Oh what joy! Teaching Monday-Saturday

[historyrocks]

We've been told that, to allow for social distancing, classes will be timetabled Monday-Saturday, 9am-9pm. Can you imagine teaching a class of 10 students (of which 7 will probably turn up) on a Saturday evening for two hours? I usually run my seminars by dividing the class into groups and get them to discuss material. That's not going to be possible with social distancing. There's going to be a lot of tumebleweed moments.

I think a lot of institutions are going to be doing this - do you know if everyone will be teaching Monday to Saturday, or will it be that e.g. if you are timetabled on Saturday you'd have your teaching Tues-Sat? I know that when some places moved to longer days, they agreed (after union intervention) not to schedule staff for the first and last slots of the day as that made the working day too long.

We know that large lectures will all be done online. We've been told that timetabling will try to group all face-to-face teaching together, although they can't get the basics right in a normal year so I'm not holding out much hope for that. I'm very lucky to (fingers crossed) have a reasonably quiet semester. As things stand, I'll only have about 4 hours of face-to-face teaching a week, plus two hours of lectures. Then I'm on research leave in semester 2.

Unlike what I hear about other universities, my employer has stated we will continue to get the full research allowance in our workload and that research leave will continue as planned. There's going to be quite a lot of work done over the summer to have all the teaching, timetabling and assessment changed to meet the new conditions, but I'm not complaining about that!

I suppose that's something - if they're protecting research time then your schedule can't be too overloaded. Still, I am rather worried that we are about to set an expectation for a 7 day working week over this.

Sorry - double post - yes, I also agree that the students are not going to be at all keen on Saturday teaching! Over the last couple of years I've had quite a bit of teaching after 5 on either Monday or Friday, and that's been bad enough to persuade them to engage with.

It's not just about students being "not keen", Saturday classes will be nigh on impossible for students who rely on childcare to attend classes. Unless childminders and holiday clubs start offering Saturday spaces as a matter of course, holding lectures, labs, seminars on Saturday will exclude a chunk of students.

Of course it's the same for staff who would rely on childcare to show up to Saturday teaching, but apparently we don't matter

Beating a drum for student inclusivity might make university management people pay attention...

We’ve been told “weekend teaching”. So possibly even Sundays?

Institutional research leave has been cancelled.

Our research time/research leave is also being curtailed. People who already got research leave approved in Sem 1 can keep it, but there was no second round in Sem 2.

I really hope we don't do this weekend teaching. We already have weekend exams. I simply can't do that - my disability means I have to basically lie down all day Sat/Sun just to get through the other five days. If I have to teach on the weekend, I'll need two other days off...

And to 9pm??? This all sounds horrifying to me.

We have zero information on our teaching yet, which is very frustrating as I would have time right now to be developing online materials, short videos, whatever, if we knew how things were going to be happening.

I know that when some places moved to longer days, they agreed (after union intervention) not to schedule staff for the first and last slots of the day as that made the working day too long.

My place obviously didn't get the memo! Mind you, our teaching day has always been 9-7 so I suppose they could argue that is what we signed up for.

I think extending the day is almost inevitable to fit socially distanced face-to-face teaching in. My husband will be hard hit (and by extension me too) as he does a lot of it and, even now, struggles to fit it all in. We occasionally work Saturdays now and I hate it as it messes up family life.

The thing is, I don’t trust them to timetable teaching so that it isn’t utterly horrendous for us. DH’s university does its masters teaching in the evening, and he’s ended up teaching first thing in the morning before and then having his last class finish at 9pm. Oh, and then have to go in again for 9am the next morning (with 90 min commute each way).

Our VC has said outright that we’re going to have a voluntary redundancy scheme because he’s aware that many members of staff would rather retire early than face what’s coming next year.

classes will be timetabled Monday-Saturday, 9am-9pm

We already have the "teaching day" defined as 8:30 to 18:30. No mention of Saturday teaching, but mention of 20% pay cuts.

if they're protecting research time

Hollow laugh!

