UCU and F2F teaching

[Pota2]

I haven't seen a thread on this so I thought I would start one. What do people feel about this? I have a very low opinion of UCU so maybe my judgement is clouded by this but does anyone else feel that this sudden objection to F2F teaching which starts in 2 weeks is way too late and is being presented in a ridiculous way?

Instead of protecting its members, UCU have been busy sniping and infighting between their factions over the past few months and haven't really done much about the hundreds that have already lost their jobs. Now comes this announcement, months after they knew that most places were considering some degree of F2F and Jo Grady goes on TV saying that this will be like the care homes (err, despite the 0.0016 death rate for under 25s) and that it will cause 50,000 deaths (when one person died of covid yesterday and few people still obey lockdown rules). I just think it's for show and it paints our entire profession in a bad light by using unscientific nonsense.

I think that online teaching inevitably has issues. I don't feel that it's as good for the students as F2F and I think the fee issue is very real. Is it really fair to charge over £9,000 and then deliver some half-baked online stuff (I know lots of academics are boasting about how great their online teaching and how it's good value is but I've been in webinars with some of them and, um, it's not as great as they think)? And surely these issues will still be here in January (which is when UCU propose we go back? Closing campuses indefinitely is surely not an option if we still want jobs? I think UCU believes that the students are always on our side (like they did during the strike) but I think there will be real anger from students if institutions backtrack after they have already paid their rent deposits.

As I said, maybe my view is clouded by my feelings about the UCU and especially the members of the odious Grady4GS faction, so it would be interesting to hear other views. My institution is doing online lectures and the option for students between socially distanced F2F seminars and online ones. They are risk assessing staff for return to campus. Maybe I am wrong but this seems quite reasonable.

[GCAcademic]

Oh wow, that video .

Poor Charlotte. Still, at least she has that window to ventilate her workspace, which is more than the lecture rooms I'm teaching in do.

[historyrocks]

We’ve been told to keep our office windows open at all times. That will be fun in the middle of a scottish winter, facing out across a very windy and cold part of the country!

[Bingobango69]

St Andrews has asked its students to observe a 'voluntary' weekend lockdown from 7pm. Pretty inevitable that we'll see this elsewhere too.

[GCAcademic]

I think there are going to be significant tensions between universities and local communities, particularly somewhere as small at St Andrews. My husband works at one of those universities that has been in the news for students having huge gatherings. They go to the pub and then back to halls, where hundreds of them party, and then they go to the local pub again the next night. I’m not surprised the locals are unhappy. Add to that that they are seeing privileged university students party away when the impact of the pandemic on the local community has been devastating - there are apparently 200 people applying for a cleaning job at the moment in my university’s city. I imagine that VCs must be under a lot of pressure from local residents and officials. And it’s a shame, because I do believe that universities have started to take their responsibilities to local communities much more seriously in recent years, but this current situation will undo all of that progress.

[Chemenger]

Our arrangements seem pretty sound for the tiny amount of face to face we will be doing. Face masks to be worn until the student reaches their socially distanced, allocated desk. Lecturer not to move from behind their Perspex screen, half the class on a teams meeting rather than present. The queuing system for classes seems well thought through as well. It is very odd on campus though, virtually no students, no admin staff, restricted access to buildings, having to figure out how to get from A to B in the one way system. The situation in the halls of residence (we’re just coming out of freshers week) has been bad, police are on site several times a night. I believe it is calming down now that the university has spelled out the penalties they can apply.
What does astound me is how some of my colleagues have totally failed to listen to any of the new arrangements. One asked last week why his lectures didn’t show up on the timetable, and was astonished to hear he had to record them. He had no idea that there were occupancy limits on rooms and asked if he could be an exception and just do his lectures as normal.

[ItalianHat]

@chemenger & @GCAcademic - I sometimes wonder whether we're all at the same place!

