Reply to Will you let your kid go back to college in the fall if things are the same?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In a conversation with other professors we had the discussion that the students being back doesn't necessarily mean we have to be in-person. I'm all for the students moving back to campus, having access to campus resources (as appropriate), safety measures in place for staff that have to be on campus (food service, cleaning staff), etc. But many non-lab classes could be moved online. This would keep the students from mixing in random groups inside stuffy rooms with shared desks and it would reduce contact with faculty and staff who may be at higher risk.

All of that said, all it will take is one kid, in one dorm or shared living area, getting sick and dying and it will all be back to this. [/quote]

I'm a professor and I agree with this. Most traditional lecture courses do not involve a whole lot of student-professor and student-student interaction. There is no reason those courses can't be done using online lectures (live or recorded) mixed with some live sessions that encourage interaction. I read that article going around about knowing the risks and avoiding them. It made me feel nervous about spending multiple hours per week in windowless rooms of 30-40 students who are not likely to be doing much, if any, social distancing. Those classes are scheduled in classrooms that barely hold more than the class size. Moving them to a larger room won't work because classroom space is hard to come by as it is. There aren't enough 75- or 100-person rooms to move all the 30-40-person classes into them. I think the decision is going to be made for us by local health officials. They will want physical distancing in classrooms, and will probably advise us to move courses in which this is not possible to online. If this happens it would free up a lot of classroom space for the classes that really need to be done in person.

I am also concerned about what school will look like for my young kids next year. If they aren't in school on the days I am scheduled to teach, I can't come to campus those days. [/quote]

You're a college professor and you can't figure that out? [/quote]

Exactly!  You have a job that was agreed to be in-person.  I get that you now like the remote option but your customers don't.  You can't just decide to change that.  My child chose to attend a SLAC where the classes are small and she is very close to her professors and this remote learning plan is a completely different experience.

College campuses have always dealt with students and faculty coming in close contact with one another and the potential to spread illness.  I know several friends of my daughter who have been hospitalized during college for a few days or weeks for flu, mono etc.   If people are looking for a 100% guarantee that they won't be exposed to viruses then they should not be going out in public in general.  And maybe that means changing careers.  I just hope colleges don't move classes online for fear they are going to be sued by parents or faculty who expect, unrealistically, that they can provide complete protection from illness.[/quote]

I agreed to teach X number of courses per year, not to a specific format. That's all that is in my contract. I absolutely can decide that if local health officials are recommending physical distancing. I like teaching in the classroom but not during a pandemic that is not at all under control in my area. I am not at a SLAC and I am not a customer service representative. The students I teach are way less entitled than the parents posting here. I bet half of you will continue teleworking while telling professors they need to be side by side with your special children who deserve nothing but faculty willing to risk their health and lives for them.[/quote]

My business has customers just like higher ed does and we will be meeting with them and our partners when we are allowed. If stores and gyms and other businesses are open then of course colleges should be.  Today they are not but by fall they should be. If you teach at a college or university where they are fine to have all classes online instead of in person and most people don’t see the big difference then it’s not the same type of college my child attends. For schools where being there and interacting is a key part of the Experience that students and their parents pay for, they will be met with many people taking time off until they can get back to classroom or campus experiences. It might mean less revenue for schools and pay cuts, which I’ve been faced with in my family. That’s the reality of what’s going on right now. Not optimal but if the schools make that decision they will have to accept the response.[/quote]

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