All study leave for 2020-21 cancelled.

it's the same for staff who would rely on childcare to show up to Saturday teaching, but apparently we don't matter

Throughout this whole time, it's been clear that staff don't matter.

Even the government guidance published yesterday demonstrates that. It's all focused on the safety of students, and just briefly mentions staff shielding. bUt nothing about the likelihood that many more staff will be in the vulnerable group - not high risk enough to shield, but clearly at risk from being very ill from C-19.

I'm completely torn - I really want to teach in-person, but I'm in the vulnerable category, although not high risk enough to be shielding. I don't really want to die from my job - although I know that sounds over-dramatic - but it's where I'm getting in this anxiety (I'm not normally too much of an anxious person)

Our VC has said outright that we’re going to have a voluntary redundancy scheme because he’s aware that many members of staff would rather retire early than face what’s coming next year.

Ours has said there will be a similar scheme but he hasn't gone that far.

It's all very well but, with an associated freeze on recruitment, it means even more to do for those of us not in a position to leave.

I can’t afford to retire even though I’m getting into the age bracket where an early retirement is possible. Single, huge mortgage from last (expensive) move south. I sometimes think I should never have done it.

We already have Saturday exams, so a shift to Sat lecturing seems (unfortunately and unfairly for those with children) one possible solution when trying to square the circle of how to face to face teach the vast cohorts they are trying to pile in like sardines to get the fees, but mysteriously socially distance and keep safe at the same time.

Well, I do believe my university will do everything possible to protect research time--it was one of the first things they said and I believe them. As I currently stand, I will have the same number of seminars to teach next year as I did last year in semester 1. There is going to be some extra planning and changes to assessment, but not enough to stop me from researching.

On the weekend teaching, the university has always given people with caring duties the right to teach up to 5pm only. I suspect that will be the same with the Saturday teaching.

On the weekend teaching, the university has always given people with caring duties the right to teach up to 5pm only. I suspect that will be the same with the Saturday teaching

We haven't had firm confirmation that teaching hours will be extended yet. If the burden of late evening and Saturday teaching is going to fall on "non-caring" staff, I can foresee a good deal of resentment.

the university has always given people with caring duties the right to teach up to 5pm only. I suspect that will be the same with the Saturday teaching

I can see the logic of this - except, that people without caring responsibilities get stuck with the unsociable hours. Everybody has the right to a private domestic life, whatever they want to do with it.

I do believe my university will do everything possible to protect research time--it was one of the first things they said and I believe them.

But what will happen in reality, when the increasing teaching load and decreasing number of staff hits? And next year the REF submission will need to be finalised, Brexit fallout, increased pressure on research funding, push to diversify income streams etc.

We’ve had similar signals, not about Saturday teaching, but having labs open morning till night. Im not sure who’s going to teach the extra classes...

What’s worrying me though is the need to prepare classes to suit both on and off campus students. Starting with prerecorded videos that will squeeze all the spontaneity from my teaching style, to fears about losing my intellectual property by putting my teaching materials online for free.

Where does teaching until 9pm fit in with Athena Swan?

My institution is talking about 8am-6pm teaching. Not heard weekend working mentioned.....yet!

Indeed, @JacobReesMogadishu, and same goes for Saturday teaching. Oh and our younger lecturers sometimes commute well over an hour each way. Fancy doing that after a 12 hour shift.

Where does teaching until 9pm fit in with Athena Swan?

Ooh! Good one. My place prides itself on Athena Swan.

My commute can be an hour, or more. The traffic is likely to be light at that time though.

Starting with prerecorded videos that will squeeze all the spontaneity from my teaching style, to fears about losing my intellectual property by putting my teaching materials online for free

My husband has already found his teaching material available on download sites.

Oh @PhoneLock, that's appalling! Does he have any recourse?