Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
There's been a couple of H.E. related threads during lockdown, but I thought the issue of students returning to campuses warranted another. College students will be back very soon and universities within a month or so,, with most places opting for 'blended learning' i.e. some element of classroom teaching. However what that means and with what level of protection for staff and students will vary by course and institution. Ditto in terms of vulnerable staff and students getting an opt out.
In the last few days my union (UCU) has firmed up it's opposition to campus teaching and stressed things like universal testing before staff and students are allowed on campus:
news.sky.com
And in more detail here:
There has been similar from the independent Sage:
www.theguardian.com
And in the US we've seen universities opening up and then seeing a spike in cases
edition.cnn.com
My guess is that the risk will not be primarily in classroom settings, though I'm not feeling great about the idea of shifting away from online (plans are very sketchy but I'd guess about a 1/3 of my teaching will be in some sort of classroom setting). We - a post 92 - are likely to have some sort of occ health based exemption for staff with certain conditions, though not the conditions of family members. But yes, my guess is that spikes will come more from groups of students socialising, from shared accommodation and the rest - and from increased travel to and from campuses. I'd also guess we'll be seeing individual institutions locking back down in the next few weeks, either through infections of their own or from spikes in their town/city.
This is the point where the HE competition for students and unwise promises to offer some face to face teaching (itself a strategy to attract students avoid claims for fees rebates) hits the reality of infection control. A sensible government would say that HE should default to online teaching till at least the spring, but universities are now caught up in the government's prioritisation of the economy and its 'back to the office' madness. Also, of course, plenty of opportunity for managerial bullying and using the crisis to force out older staff or others with anxieties about face to face teaching.
In the last few days my union (UCU) has firmed up it's opposition to campus teaching and stressed things like universal testing before staff and students are allowed on campus:
Coronavirus: Fears over COVID-19 spread in universities as students set to make 'UK's biggest annual migration'
A higher education union warns that the government is risking public health by reopening campuses in a few weeks' time.
There has been similar from the independent Sage:
Make Covid-19 tests compulsory for students, say scientists
Independent Sage also advises socialising be restricted to students’ residential bubbles
And in the US we've seen universities opening up and then seeing a spike in cases
Over 1,000 students have tested positive for Covid-19 at University of Alabama since classes resumed | CNN
More than 1,000 students at the University of Alabama have tested positive for Covid-19 since classes resumed on the Tuscaloosa campus less than two weeks ago, according to the University of Alabama System.
My guess is that the risk will not be primarily in classroom settings, though I'm not feeling great about the idea of shifting away from online (plans are very sketchy but I'd guess about a 1/3 of my teaching will be in some sort of classroom setting). We - a post 92 - are likely to have some sort of occ health based exemption for staff with certain conditions, though not the conditions of family members. But yes, my guess is that spikes will come more from groups of students socialising, from shared accommodation and the rest - and from increased travel to and from campuses. I'd also guess we'll be seeing individual institutions locking back down in the next few weeks, either through infections of their own or from spikes in their town/city.
This is the point where the HE competition for students and unwise promises to offer some face to face teaching (itself a strategy to attract students avoid claims for fees rebates) hits the reality of infection control. A sensible government would say that HE should default to online teaching till at least the spring, but universities are now caught up in the government's prioritisation of the economy and its 'back to the office' madness. Also, of course, plenty of opportunity for managerial bullying and using the crisis to force out older staff or others with anxieties about face to face teaching.
