University Challenged

[buttgammon]

Just had my first 3 lectures these last two days.

There has been some technical difficulties with both Panopto and Teams. I keep seeing notifications that Panopto isn't working at all. Also the lecturer I had yesterday informed us that he wasn't recording the lecture and that the UCU has locked horns with the administration because they are insisting that all sessions be recorded.

I thought the lectures went fine though, the most irritating thing were the other students who kept talking shit in the text channel on Teams. In the end it outweighed the useful info being shared so I minimised it.

All of the lecturers have also said that they prefer webcam feeds from the students rather than avatars.

How is this even legal? We've been told not to record because of the potential legal issues, especially as the university couldn't be bothered to put together the consent forms despite promising us they were working on it all summer.

[Attila]

My university insists that all sessions be recorded, including ones where all of the students are present (no absences, no one dialling in). This includes recording individual seminars on modules which has been causing all sorts of issues (ie, a module divided into 2 or more seminars -- so that all of the students can see all of the seminar recordings and not just their own).

Aside from the legal issues, it's generally irritating, as the students are hesitant to speak when they know they're being recorded.

None of the students so far who dial into Teams turn on their webcams -- I am faced with a wall of avatars when I teach face to face. Last week I had four students in the classroom, and 15 avatars on the screen. It's rare for anyone who's dialled in actually to participate, whether through the raise hand function or through chat. For all I know, they dial in and then go off and do something else for an hour -- colleagues do that during meetings/training sessions, so no reason to think that students don't, either.

I've got to record lectures now, even when I do them face to face and the whole group is there, something I really don't like, but I suppose it's for when the university finally replaces us with robots.

Bleaurgh. I envy anyone who's getting on all right with their semester -- all face to face, or all online, I think would be ok, but this 'blended learning' shit is mental.

[buttgammon]

My university insists that all sessions be recorded, including ones where all of the students are present (no absences, no one dialling in). This includes recording individual seminars on modules which has been causing all sorts of issues (ie, a module divided into 2 or more seminars -- so that all of the students can see all of the seminar recordings and not just their own).

Aside from the legal issues, it's generally irritating, as the students are hesitant to speak when they know they're being recorded.

None of the students so far who dial into Teams turn on their webcams -- I am faced with a wall of avatars when I teach face to face. Last week I had four students in the classroom, and 15 avatars on the screen. It's rare for anyone who's dialled in actually to participate, whether through the raise hand function or through chat. For all I know, they dial in and then go off and do something else for an hour -- colleagues do that during meetings/training sessions, so no reason to think that students don't, either.

I've got to record lectures now, even when I do them face to face and the whole group is there, something I really don't like, but I suppose it's for when the university finally replaces us with robots.

Bleaurgh. I envy anyone who's getting on all right with their semester -- all face to face, or all online, I think would be ok, but this 'blended learning' shit is mental.

Exactly, and lots of staff raised that point when it looked like we were going to have to record tutorials. It would just make people self-conscious in a way that wouldn't happen with the usual ephemerality of tutorials.

[BlodwynPig]

My university insists that all sessions be recorded, including ones where all of the students are present (no absences, no one dialling in). This includes recording individual seminars on modules which has been causing all sorts of issues (ie, a module divided into 2 or more seminars -- so that all of the students can see all of the seminar recordings and not just their own).

Aside from the legal issues, it's generally irritating, as the students are hesitant to speak when they know they're being recorded.

None of the students so far who dial into Teams turn on their webcams -- I am faced with a wall of avatars when I teach face to face. Last week I had four students in the classroom, and 15 avatars on the screen. It's rare for anyone who's dialled in actually to participate, whether through the raise hand function or through chat. For all I know, they dial in and then go off and do something else for an hour -- colleagues do that during meetings/training sessions, so no reason to think that students don't, either.

I've got to record lectures now, even when I do them face to face and the whole group is there, something I really don't like, but I suppose it's for when the university finally replaces us with robots.

Bleaurgh. I envy anyone who's getting on all right with their semester -- all face to face, or all online, I think would be ok, but this 'blended learning' shit is mental.

If you've recorded all your lectures, next year you'll have 95% time for research, with 5% of your time spent video editing updates to the material. Or the University could invest in hologram lecturers if they insist on f2f. The students can be hologrammed into your office as you research and if they have a question a sound will notify you that their hand is raised.

