWyBsycmRkmTqhDJwc

I think we might all have to teach outside, and wearing masks!!

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Original poster
CatandtheFiddle · 11/05/2020 16:28

I am trying to set up Teams for a research seminar.

AAAAAAAAARRRGH

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purplepandas · 11/05/2020 18:55

I feel your pain @CatandtheFiddle. Managed it earlier but my colleague who was speaking was more adept than I was. Bloody teams.

We are looking at f2f and online. It's going to be madness. Working all summer as teach MSc level anyway, more work than ever.

Nearlyalmost50 · 11/05/2020 19:14

I don't mind marking online at all, I don't engage deeply with the words these days, I used to be slower with paper booklets of really bad handwriting. We also have guidance on how much to write now, so it really is a question of churning out a paragraph. Lots of students never read/collect their feedback under the old paper system, now they have to get it whether they like it or not!

Online teaching with Teams is far more nerve-wracking, if staff's crappy internet is anything to go by, it's going to be hard just to get the tech to work properly, mostly it does but often it doesn't/someone's internet isn't good enough to really have proper seminars with students. It just isn't up to scratch. So what we do is less important than that we can do it IMO.

murmuration · 11/05/2020 22:00

Thanks for that link catand... Couldn't read earlier today but finally got it to come in. Beyond the current crisis, it also explains why I always come down with something after advising despite being absolutely fastidious about hand washing - sitting for a week in a poorly-ventillated room where a dozen other people are also meeting 100+ students 1-on-1 all day.

Original poster
CatandtheFiddle · 11/05/2020 22:10

Some people really loathe teachers/academics don't they?
The teacher-bashing threads all over this site are utterly awful.

I wasn’t here in the 2008 banking crisis - were there merchant banker bashing threads all over site? I suspect not.

The petty envy of people about teachers is just awful.

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satsumamumma · 14/05/2020 19:33

This is an interesting read re the effect of social distancing on lecture theatres and other teaching space

educationspaceconsultancy.com/the-impact-of-social-distancing-on-teaching-delivery/

worstofbothworlds · 14/05/2020 20:21

Good grief.

Mylordsize · 16/05/2020 11:10

And yet my university is planning face to face in September. Using the magic of being 2 metres apart. Students in for limited time but no mention of how staff will manage this.

GCAcademic · 17/05/2020 00:15

We're planning to return to face to face as well. I have colleagues who are in the shielding group so no idea how that will work. There's been mention of the teaching day being extended (it already runs from 9 till 7) and teaching on Wednesday afternoons.

PhoneLock · 17/05/2020 08:25

We have been warned that workload is likely to significantly increase next year and I was pondering over how on Earth it was all going to fit in the timetable. I came to the same conclusion that the day would have to run until 9pm instead of 7 and Wednesday afternoons and evenings would be used for teaching. I'm not sure what the tedious meeting merchants are going to do once their favourite Weds afternoon slot disappears.

Mylordsize · 17/05/2020 09:09

We have a campus in Europe. It is talking about teaching 10 until 10. The plan here is for as much on campus as possible plus online. No thought seems to have been given to the large numbers of older students we have- the many young students with underlying health issues and the fact that a very high percentage of our intake are local and live at home with family. I know of lots who live with grandparents.

It all started well with ‘do as much as you can’ but now it is prepare for 2 methods of delivery and there is no let up on the forms we have to fill in to change elements of the modules. Any changes still have to go through all the approvals and committees.

I don’t think any University wants to break rank in case they lose students. Many US universities seem to be saying on line only.

On social media our students are delighted that we are proposing face to face (understandably) I just don’t think they have really looked at what it will mean for them and the fact we will not be back to normal in September. Leadership is very much lacking from the highly paid VCs.

AlltheLemurs · 17/05/2020 09:20

It is going reasonably well for me but I am working from home with a toddler. I have changed all my live teaching to take place at nap time. I am lucky in that I have used a lot of the tech before and am more confident in it.

We are looking at no face to face lectures next term with face to face small groups. I think that is better. I would be fine to do face to face as I am not high risk and I am fairly sure I have actually had Covid before the university put any measures in place.

My friend had her zoom seminar hacked with child porn. It’s just awful that that can happen.

Original poster
CatandtheFiddle · 17/05/2020 10:35

We have been warned that workload is likely to significantly increase next year

So have we. We've been told that there will be a 're-balancing' of research to teaching time, and that research leaves may be suspended.

