Spring 2022 -- Moving Online?

[dr_evil]

Come sit by me, Dr. Evil.  I'll shake my cane at them, and we can "harrumph" together.

We've heard the "we MUST be back on campus--students are DEMANDING it!" crap for two years now, yet the parking lots and halls say different.  The ones we're seeing in the gen ed F2F sections are, almost without exception, the ones who couldn't get their shit together in time to get into online or LVL sections.

ETA: I'll keep my mask on long after the mandates are lifted. I'm not hurting anybody, and it's not hurting me to wear it.

Thanks for the invite; I'm honored.

I remember hearing students were demanding online when we were primarily F2F. It seems (according to admin) that students demand whatever it is we're not doing.

As for the comment about the costs of wearing a mask, there is none. We provide disposable masks at no charge. So I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to ask students to wear one to keep us all safer, particularly those of us at higher risk of complications.

[Mobius]

You're going to have to get used to it. Mandates are going away. People are going to be better protected wearing an N95 than if we're all wearing whatever we seem to be wearing these days.

[Caracal]

As for the comment about the costs of wearing a mask, there is none. We provide disposable masks at no charge. So I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to ask students to wear one to keep us all safer, particularly those of us at higher risk of complications.

I'm not talking about financial costs. Obviously, there are lots of costs from discomfort to greater difficulty understanding people speaking from behind a mask. These costs aren't the same for everyone. For example, as someone mentioned earlier, people who partly rely on reading lips are bearing a higher cost. That's not an anti mask argument, but just dismissing costs isn't going to get you anywhere.

I'm somewhat torn on the question of having instructors be able to decide on mask requirements in their own classrooms. I completely understand why people would want this, especially if it feels like requirements are being lifted too early. On the other hand, I worry that it reinforces this problem we've had where everyone is supposed to be making their own public health judgements rather than relying on reasonable rules. I've had to do that too, because often the rules have been absurd, but it just doesn't work long term. I also would worry about conflicts. It's one thing to enforce a mask requirement that is a university rule. It's another to try to get people to do something based on your own estimate of your personal risk.

[histchick]

Sorry, I guess I just don't see a mask as a huge issue. You wear it, you work around it.


M.

I'd like to feel like I can stop wearing my mask in the classroom if numbers get below some threshold without feeling like I'm doing something wrong. If the numbers go over the threshold, I'll go ahead and wear the mask again.

In a class of 20-25, there are two of us who are wearing masks, and this was the same last semester.  Even though the university strongly encourages masks, most of our leadership do not wear them.  Quite frankly, given the cases in my state and county, I would like to wear a mask without feeling that I'm doing something wrong. 

[Caracal]

Sorry, I guess I just don't see a mask as a huge issue. You wear it, you work around it.


M.

I'd like to feel like I can stop wearing my mask in the classroom if numbers get below some threshold without feeling like I'm doing something wrong. If the numbers go over the threshold, I'll go ahead and wear the mask again.

In a class of 20-25, there are two of us who are wearing masks, and this was the same last semester.  Even though the university strongly encourages masks, most of our leadership do not wear them.  Quite frankly, given the cases in my state and county, I would like to wear a mask without feeling that I'm doing something wrong.

Ugh, I sympathize completely.

[dr_evil]

As for the comment about the costs of wearing a mask, there is none. We provide disposable masks at no charge. So I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to ask students to wear one to keep us all safer, particularly those of us at higher risk of complications.

I'm not talking about financial costs. Obviously, there are lots of costs from discomfort to greater difficulty understanding people speaking from behind a mask. These costs aren't the same for everyone. For example, as someone mentioned earlier, people who partly rely on reading lips are bearing a higher cost. That's not an anti mask argument, but just dismissing costs isn't going to get you anywhere.

I'm somewhat torn on the question of having instructors be able to decide on mask requirements in their own classrooms. I completely understand why people would want this, especially if it feels like requirements are being lifted too early. On the other hand, I worry that it reinforces this problem we've had where everyone is supposed to be making their own public health judgements rather than relying on reasonable rules. I've had to do that too, because often the rules have been absurd, but it just doesn't work long term. I also would worry about conflicts. It's one thing to enforce a mask requirement that is a university rule. It's another to try to get people to do something based on your own estimate of your personal risk.

I believe I said "ask" not "require," although I wouldn't mind doing that if I thought it at all possible. I just heard that yet another more contagious variant is on the rise, so I don't think my worry is totally unjustified.  I was thinking that a constant change from masks to no-masks to masks would be more difficult for everyone, but <deleted>.

[Caracal]

As for the comment about the costs of wearing a mask, there is none. We provide disposable masks at no charge. So I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be allowed to ask students to wear one to keep us all safer, particularly those of us at higher risk of complications.

