Will there be a Spring Break at Your place?

[dr_codex]

It was just announced yesterday that we'll be starting 10 days later than usual and having no break, except a few holidays off. The university sees it as a way of minimizing student travel during the semester (they would be happiest if they could put up a mote around campus and keep them all in the bubble). I can understand that, but I think the students (and faculty!) are going to end up exhausted and burnt out. I'm going to think about ways to insert a "break" in my class where it would have been-- it's an advanced seminar with a major term paper, so I'm thinking I'll cancel a week of classes as paper working time with individual paper consultation meetings scheduled with students (I usually cancel one class for this anyway).

Agreed. I would have difficulty pushing through spring semester without a break in a typical year. In 2021? I know I'll need that break. The decision to keep spring break was a surprise for many of us, so I had already been planning to schedule a "catch up week" in each of my classes to give us a break.

We just got the memo that something similar is in the works.

I hadn't thought of creating a break. It's a good idea.

[EdnaMode]

It's been announced that we're starting late, there is no spring break, and there are no "extra" days off built into the semester, just 15 weeks straight through until finals. But I keep telling myself that I used to work 50 weeks a year with no spring break when I was in industry, so if I could do it then, I can do it now. Not sure how the students will cope though, but I'll figure out how to make it work with some sort of lull in the assignments and lab work during the middle of the semester.

[histchick]

No break for us either.  Then again, we don't have a Fall break, so we're pretty accustomed to working straight through until Thanksgiving. 

[wellfleet]

No calendar changes for us, but we never have a spring break, anyway.

[polly_mer]

It was just announced yesterday that we'll be starting 10 days later than usual and having no break, except a few holidays off. The university sees it as a way of minimizing student travel during the semester (they would be happiest if they could put up a mote around campus and keep them all in the bubble). I can understand that, but I think the students (and faculty!) are going to end up exhausted and burnt out. I'm going to think about ways to insert a "break" in my class where it would have been-- it's an advanced seminar with a major term paper, so I'm thinking I'll cancel a week of classes as paper working time with individual paper consultation meetings scheduled with students (I usually cancel one class for this anyway).

Agreed. I would have difficulty pushing through spring semester without a break in a typical year. In 2021? I know I'll need that break. The decision to keep spring break was a surprise for many of us, so I had already been planning to schedule a "catch up week" in each of my classes to give us a break.

We just got the memo that something similar is in the works.

I hadn't thought of creating a break. It's a good idea.

Check on the required minimum time for accreditation.  If the institution is already at the minimum, then large numbers of faculty cutting class time puts the federal financial aid at the institution at risk.

[Bonnie]

It was just announced yesterday that we'll be starting 10 days later than usual and having no break, except a few holidays off. The university sees it as a way of minimizing student travel during the semester (they would be happiest if they could put up a mote around campus and keep them all in the bubble). I can understand that, but I think the students (and faculty!) are going to end up exhausted and burnt out. I'm going to think about ways to insert a "break" in my class where it would have been-- it's an advanced seminar with a major term paper, so I'm thinking I'll cancel a week of classes as paper working time with individual paper consultation meetings scheduled with students (I usually cancel one class for this anyway).

Agreed. I would have difficulty pushing through spring semester without a break in a typical year. In 2021? I know I'll need that break. The decision to keep spring break was a surprise for many of us, so I had already been planning to schedule a "catch up week" in each of my classes to give us a break.

We just got the memo that something similar is in the works.

I hadn't thought of creating a break. It's a good idea.

Check on the required minimum time for accreditation.  If the institution is already at the minimum, then large numbers of faculty cutting class time puts the federal financial aid at the institution at risk.

We are not at the minimum, for reasons I do not understand.

[Aster]

It has been my impression that the regional accreditors have been themselves been partially closed since April and are letting us do a lot of whatever we want so long as the DOE continues to also let us do a lot of whatever we want.

[dr_codex]

It was just announced yesterday that we'll be starting 10 days later than usual and having no break, except a few holidays off. The university sees it as a way of minimizing student travel during the semester (they would be happiest if they could put up a mote around campus and keep them all in the bubble). I can understand that, but I think the students (and faculty!) are going to end up exhausted and burnt out. I'm going to think about ways to insert a "break" in my class where it would have been-- it's an advanced seminar with a major term paper, so I'm thinking I'll cancel a week of classes as paper working time with individual paper consultation meetings scheduled with students (I usually cancel one class for this anyway).

