It's time to end the consensual hallucination of fall in-person classes

[spork]

Close to 160 confirmed cases at Providence College: https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/09/21/providence-colleges-coronavirus-outbreak-continues-to-grow.

[Wahoo Redux]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/22/us/colleges-universities-reopen-covid-trnd/index.html

[spork]

So . . . unofficially it looks like in-person instruction on my campus will end at Thanksgiving break, except for students in clinical practicums. Unlike other universities, mine did not start the semester two weeks early. And now college students are a main cause of increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in my state.

[spork]

Looks like some students are using the "remote" option to attend synchronous classes when not on campus -- going home for a week at a time to eat home cooking or visit friends, for example. My guess is that administration isn't raising a hullaboo about it because dorm and meal plan fees have been paid.

[Puget]

We're still doing really well-- only 9 positive tests out of 44,000+ tests of 4,600 people in the past month (.03% positive rate vs. >1% for state)

[jimbogumbo]

When you are in one of these (I am) it is not good:

South Dakota: 23.6

New daily cases: 414

Tests per 1,000: 3.1



Idaho: 23.5

New daily cases: 584

Tests per 1,000: 1.4



Wisconsin: 21.1

New daily cases: 3,279

Tests per 1,000: 2.3



Iowa: 18.8

New daily cases: 969

Tests per 1,000: 1.5



Wyoming: 16.7

New daily cases: 162

Tests per 1,000: 1.8



Kansas: 16.6

New daily cases: 461

Tests per 1,000: 1.5



Nevada: 15.7

New daily cases: 487

Tests per 1,000: 1.2



Indiana: 15.6

New daily cases: 1,549

Tests per 1,000: 1.5



Utah: 14.9

New daily cases: 987

Tests per 1,000: 2.5

[spork]

Now I'm hearing from department chairs that some faculty have only one or two students attending class, with the rest connecting online.

[Vkw10]

Now I'm hearing from department chairs that some faculty have only one or two students attending class, with the rest connecting online.

The provost says he sees students in labs, studio arts, and performing arts, but otherwise, only 5-10% of students are in classroom. That matches what I've seen and what others teaching onsite are reporting.

[spork]

Now I'm hearing from department chairs that some faculty have only one or two students attending class, with the rest connecting online.

The provost says he sees students in labs, studio arts, and performing arts, but otherwise, only 5-10% of students are in classroom. That matches what I've seen and what others teaching onsite are reporting.

Supposedly my employer will continue "hy-flex" course delivery next semester. I wonder what proportion of students will decide to live at home because it's cheaper. Their diplomas aren't going to say "took all courses online in Spring 2021," and I doubt being isolated in a hotel room off campus eating boxed meals is the college experience they were expecting.

[Sun_Worshiper]

Now I'm hearing from department chairs that some faculty have only one or two students attending class, with the rest connecting online.

I've consistently had less than 25% attending in person, and I'm teaching in person (with mask, social distance, etc.). I imagine that those faculty teaching remotely have very few, if any, students in the classroom.

[spork]

Now I'm hearing from department chairs that some faculty have only one or two students attending class, with the rest connecting online.

I've consistently had less than 25% attending in person, and I'm teaching in person (with mask, social distance, etc.). I imagine that those faculty teaching remotely have very few, if any, students in the classroom.

I was referring to faculty who are teaching in physical classrooms on campus.

[Hibush]

Now I'm hearing from department chairs that some faculty have only one or two students attending class, with the rest connecting online.

I've consistently had less than 25% attending in person, and I'm teaching in person (with mask, social distance, etc.). I imagine that those faculty teaching remotely have very few, if any, students in the classroom.

We had a couple of faculty whose style requires the big lecture hall. They are teaching from that hall, but all the students are remote. Just the camera operator is in the room.

I was referring to faculty who are teaching in physical classrooms on campus.

[marshwiggle]

We had a couple of faculty whose style requires the big lecture hall. They are teaching from that hall, but all the students are remote. Just the camera operator is in the room.

Requiring a big lecture hall with no actual students is bizarre. That's about as inflexible as I can imagine.

[mamselle]

The preachers whose worship services I usually watch preach to an empty church from a huge, beautiful pulpit, in one case, or open, live backdrop in another--and they have been since March.

The resonance complements their well-pitched voices, and the visual surroundings invoke some of the missing symbolic reminders of the life of faith and the components of visual and musical stimulation (when the organ or piano is played in that space, likewise).

As a performer, I can say that one projects differently and with a more generous awareness of the audience's presence in larger spaces, whether others are seated there or not--one of the reasons an acting company needs a theatrical space to work in, not just an auditorium, when finalizing a play's performance.

Kudos to the person involved for not ignoring the performative aspects of speaking to a group of people.

M.

[spork]

SUNY-Oneonta president resigns because of Covid-19 infections:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/nyregion/oneonta-college-coronavirus-president.html.