Page 2 | How are we all feeling about f2f teaching?

Rumblebuffin · 2021-09-04T17:22:00+00:00

Given that we're gearing up for a massive new wave, I'm nervous about teaching largely unvaccinated first years in poorly ventilated rooms without masks (still waiting on guidance about the masks).

dreamingbohemian · 09/09/2021 09:23

@Shoots Of course you're allowed here :)
Professional services have had such a rough time of it too, and I know with us they are currently swamped with getting everything ready while still figuring out working arrangements.

I think our contingency plan is just to switch on a dime to online. For our department this is not really a problem (no lab work). We've spent the summer setting up our modules so that we can switch to online if we have to, eg each module has its own internal website with lots of resources and content, all the readings are available online and so on.

We've been doing online programmes for a long time though so we are set up well for it. I think a lot of universities will struggle more.

Mumteedum · 12/09/2021 20:39

Our uni has hidden the coronavirus advice away from the main pages and it seems it's been largely up to me to communicate with incoming students about expectations around covid. In a way that's good because we have a regular space that we control and we can create a fairly good community where we had good compliance with mask wearing and hygiene last year. Hoping for the same this year.

The difference is we're no longer social distancing as this had a big impact on delivery which is untenable this year unless we were online and we've been told we are definitely not online.

We will see what happens. Fresher's week starts tomorrow.

Aimee1987 · 15/09/2021 14:55

Our uni has stated that masks must be worn in all indoor areas unless you are exempt. However first day of freshers week I ( stupidly) went up to the forum to get milk, there were hundreds of students in the building and about 20% wearing masks so not boading well.
However we did get an email from the dean saying that we are urged to remind students that they need to be wearing a mask or a lanyard if they are exempt but not really how I wanted to start the year.

However I am in 2 minds how I feel about f2f teaching. I went from post doc to lecturer ( teaching contract) during covid so while I've been at the uni a while I'm meeting alot of lecturers and students for the first time online and I am struggling with that so looking forward to being properly on campus again.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/09/2021 15:46

@Aimee1987

Our uni has stated that masks must be worn in all indoor areas unless you are exempt. However first day of freshers week I ( stupidly) went up to the forum to get milk, there were hundreds of students in the building and about 20% wearing masks so not boading well. However we did get an email from the dean saying that we are urged to remind students that they need to be wearing a mask or a lanyard if they are exempt but not really how I wanted to start the year.

However I am in 2 minds how I feel about f2f teaching. I went from post doc to lecturer ( teaching contract) during covid so while I've been at the uni a while I'm meeting alot of lecturers and students for the first time online and I am struggling with that so looking forward to being properly on campus again.

Surely if they are required to wear a mask, not wearing one (or a lanyard) is a disciplinary matter? We have been told to report them for disciplinary proceedings if they don't wear masks.

I had a number of students half wearing masks in class today and yesterday. I did have to have words with them but overall they are good.

drwitch · 15/09/2021 16:14

We had a summer school last week (small group teaching in large rooms w/o masks + outdoor social stuff). It was amazing! fell in love with teaching again, was a bit apprehensive at first but teaching properly is so much easier and more enjoyable

So i am really torn, scared about cases (not for me but for the district) but excited to have proper teaching again

qudylogra · 15/09/2021 17:46

Surely if they are required to wear a mask, not wearing one (or a lanyard) is a disciplinary matter?

Are you in Scotland? Department of Education guidance in England makes clear that universities cannot refuse students access to education for not wearing masks. I'm not aware of any English university that feels they can make not wearing masks a disciplinary matter.

Mumteedum · 15/09/2021 17:50

I asked firmly but nicely with our new students on Monday..I'd say about a quarter ignored me.

Nothing we can do about it. I did tell them it's in their interests to help us keep a lid on case numbers (not those words exactly). If I go off sick and there's no replacement who can teach my subject modules they'll be upset then. I'm trying to go with the community approach and appealing to their better nature!

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/09/2021 18:16

@qudylogra

Surely if they are required to wear a mask, not wearing one (or a lanyard) is a disciplinary matter?

Are you in Scotland? Department of Education guidance in England makes clear that universities cannot refuse students access to education for not wearing masks. I'm not aware of any English university that feels they can make not wearing masks a disciplinary matter.

Ireland.

So I guess the uni referred to above saying that masks must be worn in all indoor areas aren't actually saying that then. They're just saying they would like students to wear masks. You'd think they could apply their own rules.

The 3rd level institutions here released a joint policy statement which includes masks to be worn indoors. Mind you, they're still required everywhere else here too.

Things are changing next month but we will still require masks even though the government hasn't specified they will be.

We've been told to ask non-compliant students to comply or leave. If they refuse, abandon the lecture and refer them for a disciplinary. I did have some with masks below their noses. Most kept them on properly after one correction and I told them they are not to come to class if they are not willing to wear masks correctly.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/09/2021 18:17

@Mumteedum

I asked firmly but nicely with our new students on Monday..I'd say about a quarter ignored me.

Nothing we can do about it. I did tell them it's in their interests to help us keep a lid on case numbers (not those words exactly). If I go off sick and there's no replacement who can teach my subject modules they'll be upset then. I'm trying to go with the community approach and appealing to their better nature!

What measures are in place to protect staff then?

Mumteedum · 15/09/2021 18:30

We can open the windows if we're lucky enough to have some!

