University Challenged

[danwho9]

Having undertaken online-only teaching myself during the pandemic (which was initially intended to be 'blended' with some face to face but was delivered exclusively on Teams), I certainly haven't felt that I got value for money in the slightest, but that's very much an inditement of our tuition fees system I guess.

[Ferris]

I've had a term online and it depends what you mean by value for money.

I'm giving them cash in exchange for a piece of paper and the carefully-constructed story we're all sticking to is that it takes years because of all the bloody learning, yeah?

As it is, I can roll out of bed in pyjamas, write some old shit and submit then go back to bed, and academic leniency means I'll get an ok grade and keep on keeping on. As I type this, I'm literally in an exam, except it is remote and open book so I'm in my basement eating bagels, writing 300 words and having a think, then looking at CaB. I have 6 more hours to submit.

It would be nice to see people more (though I've made a few good mates on the course already and we're fairly regular at each other's gaffs and going to bars etc) but I don't mind the remote aspect myself, especially now there's 2 foot of snow outside. Having stuff recorded so I can refer back to it at any moment (like, say, in an exam) is the icing on the cake.

I understand other people may be less antisocial than me though.

[Ferris]

A bit less tongue in cheek: I suppose uni is tacitly giving me value for money by making everything easy (I mean, with a fair amount of effort required on my part but nothing ludicrous) at the expense of the in-person experience. So I might not learn as much (though to be fair, I have done), but I'm not being assessed as harshly. One of my other final exams has a 72hr window to complete it - you'd have to go out of your way to fail that.

[Poobum]

We got an extra hour (3 hours) for our exams in year one with an advisory of, "you're not supposed to use google but it's obvious we can't actually stop you". Personally I treated it as much as a real exam as I could, just to get the practice in. Got firsts in both exams and 4 of 6 assignments over all, which was a confidence boost I needed.

I officially ended the first half of year 2 yesterday. It's been 90% in person and I dread the thought of going back online next year, though I am doing animal biology, so actual practical lessons with the creatures is a large part of the fun. Feel lucky that I'm at a fairly well rated universe that's lived up to its reputation, with enthusiastic lecturers doing a damn good job. I'm lucky that I don't have to think of money, got a nice chunk of savings, £3'500 in maintenance loan coming in January (long history of mental illness finally paying off) so value for money is never a question. Uni is big part of getting life on track and socializing myself. Had excellent support from uni services, and my group tutor as been a massive help. The help provided for sorting placement out for next year has been brilliant, basically lets work together and get you in Italy for a year monitoring bears.

Overall summary, despite pandemic, uni has been a massive step forward in having an actual life with meaning. Would recommend.

[Ferris]

Uni is big part of getting life on track and socializing myself.
...
Overall summary, despite pandemic, uni has been a massive step forward in having an actual life with meaning. Would recommend.

That's my experience so far. Moved to a new city not knowing anyone, now I have a few proper mates and a good circle of friends where we all hang out and have good times.

It's a fucking expensive way to make friends, but yeah it comes Ferris-Recommended^TM.

Glad it's all working out for you PooBum - bears are great. Would love a go studying them. Once scared a black bear (plus cub) away by yelling "fuck me sideways that's a BEAR!" and everyone I was hiking with never forgave me. Never mind!

[A Hat Like That]

In spite of there being no change to the Government plans, we've gone from on-campus exams to on-line exams, with the final decision announced late evening last night. First exam? Monday.

[Attila]

We've been told in no uncertain terms that all teaching this coming semester (starts last week of January) will be face to face. Teaching staff MUST be on campus. Senior management, of course, are working from home as per the government diktat.

The daily 'covid cases on campus' counter on our intranet front page rocketed from 1 or 2 daily to 50+ daily just this week, when campus services reopened. It should be great when the students all return.

[Ferris]

Fully online for January at minimum, and one lecturer said she doesn't feel comfortable in person so that module at least is entirely online this semester.

I'm expecting to be in person from February for my other courses but no guarantee. Seems to be a bit hodge podge over here.

[Alberon]

We're staying face to face unless the students feel uncomfortable.

As with last term we're limiting numbers in classrooms based on ventilation capacity. 

[greencalx]

F2F, in bigger numbers than last semester, is where we're at just now. I think it will be ok.

[dr beat]

Our term started today.  Until Thursday last week we all assumed we would be carrying on like we did last term, namely F2F.  Then on Thursday we were suddenly told all teaching would be online for the 1st week of term, some small classes would be allowed to be F2F in 2nd week, then as normal from 3rd week.  So we had 1 working day to inform all our students, many of whom may well have been travelling back and not able to read emails in time. 

