teaching and COVID concerns

[Brego]

For the fall semester, I'll be teaching 300 students in person in a large lecture hall.  Based on state vaccination percentages, thirty to forty percent of the students likely won't be vaccinated.  No mask requirement. 

I'm not worried about getting sick.  I'm worried about bringing home an asymptomatic infection to my terminally ill spouse.

I plan to wear a mask while teaching (and use a headset so that everyone can hear me clearly).  Colleagues elsewhere have told me that their student evaluations have suffered thanks to their mask wearing.  I'm a woman of color teaching in a deep-red state, which means my evals already take a hit. 

I'm on the tenure track.  I don't think I can ask for a remote work arrangement; the expectation is that everyone teach in person no matter what.  Any advice would be appreciated. 

And, yes, I realize my spouse is going to die at some point.  I'd rather he do so at home of natural causes and not of COVID, though the matter is out of my hands. 

[Morden]

I am so very sorry to hear this, Brego. I don't have much useful advice to offer. At my institution, most of us will be teaching face-to-face, but a few with medical conditions have been allowed to stay with online courses. I think you should let your chair know your concerns; even if they cannot allow you to teach remotely, the concerns should be documented in case your student evaluation numbers are lower. Wishing you and your SO all the best.

[onthefringe]

I am so sorry to hear this, Brego. I agree with Morden's suggestion about sharing your concerns with your chair.

I am a woman (though not a woman of color), and in my particular situation, I think my students would respond well if I just laid it out on day one — I am vaccinated, I trust the vaccines, but have a terminally ill partner which makes me unwilling to take even the smallest risk, so I will be masking while teaching and they should not think that reflects my level of trust in them or the vaccine.

I do not know how that might be received in you position though.

[Ruralguy]

First, check to see if there are exceptions. If not, explain your situation to your chair and Dean anyway. Then, yes, explain your situation (I don't think you have to mention details of your spouses condition unless you wish to) to your students, and just say you have this very precise medical reason for doing this , not a reflection on them or the college.

[downer]

There's the nice approach where you tell people and ask them to behave well.

There's also the aggressive approach where you threaten to sue the university if they don't make sure you are not at risk of passing on the virus, given your situation.

Obviously you start with the nice approach, but sometimes an aggressive approach works. It's partly a matter of personal style, and a judgment call. But don't rule it out.

[ergative]

There's the nice approach where you tell people and ask them to behave well.

There's also the aggressive approach where you threaten to sue the university if they don't make sure you are not at risk of passing on the virus, given your situation.

Obviously you start with the nice approach, but sometimes an aggressive approach works. It's partly a matter of personal style, and a judgment call. But don't rule it out.

Weren't some red states passing laws exempting employers from liability if they refused to take precautions to protect employees?

[clean]

I'm on the tenure track.  I don't think I can ask for a remote work arrangement; the expectation is that everyone teach in person no matter what.  Any advice would be appreciated.

There is no harm in asking. All they can do is say "no".

As for tenure, screw it!  Do you REALLY want to work there for the rest of your life?  IF it works out, that is great, but if not, what is the worst that will happen?  You get a job at a WORSE Location?  (Where might THAT be?)  FiretrUCK Them!  Tell them to go hose themselves!

Tenure isnt all that important!  You have to enjoy your life and if  they wont support you in your time of need, dont bend over backwards to try to fit in!


Remember, the university will always and forever look out for ITS interests!  IF you are not looking out for YOU, then NO ONE IS!! 

[TheVeggieProfessor]

Consider wearing a protective mask that seals well to your face. I find the 3m N95 Auras (available at home depot) to be sufficiently comfortable to teach in. Though you also have KN95s and KF94s as well. Equally as protective as long as you get a good fit. The standard surgical masks (or worse, cloth masks) do not provide you with much protection.

[ergative]

  FiretrUCK Them!

I'm adding this to my vocabulary.

[hungry_ghost]

Late to the party, as always ... but still offering suggestions:

Do you have seniors colleagues, your chair, or other administrators on your side?

If so, perhaps policies like these might fly:
Can you post lectures on the c.m.s. (Canvas, moodle, etc) and tell students that they can come to class or watch lectures on their own time?
Can you provide a zoom link and permit students to attend remotely if they prefer?
Can you have a relaxed attendance policy, whereby attendance is just for extra credit?
Can you formally frame such policies as aimed at supporting students who don't feel safe, who must quarantine or isolate, etc, that you are respecting privacy by opening this option to everyone?

It is important to find a way to make sure that students are held accountable for the material covered in lectures, weekly online quizzes ('lecture checks' similar to reading checks?)  but surely there are ways for them to attend remotely.

Regarding evals, there was a whole thread on that on the old fora. Basically the idea is to tell students that you are [doing whatever evals say you should do], using the specific language in the eval questions. For example, eval question: "Is the instructor organized?" you mention, "I am doing this to help everyone stay organized!" Yes, it is gaming the system but it's already such an unfair game. Keep throwing in these key words. And tell them it is helpful to complete those evals, thank them, praise them for doing it, thereby (hopefully) generating a positive feedback loop.

This is a very hard time. Good luck.

[Hegemony]

I understand a lot of universities are penalizing instructors if they offer their students an online option.

However, nothing's to stop you from offering good customer service. One way of offering good customer service is to post your lectures online after the class. And if some students don't show up for the class, and watch the lectures online, that's definitely not you offering an online option. That's just you providing good customer service. The fact that it has exactly the same effect, and keeps your classroom from being overstuffed, is a mere detail. Of course be sure to tell your students that they can watch the lecture online. I'm in favor of good customer service.

