Northern Economist 2.0

Monday 28 February 2022

In Person or Not in Person: That is Not Quite the University Question

 

The pandemic saw the rapid unrolling and implementation of mass online learning at the university level with a varied suite of tools including Zoom.  Of course, the growth of online learning had been underway for some time but it was the pandemic that provided the opportunity for mass diffusion of both the techniques and the technology.  My personal recollection at my own university in the years leading up to the pandemic was a general pressure to put all materials online as well as offer more online options for students in order to accommodate their “needs” and “busy schedules” so as to encourage or maintain enrollment by offering flexible learning options.

 

Oddly enough, the year of the pandemic, I had decided to try out two courses with web based course options – the modern equivalent of what I suppose used to be called a correspondence course – and lo and behold as fate would have it, I had to do everything online.  I offered self-directed learning options with Zoom weekly tutorial interaction. In the end, I liked it more than I had imagined. Moreover, I found out that more students were able to take the more esoteric offerings I taught such as Canadian Economic History and History of Economic Thought.  Indeed, the registrations in those courses doubled and tripled given that in previous years course conflicts limited the number of students that could take those courses. And, the flexibility of schedules did not hurt me either allowing for a lot more opportunities for attending online seminars around the world as well as more research activity.

 

Now it is true, that I still like in person teaching.  The in person class I taught this fall was quite enjoyable and the attendance unlike other years of in person teaching was high and constant because the students who took the in person course I taught wanted to be there in person.  Those that did not took the online courses.  Which brings me to my point, the insistence of many universities – including my own – that next fall will be one hundred percent in person.  Indeed, they are even insisting that a certain proportion of these in person courses be scheduled as night classes.  I guess the current surge in inflation is not the only throwback to the 1970s.  Given the push to online of the pre pandemic decade, such an insistence seems odd not the least because the students themselves are divided on the issue. 

 

While some students want more in person teaching, many others want continued online to accommodate schedules that include part time work.  The impact in enrollment from mandating one hundred percent in person classes is uncertain to say the least.  Indeed, I can already hear my administration lamenting next year that my own courses are undersubscribed after the drop from the pandemic levels which will occur by their insistence on a return to a more inflexible scheduling system that generates more student course conflicts that prevent students from taking my courses.

 

I can understand why universities are maintaining they want more in person because in the end for universities it really is all about the money and ancillary revenues from parking fees, residences and campus restaurants and pubs are down dramatically.  Yet, annoying a large chunk of the student body by insisting on one hundred percent in person attendance to fill up residences and cafeterias will probably erode enrollment also affecting revenues.  This may be why universities while proposing one hundred percent in person classes really intend for a hybrid option in which you lecture to students in person while recording the lecture for those unable to attend. 

 

However, hybrid class delivery requires substantial investment in classroom lecture capture technology to do properly.  Moreover, in implementation what a hybrid class will likely result in is voluntary classroom attendance with everything else online – including evaluation.  After all one cannot realistically have some students writing online tests and other in person at the same time and still have a level evaluation playing field.  In the end it will all revert to the lowest common denominator. I personally am not looking forward to having a class of one hundred students in which by mid-term the attendance zeros out so that I have to talk to an empty room while recording.  If I have to do that I may as well do everything via Zoom.

 

So, what is the solution?  Good question.  For what it is worth - and I have learned what I have to say seems to be worth little in a world where everyone’s mind is made up in advance -  I think there will need to be a mix of in-person and online options for students.  The in person class will be in person – no recording of lectures and no online evaluation.  The online classes will be a blend of approaches and will include web based courses, Zoom type lecture courses and hybrid courses.  Yes, in the end, a hybrid course is really only an online course with voluntary classroom attendance offered as a compromise that allows university administrations to pretend they have their cake and can eat it too. I think universities should aim to make sure students take about half their courses in person and the other half can be some form of online option.

 

Why is having a large chunk in person important?  In the end, students need to experience a traditional lecture environment because a lecture, just like a performance of Macbeth, is quite different whether it is done as a live production or whether it is a film.  Moreover, students need to interact socially with other students as well as their instructors as part of the learning experience.  If students do not get to know their instructors and their instructors know them, how will they be able to get proper letters of reference and recommendation when the time comes?

 

As for the mix of what courses are online and what are in person, that is best left to individual departments and their faculty members to decide.  Universities should set the broad parameters of what the blend should be but allow departments and faculty members the flexibility to determine the precise blend based on their experience of what works and what does not work.  In the age of personal experience, technology and flexible tailoring of options to suit one’s needs and expectations, micro managing is something that belongs to the age of dinosaurs. 

