Texas governor expected to announce today that public schools can decide when to reopen. Maybe they will in some counties that only have a handful or fewer virus cases, but it is so close to the end of the year anyway I expect most will stay closed.
Just chiming in to say Davidson’s president Carol Quillen is outstanding. She’s brilliant, thoughtful, warm, and strong. I saw her give a 40 minute talk to parents last year with no notes where she described Davidson’s place in the higher ed ecosystem. It was one of the best talks I’ve ever attended. The audience hung on every word as she talked about where higher ed is in the US writ large and how to fulfill the college’s mission with purpose and integrity. She also answered parent questions with grace and transparency. She’s an amazing leader.
The task forces are facing reality…UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said Thursday that the school might stick with online courses for the fall quarter due to the coronavirus, but that he doesn’t see it becoming a permanent arrangement.
The California State University system is weighing the same option for its schools.
@sylvan8798 Just want to say that I’m sorry this is such a struggle for you. It’s helpful to me to understand the challenges our kids’ teachers are facing. No one asked for this and we’re all just doing the best we can. Thank you for sharing, and for persevering to keep your students on track.
I hope things will get better for you as things start to open up a bit. Even if virtual instruction continues through fall, maybe your school will allow you some space to conduct your class in a more conducive setting, at least, once people are able to move around more.
Note that UCSD (and other UCs besides UCB and UCM) are on the quarter system, so they have about five extra weeks of decision and/or preparation time before the fall quarter compared to the fall semester at semester system schools (including most CSUs and most California community colleges).
I would be taking a lot of time over the summer to try better spaces, camera options, etc. Right now, I’m not even able to go to my office, where at least it would be quiet and there’s a whiteboard. This is for sure a learning experience. Things I did 3 weeks ago I have ditched for better options. I’m teaching 2 different courses and there are 2 sets of issues (such will also be the case in the fall, with two different courses from what I have now). If I wasn’t carrying our health insurance I would be seriously thinking of calling the adjunct thing a wrap. 
I would think (hope) that teachers are discussing and sharing best methods to deliver online classes. Maybe not??
It occurred to me this morning, that the distance ed leader in a university, who may have had a seat at the table in the past, but little to no voice, is now one of the most important people in the room.
Doesn’t sound good but to be realistic how much time did you have to prep? I’m also sure resources are scarce at the moment. I hope you work something out. I think we’re all feeling cabin fever with spouses and kids.
My point was that by August with some planning and resources (money) I would hope that colleges and professors could put something together that would work. Anything with labs would be difficult. Schools have the money for production facilities. My S21 will most likely be a film major. We’ve toured some of the better film schools. Amazing some of things they can do. The weak link would be students equipment and internet service.
I did adjunct a few times. I liked my adult learners but really wasn’t worth the amount of work put in. Good luck.
In my state professors suddenly had no office access. The campus is off limits.
The only resources and equipment available is whatever they happened to have at home, and then what was possible to order on line, which is suddenly in high demand and sold out.
Assuming it’s possible the campus is open in August, and professors have access to studio space… is there enough for every class in real time with teacher and students?
Or is the idea the class is recorded? Because then it’s pretty much the sort of great books programs some of us listen to in the car, and not in any way comparable to a real life seminar, with discussion that is based almost entirely on individual class participants reaction to the material.
It’s difficult to imagine how it all plays out.
Someone I know has been doing a second degree online, mostly from a state community college association of some kind. They are a self directed learner with an undergrad degree from one ivy and masters from another. They say online is fine, but not in anyway comparable, and not worth elite school tuitions.
fwiw
The problem is that there’s no one in “the room” any more. To try to learn how to do distance learning from a distance has got to be challenging at best - at least for some.
When we all come back up for air, there’s going to be a whole lot of discussion around these online issues.
Regarding the phased system that the federal government put out yesterday…have any states yet even started the two week downward trajectory to get to phase 1?
I’m in a state (Ohio) that adopted measures early and is relatively strict, but our curve has been sharply increasing lately. I know that some states have predicted their peak, but don’t know if anyone is on the downside yet?
And FWIW I do think that “schools” in the guidelines likely refers to k-12 and colleges might have stricter/later timeframes. Just my opinion.
I agree that for those of us paying for off campus apartments, and have bored kids, the draw to go back to school even if it is online is huge. I am glad to see that police departments and colleges seem to be trying to be proactive about enforcing and disciplining for social distancing violations for off campus students at their colleges.
I think there’s going to be a lot of this opinion in the next month and schools will see the writing on the wall that online instruction has gone over like a lead balloon.
Well, if every class had a classroom assigned, then couldn’t the prof use their classroom, if nothing else? Not to mention study rooms and group rooms in the libraries that will not be filled with students.
There are other standards that need to be met. It’s not just the 14 day slope downward. States have to be able to test everyone who could conceivably need a test.
My response was to posts suggesting use of campus film studios for online classes, so they looked more professional.
Or perhaps use of tech resources film studies departments have available.
Teaching an online course out of an empty classroom probably starts from square one, just like sylvan describes her online teaching from home… Just fewer distractions.
Assuming campus is open, and employees allowed to interact, how long does it take to set up each classroom for optimum online instruction? And will different professors using the classroom have different technical needs depending on what course they are teaching?
One thing that comes up with distance learning is how to do tests and exams.
I remember years in the past take home exams that were exceptionally difficult but which we could work through given a 24 hour period (there wasn’t as much sleep as usual that night). This seems feasible.
I have heard of a recent case, due to the current pandemic, of a take home exam that was supposed to be closed book. It sounded like half or less of the class followed the rules, and half or more of the class took it to be either open book or even “open book and Google and Wikipedia”. This will tend to reward the students who do not follow the rules.
To me any exam that you do at home has to be open book, because at least half the class is going to take it that way whether they are supposed to or not. Even then I do not know how you stop students from working together on the exam.
Maybe by the fall the pandemic will have subsided to the point that they can do exams in person even if the classes are on line. I could imagine taking a class of 30 or 40 and putting them in a gym with a table for each so that the students will be well spread out and have a low chance of spreading the coronavirus while taking the exam. However, the problem with this is that students will need to be physically somewhere near the university to show up for exams. This does not seem to work if you have international students who do not have any other reason to come to campus.
Of course labs are also a reason to want to be able to reopen campuses.
I feel like we are all hoping for a miracle.
Then there are the medical and veterinary schools at these campuses. On-line may have worked for one semester but more than that and the training of these students degrades. They are learning the hands-on skills and need the practice. I agree that protection needs to occur but having a son starting vet school in the fall I hope he can at least do his labs in person. Paying a huge sum for online that doesn’t truly equip him for the rest of his education hurts! I would hope they could find some way to get these students back. At our school most upperclassmen and graduate students live in off-campus housing (apartments or homes) very near the school.
My son has not learned very effectively through his on-line classes even though his professors are really trying. Just the nature of his classes and the fact that he does not do well with on-line and never has. He will be returning in the fall to his college town no matter what. He has a lease and will be moving there.