[idunnosomename]

I used teams and i like that you can blur the hovel behind you or make into a super-clean modern abode

[Attila]

I used teams and i like that you can blur the hovel behind you or make into a super-clean modern abode

I#ve uploaded my own pictures so it looks as if I'm lecturing from the top level of the Colesseum and stuff.

If you've recorded all your lectures, next year you'll have 95% time for research, with 5% of your time spent video editing updates to the material. Or the University could invest in hologram lecturers if they insist on f2f. The students can be hologrammed into your office as you research and if they have a question a sound will notify you that their hand is raised.

Myself am hoping simply to be replaced with a Gerry Anderson-style marionette.

[Camp Tramp]

Myself am hoping simply to be replaced with a Gerry Anderson-style marionette.

Not a Terrorhawks one?

[Attila]

Not a Terrorhawks one?

Yikes -- had to loook that up. :)

I'm fine being represented as Lady Penelope.

[confettiinmyhair]

My university insists that all sessions be recorded, including ones where all of the students are present (no absences, no one dialling in). This includes recording individual seminars on modules which has been causing all sorts of issues (ie, a module divided into 2 or more seminars -- so that all of the students can see all of the seminar recordings and not just their own).

Aside from the legal issues, it's generally irritating, as the students are hesitant to speak when they know they're being recorded.

None of the students so far who dial into Teams turn on their webcams -- I am faced with a wall of avatars when I teach face to face. Last week I had four students in the classroom, and 15 avatars on the screen. It's rare for anyone who's dialled in actually to participate, whether through the raise hand function or through chat. For all I know, they dial in and then go off and do something else for an hour -- colleagues do that during meetings/training sessions, so no reason to think that students don't, either.

I've got to record lectures now, even when I do them face to face and the whole group is there, something I really don't like, but I suppose it's for when the university finally replaces us with robots.

Bleaurgh. I envy anyone who's getting on all right with their semester -- all face to face, or all online, I think would be ok, but this 'blended learning' shit is mental.

Sounds hard. I've learnt from this and more recently have made a verbal contract with my students. Explain why it might be better to see faces rather than avatars. It's what I've also done in my clinical supervision groups.

[Camp Tramp]

Sounds hard. I've learnt from this and more recently have made a verbal contract with my students. Explain why it might be better to see faces rather than avatars. It's what I've also done in my clinical supervision groups.

My lecturers concur. One said that it was disconcerting to just be talking to a computer, with no body language to get cues from. Must be like an actor recording a scene in a sound booth with no human to react against.

[Attila]

Sounds hard. I've learnt from this and more recently have made a verbal contract with my students. Explain why it might be better to see faces rather than avatars. It's what I've also done in my clinical supervision groups.

Have done, in modules ranging from years 1 to 3 (about why it's better that they have the cameras on). None of them have switched on. Other colleagues have made similiar complaints :(  I've even gone through with them how they can change their backgrounds and how to upload different backgrounds (I spent a faculty meeting with the Liberator flight deck as my background).

I'm in the middle of tutorials now (in between students at the moment), and asked one student several times please to turn on his camera for the tutorial. The wall of avatars in class is one thing, but it's quite annoying when we're doing a one to one.

[greencalx]

The two things I miss the most are being able to see people's faces and a writing surface that keeps up with me in real time. (We do lots of writing as we lecture, and none of the tech is up to this job).

I quite like the stream of text chat, but students can hide it if they don't like it. Also we've established some etiquette where the chat is reserved for substantive comments, and reaction buttons are used to REACT. This goes a long way to mitigating the "talking to a blank screen" thing.

Tutorials have been harder work, but the last two I did had a fair bit of interaction. And everyone says "thanks" as they leave which they don't in real life, so at least that's something.

The amount of email is getting out of hand though. We think that because students can't just chat with each other about basic things like assignment due dates and stuff they are turning to the lecturers.

[BlodwynPig]

The two things I miss the most are being able to see people's faces and a writing surface that keeps up with me in real time. (We do lots of writing as we lecture, and none of the tech is up to this job).

I quite like the stream of text chat, but students can hide it if they don't like it. Also we've established some etiquette where the chat is reserved for substantive comments, and reaction buttons are used to REACT. This goes a long way to mitigating the "talking to a blank screen" thing.

Tutorials have been harder work, but the last two I did had a fair bit of interaction. And everyone says "thanks" as they leave which they don't in real life, so at least that's something.

The amount of email is getting out of hand though. We think that because students can't just chat with each other about basic things like assignment due dates and stuff they are turning to the lecturers.

if you feel comfortable, what discipline do you teach?

[greencalx]

"Bondage and", eh, readers?