Agreed. I would have difficulty pushing through spring semester without a break in a typical year. In 2021? I know I'll need that break. The decision to keep spring break was a surprise for many of us, so I had already been planning to schedule a "catch up week" in each of my classes to give us a break.

We just got the memo that something similar is in the works.

I hadn't thought of creating a break. It's a good idea.

Check on the required minimum time for accreditation.  If the institution is already at the minimum, then large numbers of faculty cutting class time puts the federal financial aid at the institution at risk.

We are not at the minimum, for reasons I do not understand.

I wasn't thinking about actually taking a week off. I was thinking about an alternate to whatever regular delivery method my assigned courses may require.

I'm intimately aware of our accreditors requirements. I'm also aware of the ways in which pandemic-induced alterations to our institutional calendar already have mandated alternate arrangements.

Once you've accepted an asynchronous component in all courses, it's all in the timing.

[Puget]

It was just announced yesterday that we'll be starting 10 days later than usual and having no break, except a few holidays off. The university sees it as a way of minimizing student travel during the semester (they would be happiest if they could put up a mote around campus and keep them all in the bubble). I can understand that, but I think the students (and faculty!) are going to end up exhausted and burnt out. I'm going to think about ways to insert a "break" in my class where it would have been-- it's an advanced seminar with a major term paper, so I'm thinking I'll cancel a week of classes as paper working time with individual paper consultation meetings scheduled with students (I usually cancel one class for this anyway).

Agreed. I would have difficulty pushing through spring semester without a break in a typical year. In 2021? I know I'll need that break. The decision to keep spring break was a surprise for many of us, so I had already been planning to schedule a "catch up week" in each of my classes to give us a break.

We just got the memo that something similar is in the works.

I hadn't thought of creating a break. It's a good idea.

Check on the required minimum time for accreditation.  If the institution is already at the minimum, then large numbers of faculty cutting class time puts the federal financial aid at the institution at risk.

We are not at the minimum, for reasons I do not understand.

I wasn't thinking about actually taking a week off. I was thinking about an alternate to whatever regular delivery method my assigned courses may require.

I'm intimately aware of our accreditors requirements. I'm also aware of the ways in which pandemic-induced alterations to our institutional calendar already have mandated alternate arrangements.

Once you've accepted an asynchronous component in all courses, it's all in the timing.

Yes, same. My plan is to give them a week to work on their papers with an individual meeting with me and some online tutorials. As far as I understand it, this would still definitely count as course time.

[Bonnie]

It was just announced yesterday that we'll be starting 10 days later than usual and having no break, except a few holidays off. The university sees it as a way of minimizing student travel during the semester (they would be happiest if they could put up a mote around campus and keep them all in the bubble). I can understand that, but I think the students (and faculty!) are going to end up exhausted and burnt out. I'm going to think about ways to insert a "break" in my class where it would have been-- it's an advanced seminar with a major term paper, so I'm thinking I'll cancel a week of classes as paper working time with individual paper consultation meetings scheduled with students (I usually cancel one class for this anyway).

Agreed. I would have difficulty pushing through spring semester without a break in a typical year. In 2021? I know I'll need that break. The decision to keep spring break was a surprise for many of us, so I had already been planning to schedule a "catch up week" in each of my classes to give us a break.

We just got the memo that something similar is in the works.

I hadn't thought of creating a break. It's a good idea.

Check on the required minimum time for accreditation.  If the institution is already at the minimum, then large numbers of faculty cutting class time puts the federal financial aid at the institution at risk.

We are not at the minimum, for reasons I do not understand.

I wasn't thinking about actually taking a week off. I was thinking about an alternate to whatever regular delivery method my assigned courses may require.

I'm intimately aware of our accreditors requirements. I'm also aware of the ways in which pandemic-induced alterations to our institutional calendar already have mandated alternate arrangements.

Once you've accepted an asynchronous component in all courses, it's all in the timing.

Exactly. My typical "catch up" week isn't a week off. It's a week of flexibility. One student may take the week to plow through a bunch of work to lighten load for subsequent weeks. Another may choose to take the week off and play catch up after a rest.

[little bongo]

No spring break--five separate designated classless days spread throughout the semester, with same start and finish time.