Mumteedum · 15/09/2021 18:32

The fact they announced to students but not staff, during summer break, that the vast majority of teaching would be in person and took the coronavirus pages link off our main landing page, tells you exactly how much our vc cares about staff.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/09/2021 18:39

Wow. That's really awful. Our management is generally crap and generally doesn't give a toss about us but I guess the national restrictions help.

Aimee1987 · 15/09/2021 19:51

I'm in an English uni. We can ask them but if they refuse theres no sort of disciplinary.
But like others have said there just following national guideline which is basically hide your head in the sand untill the hospitals are overflowing then put us in lockdown, the idea of a middle ground seems to be impossible.

Original poster

Rumblebuffin · 15/09/2021 20:02

For those who are wearing a mask to teach, how is it going? Is it working ok and are students engaging if they are wearing masks? We've been told we can wear a mask if we wish to but I think there's an assumption that it won't work so it's kind of a fait accompli

OP posts:

GCAcademic · 15/09/2021 20:23

Our term hasn't started yet, but I taught mask-to-mask last year (though I was using a visor; we were told that we had to do this in case there were students with hearing difficulties). The students did manage to engage, but it was a limited kind of engagement, definitely not the sustained discussions we would have had normally.

Sherrystrull · 15/09/2021 20:27

Good luck everyone. I work in a primary school and have never worn a mask in the classroom. You get used to it very quickly.

Siepie · 15/09/2021 20:34

I'm slightly anxious but mainly looking forward to it. My colleagues seem quite split, including some who are excited and some who are scared and angry.

But my DH has been working in food retail this whole time so I think I'm just numb to the personal risk aspect

I think this has something to do with it. My DP is a doctor, so there were times near the beginning of the pandemic when we were terrified (and she did eventually catch it, presumably at work). But it's impossible to stay terrified for two years straight, so eventually we accepted the risk and are now back to living relatively 'normally'.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 15/09/2021 20:56

@Rumblebuffin - For those who are wearing a mask to teach, how is it going? Is it working ok and are students engaging if they are wearing masks?

I'm wearing a mask. It does mean I need to stay close to the mic on the podium rather than my usual wandering around the place. Students are engaging but I teach techy subjects so wouldn't have the level of discussion other subjects might have. I usually get them to work on little problems in 2's or 3's and then discuss but so far I've just got them to do stuff individually. I can't really get them to come up to the board either.

Some of my colleagues are teaching without masks, which we are allowed do if students are a minimum of 2m away and there is a solid pedagogical reason. Some of the bigger theatres also have screens.

damekindness · 15/09/2021 21:11

@Rumblebuffin

For those who are wearing a mask to teach, how is it going? Is it working ok and are students engaging if they are wearing masks? We've been told we can wear a mask if we wish to but I think there's an assumption that it won't work so it's kind of a fait accompli

This week Ive been teaching mask to mask but doing specialist teaching where you can't distance easily (so students must wear masks) I find it really easy to hear and be heard in groups of around 20 and in reasonably large rooms.

LookdeepintotheParka · 15/09/2021 21:33

@Aimee1987

I'm in an English uni. We can ask them but if they refuse theres no sort of disciplinary. But like others have said there just following national guideline which is basically hide your head in the sand untill the hospitals are overflowing then put us in lockdown, the idea of a middle ground seems to be impossible.

Same here. I am really concerned as there's international variants to worry about spreading in universities too. Very, very few students are wearing face coverings despite it being an 'expectation' set by university guidance.

We're being told to offer everything face to face but we literally won't be able to cope in a few weeks if staff start going off sick

Bingobango69 · 15/09/2021 21:52

If I and one other colleague go down sick, there is literally no-one else in the department who can teach the module. May remind the students of that when we start teaching in three weeks' time...

GCAcademic · 15/09/2021 22:00

It was asked in a senior management meeting I was in today what was the plan if staff start to get sick.

Unsurprisingly, there is no plan.

The modules will not be able to run.

MindyStClaire · 16/09/2021 10:28

I was on maternity leave last year so this is all new to me. I was around for the March 2020 lockdown and then gone. I think I just assumed that by the time I was back in the classroom we'd all be vaccinated and it wouldn't be an issue.

Very confusing guidance at my institution - looks sensible at first glance, and then you dig into it and see staff and students have different info. It seems to me that masks are required indoors unless 2m distancing is possible, so I'm planning to remove my mask for lectures. I'm not sure that level of distancing will be possible in all of my tutorials (haven't been in to the rooms yet). Also need to figure out the new lecture capture software etc.

Not looking forward to it.

I just really really don't want online assessment, it doesn't suit my subject at all.

DinkBoo · 16/09/2021 14:56

I'm starting a new post this term, and I'm quite worried as I have 3 modules to teach in term one, from freshers to MA, about 12/4 classes a week.

One of those modules is just me, and brand new to me, and I have a second brand new to me module in second term to prep too, and I'm not actually under contract yet, so will be running hugely behind (well, I already am as I have no online access or library access etc).

I do not have time to get sick as I've nothing to fall back on.

As far as I can tell there is no covid guidance at all at my new uni.

Aimee1987 · 16/09/2021 15:41

Your not alone. I sent through a photo of me (smiling) to the person I'm running the module with this year for the intro slides. his comment was you look too happy you clearly havent been here long. And I'm starting to get where hes coming from. Term hasnt even started and I already feel like all I'm doing is putting out fires rather then actually doing my planning.
It's also a theme across all unis judging by the posts on here.