We're just finishing Fresher's week, and although my place has been one of the leading universities in trying to ensure safety of students & staff, there are reports of 100s of students outside halls of residence, and as I walked home last night at around 9pm, there were crowds at the nightclub near me.

Waiting for a local lockdown ...

[Chemenger]

@Italianhat - were your students also congregating in a park close to the campus which is well known for students having barbecues on sunny days?

[ItalianHat]

No - that sounds much further north & to the east than me ...

[Bellesavage]

We've had borderline threatening emails from management saying we must do our f2f sessions.

[TheEndisCummings]

well @Pota2, what do you feel now about this thread you started?

[TheEndisCummings]

so wfh it is .......

[moimichme]

I'm still expected to teach face to face on campus, 8 hours per week. My university's decision making is terrifyingly blasé about this whole pandemic thing.

[TheEndisCummings]

that is absurd and goes against everything that is being recommended right now.

[peppermintteadrinker]

@moimichme

I'm still expected to teach face to face on campus, 8 hours per week. My university's decision making is terrifyingly blasé about this whole pandemic thing.

I'm doing 12 hours. No response about wfh advice yet. Think we're now being seen as just getting on with it. Schools are in so we are too.

[Bingobango69]

I hope your union branch is kicking up merry hell - everything crossed for some sense to be seen.

[GCAcademic]

DH has just done physically distanced f2f today followed by a Zoom seminar for those studying remotely. He couldn't hear the students at all in f2f. The Zoom seminar, on the other hand, went really well.

[GCAcademic]

I really don't think universities are going to stop f2f. There is too much riding on it financially.

[Bingobango69]

F2F is going to be of much lower quality - in the few instances it's taking place at my place in big rooms, which will be freezing aince the air con is ramped up, and shouting through masks and visors. It'll all get called off in a week or so.

[GCAcademic]

Boris has said that universities should stay open. University of Liverpool has had 87 positive tests in the past week and the management is refusing to stop f2f. Looks like we’re heading for the American scenario fast.

[moimichme]

@GCAcademic

Boris has said that universities should stay open. University of Liverpool has had 87 positive tests in the past week and the management is refusing to stop f2f. Looks like we’re heading for the American scenario fast.

That's terrible! But yes, entirely predictable that the virus will spread on campuses.

Our local union is doing its best but mgmt are being obstructive. We can refuse to work in a particular classroom if we believe there is a sudden and imminent danger to doing so, but not much else.

Only good thing is f2f teaching hasn't quite started yet, and govt guidance may be clearer soon, telling us to operate classes online whenever possible? It's all such a mess!

[GCAcademic]

I suspect the government’s priority lies in not having to bail out universities, not what is best for staff and student health. If things move online, we’re going to see mass demands for refunds of accommodation fees. I think we will only see cancellation of f2f if there starts to be evidence of outbreaks spreading beyond campuses into the wider community.

[Poppingnostopping]

Someone asked on another thread about mask-wearing on campus- our institution is full masks in all public spaces so in lectures/seminars. Students have to have a proper exemption lanyard. All my students without exception wore masks when I taught this week. We managed reasonably well with speaking, I felt, we were in small spaced out groups of about 10 and it worked fine.

This has to come from the top! Our students don't have a choice, no mask, no entry into the buildings, no seminar/lecture.

I agree with this, it''s the least they can do whilst we are older, going in and teaching them.

The students were all chatting with masks on too so I don't think it's inhibiting their communication too much, but it's easier for 2nd and 3rd years, much harder for first years to make friends with a mask on.

[Poppingnostopping]

I'm happy to DM that person the name of the institution if they want to put pressure on in their own institution to follow suit.

[ItalianHat]

@Poppingnostopping that's the situation at my place too (although I'm shielding & teaching online).

[geekaMaxima]

@Poppingnostopping

I'm happy to DM that person the name of the institution if they want to put pressure on in their own institution to follow suit.

Yes please! Much appreciated, popping.