Well, so what do I tell publishers & editors? or the UKRI re a funded research project ...

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Mylordsize · 17/05/2020 11:41

I am waiting to hear what is expected of us. A basic, no frills online offering with some synchronous and and asynchronous stuff is not too difficult and I could see I could do that.

A proper online all bells and whistles experience is a different matter entirely. And not possible in the time we have.

I am very thankful I do not have to be responsible for timetables, workloads etc some people can do more than others for many different reasons.

It’s hard balancing keeping our jobs, doing our best, keeping home running but not being taken for a ride!

Siepie · 20/05/2020 00:40

Just discovered this corner.

I'm a lecturer in a humanities subject. Teaching online hasn't been as awful as I was anticipating and we've had fairly good engagement. There's a lot of upset from some students and staff about the assessment arrangements though.

We're currently getting very little information about next year, just reminders not to rack up too many expenses Hmm I'm currently pregnant and due early September. I was feeling rather down about my baby being born during a pandemic, but remembering that I'll be on mat leave for most of next academic year is a comfort.

GCAcademic · 21/05/2020 07:16

Re. timetabling, we've just been told that as well as teaching until later in the evening we may have to teach at weekends next academic year. The entire budget for part-time tutors is being removed, and study leave is cancelled.

worstofbothworlds · 21/05/2020 08:29

FFS

Mylordsize · 21/05/2020 12:54

The feedback from our students- social sciences subject- is if the courses are going online they want asynchronous work with access to staff to check understanding and mark work.

They don’t want very much that they have to attend at fixed times and would prefer those sessions (if online) to be drop ins. They organise themselves via WhatsApp etc for discussions and don’t like our facility which is via Blackboard.

I have found many students are happy to take part in chat via typing but not spoken chat.

As yet we haven’t really had a steer about what to prepare. And in any event we are deep in marking at the moment with no extensions for return of marks.

Original poster
CatandtheFiddle · 21/05/2020 13:34

The entire budget for part-time tutors is being removed, and study leave is cancelled

We're moving that way.

We're talking about a 'rebalancing' of teaching & research for next year. That is, with teaching lots of small groups in person or online, for short periods of time (safety, social distancing) we'll just be teaching hours & hours with no blocked out research days or Wednesday afternoons.

Personally, I just want a tall marquee roof, and I'll teach outside till December (it rains - a lot - rather than snows where I am).

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historyrocks · 21/05/2020 14:46

I also found that students were happy to type in chat, but didn't want to speak and definitely didn't want their cameras on.

I've finished marking now so we're beginning to figure out how to approach next year, but we have been promised that research time will be protected (at least they're trying).

My experience of the last few weeks of teaching is that asynchronous teaching is the way to go.

impostersyndrome · 21/05/2020 20:19

@CatandtheFiddle it seems to me that your UKRI research time must be protected. I can’t imagine your university is offering to return the nice fat overhead budget to them Hmm

tinselvestsparklepants · 22/05/2020 09:05

We have also been told there's no money for PTHP (so the unit I run which is entirely full of visiting industry speakers will be interesting...), that the emphasis will be in teaching not research. I can see that we'll be teaching pretty much all day every day. Not sure how the part time PhD gets done at the same time. Thing is I'm already working 6 day weeks so I can't see how this is going to be possible. It looks bleak.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 22/05/2020 12:38

There's another bashing thread up.

We have been told to prepare for both online and F-t-F delivery with limited casual help. We have also been told that both synchronous and asynchronous delivery is expected. All lectures online so students who never turn up anyway can complain.

Original poster
CatandtheFiddle · 22/05/2020 14:43

Yes, that's what we're planning, too Spart And even our research PVC is saying that research time will be cut back.

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phoenician68 · 23/05/2020 12:30

I'm having a huge wobble. Feeling like I'm breaking down again now that I can't get away from my desk (walk away from email) to my lovely gym space. I feel like I had my life very well organised to finish off a large research project (or two) and now I feel like I'm back where I was 10 years ago with no space from then baby and the pressures of academic life then which was a bit Wild West (child is lovely and self directed so I'm not sure I should feel so irritated by their presence but I do). I wonder if I should contact well being (suspect I need serious counselling but cant afford it) or maybe just time out (sick leave). Why am I on verge of breakdown as large project is finishing - I can do this - in months? Why do I feel so powerless and why am I so easily triggered by VC talk etc!!! Anyone else feeling similar - it's completely irrational...