I am one of the few professors at universities who are back on campus teaching hybrid (some face-to-face meetings and virtual class sessions). This was our first week back since we all went remote and online when COVID came and impacted everything.
It has been five months since I was last in a physical classroom, and as we were leading up to the semester, I was thinking how things would go.
There have been a TON of stories that were covering the current state of higher education, where colleges were going, and the steps that needed to be taken to make sure everyone was safe. Many stories were highlighting the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty of what to expect. When you do not know what to expect, this could lead to stress and other things.
To be perfectly honest, I did not really know what to expect. I knew there was a lot of uncertainty, but due to the crisis communication training I’ve done and have participated in, I knew there were certain things I knew I could control that could help reduce this feeling of uncertainty in order to do my job.
I kept an open mind to see what procedures and actions were taken to get everyone back on campus, and what steps were in place to protect everyone during this time. This has been a unique experience to say the least for everyone – and we see this being played out and discussed online and in the media everywhere.
I knew I could potentially be one of the few professors in higher education going back in the classroom in person, so I wanted to share what I have seen so far from the front line.
Here are some things I have noticed in my first week back in the classroom:
I feel safe to be back on campus to teach at UofL. I think this is a big thing to address here since I know many have expressed fear and anxiety about coming back to campus.
Some are going completely virtual and remote for the entire academic year because they are in the protected group that needs to be very careful w/ COVID. I think it is very smart to be proactive in this effort.
The UofL campus is actually busier than I had anticipated, but I also realize that there are many classes who are going in person for the first few weeks, and then it’s virtual. There are some that are going virtual and then in person the last few weeks before Thanksgiving. Others, like me, are doing in person while practicing social distancing and teaching/wearing masks on campus.
UofL has made sure to clearly get their messages across to everyone across the campus with social distancing signs, masks notifications, hand sanitizer stations, and more. Of course, they are all branded w/ UofL colors!
There is a difference I have seen for the fall semester. There are some universities that have either gone fully online for the fall, or they are requiring everyone to come on campus for hybrid. At UofL, we (the faculty) were given the option to go hybrid, remote (ex. holding class at the same time as listed but doing everything online), or virtual (having only online instruction that is asynchronous). I decided to go hybrid because it would give me more options to actually meet in person, but if we have to go remote, that would be an easy adjustment.
I am adjusting my relationship in teaching as a hybrid model. I have shared this with a few people on my model for classes this term. Some have said that teaching in person while others are joining in virtually is hard. Some have said – it is not possible to interact with an in person and virtual audience at the same time.
I say yes, this is possible. Because I am doing it.
I will be writing a bit more on how I do this in another post, but I got my inspiration from outside of higher education. Stay tuned for more on this!
Students are here to learn. I have been teaching for 12 years, and I have to say, this semester’s group of students are extremely motivated to learn and harness their skills and understanding in the field of strategic communication.
Mind you, I was teaching during the last recession, and I can say that this current cohort of students is very motivated to do what they can to gain experience and knowledge that will help them.
In both of my classes, I have hit the ground running with my students. I recorded some videos to provide an overview of the class, but we got into our content immediately and began to work. Would I have been able to do this earlier this year or before? No – because the first couple of days were all about settling in, going over the syllabus, and easing into the work.
My students were very motivated. So much so many did the readings ahead of class, and even completed some of the assignments like my certifications.
I asked why did they decide to do these early? Their answers:
I was motivated to get ahead start on things.
This will be a busy semester, so I wanted to get this off my plate.
I am actually applying for internships in this area, so I can now immediately add this certification to my resume.
I was bored watching Netflix and wanted to do something professionally oriented, plus I had time on my hands.
Students are motivated to stay in class, so they are following the rules. We are seeing news stories of schools like UNC or Notre Dame, or even Boston University going virtual and online for the semester due to COVID. We all have seen the videos and pictures from off campus parties and events. Many of my colleagues are thinking that they will go virtual as well sooner than later.
However, I wanted to observe with my students and those walking around campus at UofL to see if people were following the rules, wearing their masks, and practicing social distancing.
The answer was an astounding yes. I saw masks everywhere. People were respecting the rules. They were social distancing. Again, I know that this is just the first week of class, but talking with students in my class, they were all very motivated to get back to class.
Students want JOBS and work. I teach only elective classes at UofL. I know that may sound surprising, but while we do have a concentration at UofL in strategic communication we offer in our department and campus, I hope to grow into a key specialization we can offer.
I always ask students why they want to take my class, and usually – I get “well, I think this would be a fun area to learn more about as I move forward in Communication,” or “I hear it’s a great field to be in with lots of opportunities.”
What did my students say this time? They want jobs. They want to be in a field that will give them opportunities. And they were told my class was mandatory to take.
I was surprised to hear this because as I mentioned, my classes are electives. Until my Marketing students said that they were told by the UofL Business School advisors to take my class due to the success rate I’ve had w/ students getting internships and jobs, that’s when I realized students were motivated not only to take classes to get back on campus for the student experience, but they were choosing classes that would help them be marketable.
Summary
While many of my colleagues have gone virtual and remote, some have shared their stories of what it has been like for them so far. There is still a lot of conversations of what is unknown, what is happening or not happening on campuses, and more.
The reason why I wanted to write this post is to show that yes, there are professors who are back on campus teaching while practicing social distancing and health recommendations. There are students who are following the rules to be safe.
The big question that seems to come up a lot is what will change and stay the same because of COVID19 for teaching and learning? This is a question that was addressed in a Forbes article on this very issue, and I think there will definitely be some things we will have to change, but also evolve due to COVID moving forward. However, there are elements that will not essentially change for us.
Our mission is to educate, mentor, and support the future generation of professionals as they enter into society and the workplace. Our goals are to inspire, create, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge of our field. Our vision for our work is to make an impact on society.
All of these aspects are the same – whether they are happening in person, or online.
Will we eventually go back online? Do we know when this will happen? I do not have the answer to that. What I am doing is making sure I am doing whatever needs to happen to make my students feel comfortable so they can learn, explore, and apply what we are covering in my classes. This will be the case as we are in hybrid mode, or virtual. That commitment will stay the same.
I know there’s a lot of uncertainty out there on what is happening with COVID. This has been one of the biggest factors in how we have all changed our behaviors and actions during this time.
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. More than happy to answer them.
Have a great day!
Best Wishes,