[greencalx]

It's last minute changes that are more annoying than changes themselves. The amount of time I had to spend explaining that, actually, it's no good getting my timetable for the semester the weekend before, because it has impact on the course delivery.

Anyhow, given the ScotGov is moving in the direction of easing restrictions it would look rather odd if we went in the opposite direction. The Union will still whinge though. They might have a point, but it would be nice if they could back it up with data. Especially given the job we do.

[A Hat Like That]

It's last minute changes that are more annoying than changes themselves.

Give people some time, and they can prepare.

We had two days notice to move all exams online. Most students have been OK, other than Year 3 of our biggest course, who then spent the week emailing all the people about ... well, anything, really.

The University's chosen software cannot quite cope with what the University wants, so there's nothing stopping, or even warning, the students submitting late.

The same students protesting to have exams online have now started insisting that all teaching is back F2F.

[greencalx]

About 50% of our time in liaison meetings is spent explaining that the thing that students are asking us to change was put in about three years ago in response to students requesting it be put in.

[A Hat Like That]

I don't know if that's better or worse than our issues being the same three academics, who are incapable of doing the job to any level of competence, and the same two modules, which use group work and "students just don't like group work, so we're not going to change anything".

[greencalx]

We have both :) Although not as much of the latter as we used to.

[Ferris]

Ooh, might be in person full time starting in 2 weeks. This is a bit of a pain for me, and all I'm doing is showing up and pretending to be engaged. I imagine it's a nightmare if you have to actually prepare for this stuff.

[A Hat Like That]

Cheers!

Got 4 modules in TP2, so that's something like 54 credits equivalents (plus, research projects, literature projects, 1st year maths tests and I'm chipping in to help another maths course for 3 tutorials).

Completely reworked a Year 2 module for this year, so all lectures pre-recorded and on-campus delivery in 4 lab sessions. Fingers crossed!

[greencalx]

Ooh, might be in person full time starting in 2 weeks. This is a bit of a pain for me, and all I'm doing is showing up and pretending to be engaged. I imagine it's a nightmare if you have to actually prepare for this stuff.

Online is about 4x as much prep / follow-up time as in-person, in my albeit limited experience. Also, I've never had a blackboard fall off the wall in real lecture theatre.

[Ferris]

I've never had a blackboard fall off the wall in real lecture theatre.

You haven't lived.

[A Hat Like That]

We've had an exam this week, with no students deciding to take it.

...

[drummersaredeaf]

Is this organised protest or a failure of them to bother reading a timetable?

[A Hat Like That]

Is this organised protest or a failure of them to bother reading a timetable?

More from the latter, or they've just given up on studies and not told anyone.

We'll find out in, err, checks diary, July -_-

[A Hat Like That]

Three or four days away from the first exam and now the emails start coming in.

[greencalx]

What kind of emails?

"Will X be on the exam?"

"When is the exam?"

"Is there an exam?"

"What is an exam?"

"What was the course about again?"

[A Hat Like That]

"Move the exams online"

[A Hat Like That]

Although had two "I didn't realise I had to do an exam in XXXX", which is nice.

[Ferris]

I have found even graduate students are spectacularly haphazard. I can only imagine what undergrads are like.

[greencalx]

"Move the exams online"

Ah, hadn't pre-empted that one, cos we're still online but planning to move back into the exam hall next Semester. We're trying to figure out if we can still mark the buggers electronically, though, as this saves huge amounts of time when you have two or three markers on a course marking separate questions. (And the possibility of scripts going walkies too).

[Ferris]

Re: scripts going walkies, my mate did a written exam at the accessibility centre because he had an accommodation for extra time. Finished his exam, said cheers, and off he went.

The centre was supposed to scan it and send to the lecturer to mark, but they only scanned one side of the double-sided exam paper. Lecturer didn't look at the file for 5 weeks due to [reason not given]. Well after a month, the accessibility centre shred all their documents because [reason not given] so it's destroyed mate sorry.

He ended up getting 100% because what else could they do? As I said at the time you could have written anything on the back half of that paper; a full PhD thesis, a picture of dog shitting in a policeman's helmet, anything, so they have to assume you got it all right cos they can't prove otherwise.

(Before you worry about poor old Ferris not finishing top of the class due to a technicality, never fear - I scored 101% on that exam because there was a bonus question and I got that one too.)