This is an introductory maths course.

[Blue Jam]

Just had a contract extension. Thank the lord for dirty ev0l Big Pharma cash.

Had a lot of colleagues go to The Dark Side and take jobs in pharma, which makes me wonder why the fuck I stay in academia, until I actually look up the job descriptions and realise I'd fucking hate working in a pharma and remember that I actually like my job for the most part.

[BlodwynPig]

Just had a contract extension. Thank the lord for dirty ev0l Big Pharma cash.

Had a lot of colleagues go to The Dark Side and take jobs in pharma, which makes me wonder why the fuck I stay in academia, until I actually look up the job descriptions and realise I'd fucking hate working in a pharma and remember that I actually like my job for the most part.

After 4 days working in Big Gov, this has returned a smile to my face. Congrats and enjoy your academic freedom to live, to breathe, to eat lunch. 4 days has seemed like 4 months.

[Zetetic]

Spend 20 seconds thinking about what happens in September every year and how students change address but sometimes still get stuff sent to their family home, or how they might not change GP or the address that their GP holds.

You've now spent longer on this issue than Deloitte/UK Gov/DHSC seems to have done.

[BlodwynPig]

Spend 20 seconds thinking about what happens in September every year and how students change address but sometimes still get stuff sent to their family home, or how they might not change GP or the address that their GP holds.

You've now spent longer on this issue than Deloitte/UK Gov/DHSC seems to have done.

Confirmed.

[Zetetic]

Whoops, meant to say "NHS Digital" instead of "DHSC" actually.

[Blue Jam]

After 4 days working in Big Gov, this has returned a smile to my face. Congrats and enjoy your academic freedom to live, to breathe, to eat lunch. 4 days has seemed like 4 months.

Cheers Blodders. It's only six months but that's long enough to learn the outcome of a few grant applications and if we'll get more money from collaborations with industry. At the very worst I've been bought some time before I can start to panic again.

The thought of having just three more paycheques  had been hanging over me so it's been a big relief to be told I'll have at least nine, and I won't find myself job searching in the middle of a pandemic. Fingers crossed the economy will have picked up by summer.

I got my current job via the university's redeployment service. They're usually pretty good because my employers would much rather keep people being useful than have to write a load of nice fat redundancy cheques, but this time has been very different. Heard about two jobs that would have been perfect for me only to learn that they had been equally perfect for the recruiting group leader's technician/postdoc/research assistant who was also facing redundancy.

This is one reason why a load of my colleagues have fucked off to Big Pharma. Lots of people at risk of redundancy all scrabbling for the reduced number of jobs in academia, might as well go after that sweet, sweet Covid cash.

[BlodwynPig]

Its a nice comfort blanket. I enjoyed that feeling but I've run out of time and luck. Although Imperial have pricked their ears up at me potentially applying for a Future Leaders Fellowship with them. Otherwise, the dark gloom of a government role looms and an early heart attack. I can't bear having a knot in my stomach from dawn until dusk.

[Blue Jam]

One bad thing is that I'd love to go out and celebrate with a nice meal and a few drinks on Saturday, but being in the central belt of Scotland means I can't.

I'm lucky because we have a collaboration with a professor who is very good at finding extra money to keep staff on, but I'm 40 next year and wondering if I'll ever be ready to go for a PI position. Right now I still feel too young and stupid for that level of responsibility.

[BlodwynPig]

One bad thing is that I'd love to go out and celebrate with a nice meal and a few drinks on Saturday, but being in the central belt of Scotland means I can't.

I'm lucky because we have a collaboration with a professor who is very good at finding extra money to keep staff on, but I'm 40 next year and wondering if I'll ever be ready to go for a PI position. Right now I still feel too young and stupid for that level of responsibility.

Same here, but sadly the expectation is that you become the adult in the room even if you are not that personality type

[Blue Jam]

I don't know, I just don't think I have my One Big Research Question ready yet. I'm actually good at supervising students for the most part, but I have struggled with two in particular and the prospect of ending up with a cocky or lazy student and trying to steer them all the way through a PhD is a frightening one.

I've been lucky in that I've only had one bad boss, in my previous job. He wasn't cut out to be a PI at all and was totally out of his depth, very very absent and with a cocky wee shite of a PhD student who didn't respect him (or me) and whom he couldn't rein in. She had done three lab rotations in her first year and her first choice of PI had refused to take her on because he had identified her as a potential research fraud risk, and being a more junior PI meant my boss had been lumbered with her instead. I couldn't live with myself if I was a crap boss who failed students and staff, and I wouldn't want them to fail me either.