[polly_mer]

It has been my impression that the regional accreditors have been themselves been partially closed since April and are letting us do a lot of whatever we want so long as the DOE continues to also let us do a lot of whatever we want.

And that works great until it doesn't.

When the reports start making front page news in the mass media about what passes as college courses for credit this fall in some places and federal financial aid was used, the crackdowns will follow.  It's better not to be clearly out of compliance when the auditors come through six months to three years later based on credible reports that make the media.  Spring 2020 will get a pass on non-compliant activities that Spring 2021 will not.

My "favorite" example remains Adams State who passed their HLC reaffirmation, made the papers for enrolling a bunch of athletes in hugely accelerated courses that required almost no work, and then went on probation with the HLC for their online programs.

[dr_codex]

It has been my impression that the regional accreditors have been themselves been partially closed since April and are letting us do a lot of whatever we want so long as the DOE continues to also let us do a lot of whatever we want.

And that works great until it doesn't.

When the reports start making front page news in the mass media about what passes as college courses for credit this fall in some places and federal financial aid was used, the crackdowns will follow.  It's better not to be clearly out of compliance when the auditors come through six months to three years later based on credible reports that make the media.  Spring 2020 will get a pass on non-compliant activities that Spring 2021 will not.

My "favorite" example remains Adams State who passed their HLC reaffirmation, made the papers for enrolling a bunch of athletes in hugely accelerated courses that required almost no work, and then went on probation with the HLC for their online programs.

Right, but it's credit hour that matters, not the number of weeks or days. Semesters, quarters, weekends, months, it's all good as long as it's rigorous, and equivalent.

Polly, we aren't dopes. But the reality on the ground is  there's both unusual flexibility and unusual box-ticking during Covid.

Sure, some folks will take this as a chance to cut corners. Everybody else is drinking gasoline, and trying to figure out how not to have a 50% failure rate.

[clean]

No spring break--five separate designated classless days spread throughout the semester, with same start and finish time.

This seems worse than a spring break.  When those days off are on a Monday  or a Friday, (and maybe a Thursday or Tuesday), the students have the opportunity to travel on multiple minibreaks instead of one longer one!

Good Luck!!

[polly_mer]

It has been my impression that the regional accreditors have been themselves been partially closed since April and are letting us do a lot of whatever we want so long as the DOE continues to also let us do a lot of whatever we want.

And that works great until it doesn't.

When the reports start making front page news in the mass media about what passes as college courses for credit this fall in some places and federal financial aid was used, the crackdowns will follow.  It's better not to be clearly out of compliance when the auditors come through six months to three years later based on credible reports that make the media.  Spring 2020 will get a pass on non-compliant activities that Spring 2021 will not.

My "favorite" example remains Adams State who passed their HLC reaffirmation, made the papers for enrolling a bunch of athletes in hugely accelerated courses that required almost no work, and then went on probation with the HLC for their online programs.

Right, but it's credit hour that matters, not the number of weeks or days. Semesters, quarters, weekends, months, it's all good as long as it's rigorous, and equivalent.

Polly, we aren't dopes. But the reality on the ground is  there's both unusual flexibility and unusual box-ticking during Covid.

Sure, some folks will take this as a chance to cut corners. Everybody else is drinking gasoline, and trying to figure out how not to have a 50% failure rate.

You, dr_codex, aren't a dope. 

However, faculty who hadn't spend quality time with what sufficient work per credit hour was in the before times are not likely to be doing the minimum now.

Faculty who hadn't spent quality time in the before times with what constitutes good remote learning of any flavor are likely falling short now if they are really trying...and a fair number from their own reports aren't really trying.

People who were cutting corners before and were ripping students off didn't magically become fabulous teachers who are rising to the occasion. 

So, sure, some faculty here aren't dopes.  Other faculty on these fora have been dopes for so long that I laugh/cringe when I see them give terrible advice from their experience.

The latitude will not last for very long, especially as sufficient faculty cut corners and the substantiated reports start showing up in the media.  It might actually be better to have a 50% failure rate indicating a course with standards instead of trying desperately to have people not fail who put no effort into their studies this term.

Technically, it's true that the exact time doesn't matter as long as things are equivalent. However, it's much easier to prove that an online course had less work (i.e., is not equivalent) when the interactions are still in the archived course.

It was 'fun' to respond to audits when it turned out the syllabus for online "equivalent" courses indicated far too little work for three credits, any way that work was sliced.