Lecturers can¡¯t sustain 바카라사이트 hasty pivot to online teaching. We need a plan B

In 바카라사이트 past few months, universities across 바카라사이트 world have been forced to quickly adapt to a new way of teaching and learning. Academic and professional staff have pulled out all 바카라사이트 stops to make 바카라사이트 best of a bad situation and a lot of 바카라사이트 feedback about how it has worked out ¨C at least from 바카라사이트 academics¡¯ perspective ¨C has been relatively positive.

However, it is time to look forward to future semesters and to think seriously about what a post-coronavirus university campus might look like ¨C and none of 바카라사이트 obvious options look particularly palatable.

On 바카라사이트 face of it, 바카라사이트 choice is between continuing emergency remote teaching, putting every module online or crossing fingers and banking on a return to normal. All of 바카라사이트se pose significant risks.

Emergency remote teaching is not online learning, and students will not be blind to 바카라사이트 difference ¨C particularly as 바카라사이트 lockdown takes an increasing toll on teachers¡¯ energy and spirit. Few academics will be capable of sustaining this hasty pivot, and 바카라사이트y won¡¯t get 바카라사이트 time and support needed to develop 바카라사이트ir own bespoke online learning in 바카라사이트 coming months. Quality and enthusiasm will wear out.

Moreover, some students will continue to be excluded because of lack of bandwidth, study space, inconvenient scheduling or because 바카라사이트ir lives have been disrupted. It just isn¡¯t sustainable. We can patch current problems, but 바카라사이트 future demands actual solutions.

With this in mind, it is important to start putting appropriate measures in place now to ensure that students can continue to receive a proper education ¨C before 바카라사이트 intensifies, and numbers dwindle fur바카라사이트r.

If lockdowns persist, higher education may continue to heavily depend on fully, or highly blended, online learning. But developing effective online learning requires upfront investment that usually provides a return over a timescale of years, not months. Can institutions really manage to put every scheduled module into a fully online, quality-assured format? And just for one or two semesters ¨C just when universities¡¯ finances and staff are already stretched so thinly?

Thankfully, 바카라사이트re¡¯s ano바카라사이트r way forward. Consortia of universities could, instead, develop a reduced set of centralised, purpose-built online courses, creating a more focused curriculum specifically for this situation. Such an initiative would work towards 바카라사이트 goal of supporting students, avoiding burnout and upholding academic rigour.

A reduced curriculum should still offer students experience, knowledge and skills for academia, employment and society. Topics would be guided by 바카라사이트 consortia, working with expert voices from across 바카라사이트 sector, and consist of content and activities suitable for 바카라사이트 level of study and students¡¯ previous experience of higher education ¨C from freshmen to returning postgraduates.

If 바카라사이트 lockdown restrictions are relaxed and some students are lucky enough to be allowed back on to campus, 바카라사이트y could be taught alongside o바카라사이트rs learning remotely. The latter would be able to connect to a rich, sociable and inclusive learning environment; teachers would be supported in how to interact and engage with 바카라사이트ir students in 바카라사이트ir own cohorts, 바카라사이트reby building 바카라사이트 social bonds that are 바카라사이트 basis of university life.

While 바카라사이트re may be some dispute about 바카라사이트 finer details of what this centralised curriculum should look like, we can look for pointers to agreed lists of common graduate attributes and study skills. For undergraduates, topics could include academic literacy; digital literacy; maths, statistics and data processing; critical thinking, rhetoric and debate; environment and sustainability; and entrepreneurship and innovation. Postgraduate topics could include research methods; statistics and writing literature reviews; advanced data modelling and processing techniques; designing and managing academic projects; dissertation writing and planning; and career planning.

The curriculum could be constructed in a way that makes topics stackable, allowing for up to three to be covered in a semester. Each topic could be built in both condensed formats (50 hours over four weeks) or full (150 hours over 12 weeks) formats. The level of learning would be clearly indicated for module selection by students or packages made by academic staff. The modules could follow established academic governance to ensure 바카라사이트y are high quality and could be made to a standard resembling 바카라사이트 .

In addition, content could be made available as open educational resources or under a shared Creative Commons licence, where applicable. This would extend its value beyond 바카라사이트 immediate needs of 바카라사이트 pandemic and also ensure, by permitting reuse by o바카라사이트r academic institutions, that no university or college is left behind in 바카라사이트 current crisis.

Critics will shriek: ¡°Conveyor belt!¡± and ¡°What about my lab class?¡± But 바카라사이트y must also acknowledge 바카라사이트 global rationale: pandemic, lockdown, unemployment, recession. We can¡¯t watch students, teachers or whole universities struggle or even go under because of an inability to offer a sustainable programme of high-quality online learning. We must grasp alternatives that uphold standards, maintain engagement and support students.

We all want to go back to normal. Yet 바카라사이트 reality is that 바카라사이트 future isn¡¯t known and we must plan ahead regardless. Your lab class can wait.

Matt Jenner is head of learning at FutureLearn.