The idea of being a "perma-doc" appeals. A senior postdoc with a lecturer's salary but none of the HR and grant-writing responsibilities, nice. The problem is that while you can coast along pretty comfortably for a while, when your PI eventually retires you're fucked. I know two perma-docs and one is probably good for a few more years, but the other has a PI who is pushing 70 and she will almost certainly have to find a new lab soon, or finally establish her own, if it isn't too late for her.

Those opportunities are also pretty rare these days, most universities expect their postdocs to go for PI opportunities as soon as they have enough experience.

[A Hat Like That]

I got my lecturership when I was 32 and properly struggled the first three years. It was only in the last year of my first PhD that things clicked and I realised that I had to be the adult in the room when I was in the office.

What didn't help was teaching on 9 modules - 2 * 1st year maths, 4 where I was module lead, 1 where an additional pair of hands was needed for the coursework and then the 2 project modules we run.

I also don't have my One Big Research Question but my field lends itself to having a wide range of smaller projects and that works for me.

[A Hat Like That]

Had our first two cases this week. One lad who was meant to be isolating rocked up to a lab, and got turned around. Another emailed in.

[BlodwynPig]

I don't know, I just don't think I have my One Big Research Question ready yet. I'm actually good at supervising students for the most part, but I have struggled with two in particular and the prospect of ending up with a cocky or lazy student and trying to steer them all the way through a PhD is a frightening one.

I was always given the worst MSc students to supervise as I wanted to do modelling and environmental engineering students prefer getting in the lab or field. This year I got a promising student but he fucked off to China to get a job. Got his thesis in an I graded him 60% because I was astounded he'd done some work and it wasn't crap - although it wasn't what we agreed on him doing post-coved (it was actually going to be my first foray into lab work as a supervisor).

Anyway, I've just got the green light from Imperial College to submit a pre-application for a Future Leaders Fellowship prior to a full application. A chance to get straight back into academia, but the last 2 days in Government have.actually.been.enjoyable (first 3 days were the scariest and toughest days in work, ever).

[BlodwynPig]

The idea of being a "perma-doc" appeals. A senior postdoc with a lecturer's salary but none of the HR and grant-writing responsibilities, nice. The problem is that while you can coast along pretty comfortably for a while, when your PI eventually retires you're fucked. I know two perma-docs and one is probably good for a few more years, but the other has a PI who is pushing 70 and she will almost certainly have to find a new lab soon, or finally establish her own, if it isn't too late for her.

Those opportunities are also pretty rare these days, most universities expect their postdocs to go for PI opportunities as soon as they have enough experience.

I shared an office with 2 'perm-docs', one a famous hill runner who was never there and for whom academia was a hobby, and the other about my age and also suffering imposter syndrome (but also a massive Labour centrist in the end). That life is appealing and I am mere flotsam on the waves of fortune, each crest is marked by a return to the tumult below.

[Attila]

Fun Friday, as the numbers of students now skipping classes or attending online when they should be in class are increasing.

My last class of the day (a solid six hours of face to face teaching on Fridays) -- two out of 13 students showed up to the classroom, and two dialled in who contributed nothing, wouldn't respond when directly addressed, and immediately logged out when I started to wrap things up.

Apparently it's happening across all of the face to face modules -- 1 or 2 students showing up for class and a handful dialling in who don't participate.

We were told to put a fuckton of 'engaging activities' on each week's module, so that the students felt as if they're getting value for money -- it's been taking me hours to set up my classes each week...and the first feedback review from student reps is that we're putting way too much stuff up online for them to do every week, and they can't keep up so they're just giving up.

So we've been told to increase Teams facetime with special weekly 'town hall' and 'coffee club' meetings (which none of the students have attended so far), chase up students who aren't attending and ask if everything's ok, and to reflect on our modules to see how we can boost student engagement.

Good times.

[Sebastian Cobb]

from twitter

Sister has covid at uni. A bit unwell but not badly so. Uni has generously offered to feed her for £18 a day. Has met 1 member of uni staff since arriving 3 weeks ago - porter who showed her to the halls. She could easily have stayed with mum or with me and done online lectures.

When I splurged too much cash I got my weekly food shop down to a fiver a week.

I was in catered halls in first year and I wouldn't have fed it to a dog. Sometimes it was so bad you just had to say 'fuck it' and have a plate of potato wedges with cheese on top. And I'm basically a human dustbin where food is concerned.