 


 

Friday 11 September 2020

Stuff My Students Say - Online Teaching Edition

 

Well, this was my first week of classes and all things considered, it went remarkably smoothly for me and about 95 percent of my students though there were a few glitches. Turns out my bright idea for separate google Gmail accounts for correspondence with each course does not work very well for large classes given Gmail’s mailout restrictions on personal accounts and my own university’s spam filter so I guess I am going to have to use my course mail mailer on D2L which is a bit cumbersome but it will have to do.  Most students appeared to get started on self-directed web based learning reasonably well. This is the approach I have opted for with informal office hour type Zoom sessions where there can be some personal interaction and questions answered.

 

A couple of things for your amusement based on this week's observations.

1) About 5 percent of the students generate 90% of your email. However, that can be a lot of email when you have 150 students and the same ones email you multiple times to make sure you got their message.

2) Many students do not read the course plan provided or anything else it seems including the instructions sent by the university.

3) I think a lot of students do not realize the size of the classes they are in, the limits of technology, and the limits to an instructor’s ability to deal with their issues:

 

Some examples:

 

"Looking at the course plan for your class and of my other classes all of the quizzes for Economics clash with my Marketing's quizzes. I hope we can find a solution on how to fit both course requirements to my schedule. If it helps Thursdays I'm free by 3:00 p.m. and Fridays my schedule is clear."

 

By the way, this was received after I told them in a revised course plan that there would now be a 24-hour window for getting your "1-hour "quizzes back.  It is a class of 130 students by the way…

 

Or, how about this:

 

"Thank you for your email. I had a question, do the activities on Mindtap count toward our final grades?"

 

While mindTap can be used for assessment, I have not done that.  Again, it is important to read the instructions that come with the course. The Course Plan says 4 quizzes and a final and Mindtap is a study guide resource for yourselves to help you learn on your own.  

 

I have a question. I saw you posted the sample questions and quiz for the week 1. I wonder which one we need to submit? And how to do that? Thank you!

 

But they are sample quizzes with the answers at the back for your own practice. Why would I give you a sample quiz and the answers and then ask for it back?

 

I have registered for the course ECON 1100. Can you please tell me the timings of the class? as it is not showing in my course link website.”

 

It is a web-based course – i.e., in an earlier day and age it probably would be called a “reading” course. There are no class times. Perhaps students are confused by language such as synchronous and asynchronous learning (I know I am).  Not sure how the type of stuff is being communicated to them.

 

Some other ones:

 

I was wondering if there is the possibility of completing one of your scheduled quizzes at a date which is earlier than specified. More specifically, I am referring to Quiz #2, if this makes a difference with anything. I would be looking to complete it a week earlier on the 14th or 15th of October. Obviously I am aware the material would be the same

 

Again, this is a class of 130 and not a seminar course of 10 or 20.  

 

In response to an informal Zoom Meeting invite for a short voluntary non-mandatory “ informal office hour/getting to know you” session set for 11 am on a Monday:

 

I may not be able to attend. As I work M to F 8 to 4pm.”

 

This was followed by a request from the student for a recording of the session and a link to it be sent.  To the student’s credit, upon further explanation, they realized that recording what are essentially interactions with other students in a question and answer session was understandably not a good idea.  There is indeed learning behavior on the part of students.

 

And my personal favorite:

 

Will future all meetings happen on this day/at this time? I ask because I have nine hours of lectures starting at 11:30 on Mondays

 

My sympathies are all with the student on this one.  What kind of Zoom lecture scheduling on the part of a university is that?

 

It is going to be a draining first term.

 

Friday 6 April 2018

Lakehead Faculty of Science & Environmental Studies Celebrates Service!

Well, today was the last day of classes at Lakehead and there was an impromptu gathering at the end of the day at the Lakehead Outpost of faculty from Economics, Chemistry and Physics to celebrate the end of term.  As well as celebrating the end of this term's classroom service, there was also  recognition of the long time service of three faculty members - two who are are the table in the accompanying photos.  Dr. Steve Kinrade from Chemistry and Dr. Bakhtiar Moazzami from Economics have reached the 30 year service milestone - I'll let you guess who they are.  A third member of our faculty - Dr. Scott Hamilton from Anthropology - also is celebrating 30 years and was even seen at the outpost but did not make the photo.  Congratulations to all our colleagues on the completion of another teaching year!