I'm not talking about financial costs. Obviously, there are lots of costs from discomfort to greater difficulty understanding people speaking from behind a mask. These costs aren't the same for everyone. For example, as someone mentioned earlier, people who partly rely on reading lips are bearing a higher cost. That's not an anti mask argument, but just dismissing costs isn't going to get you anywhere.

I'm somewhat torn on the question of having instructors be able to decide on mask requirements in their own classrooms. I completely understand why people would want this, especially if it feels like requirements are being lifted too early. On the other hand, I worry that it reinforces this problem we've had where everyone is supposed to be making their own public health judgements rather than relying on reasonable rules. I've had to do that too, because often the rules have been absurd, but it just doesn't work long term. I also would worry about conflicts. It's one thing to enforce a mask requirement that is a university rule. It's another to try to get people to do something based on your own estimate of your personal risk.

I believe I said "ask" not "require," although I wouldn't mind doing that if I thought it at all possible. I just heard that yet another more contagious variant is on the rise, so I don't think my worry is totally unjustified.  I was thinking that a constant change from masks to no-masks to masks would be more difficult for everyone, but <deleted>.

From what I've seen that variant is probably largely covered by omicron immunity and probably is more transmissible, but not by a huge amount. Might displace original Omnicron, but isn't likely to lead to a new wave of infections.

I think we need to get over the idea that changing regulations creates confusion. That's not going to help navigate the next few years. I don't usually drive 50 on the freeway and leave a football field's worth of space between me and other cars when I can, but I do when its raining because I'd prefer not to hydroplane into a semi.

I think students would have an easier time with the idea that there are just periodic times when mask mandates come back in classrooms if its a temporary measure tied to disease prevalence and larger risk. That kind of framework could take the ideological element of out of things to an extent. I suspect it might ultimately make it easier for you to request that students do wear masks in your class because of your particular circumstances.

[Parasaurolophus]

I have one in-person summer course (twice a week), but somehow the department has managed to snag five online (asynch) sections in the fall (even though we're back in person already), and since nobody else wants them, they're all mine.

This is good. I expect another increase in cases, but also, I get to stay home with the hatchling. That'll mean I'll have been home just about full time with him (minus that one summer course) for almost two years (~20 months). (Hopefully my three winter classes will also get shifted online, but either way, that's really not bad).

[lightning]

The admins let the other shoe drop, and we are now "back to normal." This means in-person classes that were forced to have a Zoom component because of COVID-19, are no longer required to have a Zoom component. I announced that there is no longer the option to attend in Zoom. The students that have been attending in Zoom simply stopped coming to class. Good riddance.

[the_geneticist]

We are also "back to normal"* with classes supposedly back to in person.  But . . . a lot of faculty are doing the "you're not in trouble unless you're caught" approach of having online lectures anyway.
The curriculum committee has had a LOT of requests for courses to be approved as online or hybrid in the future.  Thankfully, the standards are pretty high.  There was a lab class that wanted to just re-use old recordings of the TA setting up the experiments instead of having students in the lab.  They were denied.


*unless the instructor has a medical hardship

[lightning]

We are also "back to normal"* with classes supposedly back to in person.  But . . . a lot of faculty are doing the "you're not in trouble unless you're caught" approach of having online lectures anyway.

The curriculum committee has had a LOT of requests for courses to be approved as online or hybrid in the future.  Thankfully, the standards are pretty high.  There was a lab class that wanted to just re-use old recordings of the TA setting up the experiments instead of having students in the lab.  They were denied.




*unless the instructor has a medical hardship

There was a part of me that wanted to say fvck it, and give most of the students what they really want, and in doing so, give myself a job with less commuting and more convenience. It was that small but not insignificant group of students that were really committed to their classes and the content, which compelled me to continue in-person, now and during the pandemic. I'm finding that the non-presence of all the losers who are now gone, those students that were zooming in and zoning out, has allowed me to concentrate on the students that matter.

Of course, if & when admins complain about the dropout & flunk rate after going "back to normal," I can blame it on their decision to go "back to normal" or better yet, I can blame it on COVID!!! : )

[Mobius]

Students complained about going online. Students complained about going back in-person. Students complain...

Enrollment still declines.

[the_geneticist]

Students complained about going online. Students complained about going back in-person. Students complain...

Enrollment still declines.

Our is going up.  It's like they are coming out of the woodwork

[Caracal]

Students complained about going online. Students complained about going back in-person. Students complain...

Enrollment still declines.

Our is going up.  It's like they are coming out of the woodwork

Yeah, ours too.

[lightning]

Students complained about going online. Students complained about going back in-person. Students complain...

Enrollment still declines.

Our is going up.  It's like they are coming out of the woodwork

Yeah, ours too.

Same here (although not by very much--we also did not lose a lot of enrollment in the last few years).

But don't worry. The admincritters will use data from Mobius U. and ignore the enrollment bumps at Caracal U., the_geneticist U., & Lightning U. and declare that cuts need to be made due to COVID and nationwide demographic trends.