[the_geneticist]

I understand a lot of universities are penalizing instructors if they offer their students an online option.

However, nothing's to stop you from offering good customer service. One way of offering good customer service is to post your lectures online after the class. And if some students don't show up for the class, and watch the lectures online, that's definitely not you offering an online option. That's just you providing good customer service. The fact that it has exactly the same effect, and keeps your classroom from being overstuffed, is a mere detail. Of course be sure to tell your students that they can watch the lecture online. I'm in favor of good customer service.

If your classes are just you talking for the entire time I don't know why students would bother to go if there is a recording.  Do you at least ask them questions?

[mleok]

I understand a lot of universities are penalizing instructors if they offer their students an online option.

However, nothing's to stop you from offering good customer service. One way of offering good customer service is to post your lectures online after the class. And if some students don't show up for the class, and watch the lectures online, that's definitely not you offering an online option. That's just you providing good customer service. The fact that it has exactly the same effect, and keeps your classroom from being overstuffed, is a mere detail. Of course be sure to tell your students that they can watch the lecture online. I'm in favor of good customer service.

If your classes are just you talking for the entire time I don't know why students would bother to go if there is a recording.  Do you at least ask them questions?

Umm... I think students not bothering to attend the in-person lectures is the point of what Hegemony is suggesting...

[lightning]

Late to the party, as always ... but still offering suggestions:

Do you have seniors colleagues, your chair, or other administrators on your side?

If so, perhaps policies like these might fly:
Can you post lectures on the c.m.s. (Canvas, moodle, etc) and tell students that they can come to class or watch lectures on their own time?
Can you provide a zoom link and permit students to attend remotely if they prefer?
Can you have a relaxed attendance policy, whereby attendance is just for extra credit?
Can you formally frame such policies as aimed at supporting students who don't feel safe, who must quarantine or isolate, etc, that you are respecting privacy by opening this option to everyone?

It is important to find a way to make sure that students are held accountable for the material covered in lectures, weekly online quizzes ('lecture checks' similar to reading checks?)  but surely there are ways for them to attend remotely.

Regarding evals, there was a whole thread on that on the old fora. Basically the idea is to tell students that you are [doing whatever evals say you should do], using the specific language in the eval questions. For example, eval question: "Is the instructor organized?" you mention, "I am doing this to help everyone stay organized!" Yes, it is gaming the system but it's already such an unfair game. Keep throwing in these key words. And tell them it is helpful to complete those evals, thank them, praise them for doing it, thereby (hopefully) generating a positive feedback loop.

This is a very hard time. Good luck.

I understand a lot of universities are penalizing instructors if they offer their students an online option.

However, nothing's to stop you from offering good customer service. One way of offering good customer service is to post your lectures online after the class. And if some students don't show up for the class, and watch the lectures online, that's definitely not you offering an online option. That's just you providing good customer service. The fact that it has exactly the same effect, and keeps your classroom from being overstuffed, is a mere detail. Of course be sure to tell your students that they can watch the lecture online. I'm in favor of good customer service.

These are great ideas, and I'm going to use them.

The administration at my university has taken the coward's route, and are pretending that everything is back to normal. Rather than push back, which a lot of faculty are doing, I'm just going to employ these tricks.

[Caracal]

Late to the party, as always ... but still offering suggestions:

Do you have seniors colleagues, your chair, or other administrators on your side?

If so, perhaps policies like these might fly:
Can you post lectures on the c.m.s. (Canvas, moodle, etc) and tell students that they can come to class or watch lectures on their own time?
Can you provide a zoom link and permit students to attend remotely if they prefer?
Can you have a relaxed attendance policy, whereby attendance is just for extra credit?
Can you formally frame such policies as aimed at supporting students who don't feel safe, who must quarantine or isolate, etc, that you are respecting privacy by opening this option to everyone?

It is important to find a way to make sure that students are held accountable for the material covered in lectures, weekly online quizzes ('lecture checks' similar to reading checks?)  but surely there are ways for them to attend remotely.

Regarding evals, there was a whole thread on that on the old fora. Basically the idea is to tell students that you are [doing whatever evals say you should do], using the specific language in the eval questions. For example, eval question: "Is the instructor organized?" you mention, "I am doing this to help everyone stay organized!" Yes, it is gaming the system but it's already such an unfair game. Keep throwing in these key words. And tell them it is helpful to complete those evals, thank them, praise them for doing it, thereby (hopefully) generating a positive feedback loop.

This is a very hard time. Good luck.

I understand a lot of universities are penalizing instructors if they offer their students an online option.

However, nothing's to stop you from offering good customer service. One way of offering good customer service is to post your lectures online after the class. And if some students don't show up for the class, and watch the lectures online, that's definitely not you offering an online option. That's just you providing good customer service. The fact that it has exactly the same effect, and keeps your classroom from being overstuffed, is a mere detail. Of course be sure to tell your students that they can watch the lecture online. I'm in favor of good customer service.

These are great ideas, and I'm going to use them.

The administration at my university has taken the coward's route, and are pretending that everything is back to normal. Rather than push back, which a lot of faculty are doing, I'm just going to employ these tricks.

Well, the point of these things is if you have a reason to be particularly concerned about the possibility of contracting Covid even though you are vaccinated and your university has failed to let you teach classes online. I wouldn't think about judging people in that category. As someone not in my category, I think I have a professional obligation to do a good job and create an engaging class. Besides, its really depressing to not try to do your job well..