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Wow this is a... terrible plan, on top of several months of terrible plans, who could have predicted this https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/england-students-to-get-six-day-window-to-get-home-before-christmas
so we are supposed to teach in-person until 2 December, at which point every English university will send students home in “staggered departure dates set by universities from 3 December to 9 December”, during which time we have to pivot to online teaching.
And students who test positive have to self-isolate for ten days. So if a student tests positive on 9 December they have to stay alone on campus/in a student house until 19 December. (Our term finishes 11 December. We start teaching again 4 January).
a) about half my students went home at the start of lockdown anyway b) the “staggered return dates” would require us to force students not to leave as soon as lockdown finishes/kick them out of halls early/what about students who live off campus? c) what happens in January???
the pivot to online learning happens “by the 9th of December”, which must be after the Oxbridge terms have finished. It’s two days before the end of term at Southampton. Staff who aren’t teaching f2f in lockdown might theoretically have to start again for a week or so, then stop.
WE COULD HAVE DECIDED TO TEACH THIS WHOLE YEAR ONLINE IN JULY AND TOLD STUDENTS THAT AND LET THEM MAKE THEIR OWN INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT WHERE TO LIVE AND WHETHER TO STUDY
I mean just.... lol, at the idea that universities setting “staggered departure dates” will stop parents coming to collect their children for Christmas as soon as lockdown finishes if they haven’t already. What are we going to do, lock them in their halls???
a) what about students who have already bought plane tickets or expensive train tickets outside this 6 day window b) a 6 day window means lots of weekdays — what if parents cannot collect students then/why are we ramming trains artificially full of students on a single day??
c) what do we do if students have assessment due on or near their scheduled departure date / how do we teach if our weekly timetabled seminar is on the day all our students are going home / why are we only moving online on the 9th if students are going home on the 2nd???
God, I’m so tired
