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TEACHING IN THE AGE OF COVID-19

The first case of the coronavirus disease, Covid-19, was officially reported from Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. On 13 March 2020, Europe has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and the US and Australia are not far behind. Worldwide governments are responding in radically different ways – the government of Montenegro has closed down the whole country before it registered the first patient within its borders, while the UK has opted for a laissez faire approach which is hoped to result in herd immunity. Covid-19 pandemic has brought a huge social experiment into our homes, streets, cities, countries and we, academic researchers, have a moral and professional duty to record current events and try to make sense of them.  

 As I write these words on 17 March 2020, schools, universities and research centres around the globe are moving partially or completely online. For families, children and students in self-isolation, an opportunity to successfully complete this academic year is hugely important. However, making this opportunity happen brings about a lot of additional stress on teachers and families. Some academics are well prepared for online teaching and research; others work nights and weekends on developing online materials and supporting their students and colleagues. Some academics teach easy-to-move-online topics, or topics which can be supported by a lot of existing online material. Those who teach individually, and contextually, are facing radically different challenges. Academics and students alike can suffer from poor connectivity, inappropriate equipment, and other access issues. They may not have access to own workspace, or they may need to care for young or elderly family members. Many academics are also parents, so they need to juggle working from home and caring for own children. Arguably, this sudden and unprepared shift of millions of worldwide teachers and students online is an unprecedented educational and social experiment – and we would like to make record of this experiment as it unfolds in front of our eyes.

In this collective article we would like to hear about ways in which you – teachers at all levels, researchers, academics – experience this shift in the moment here and now. This is not an academic exercise, although you can freely share your academic insights if you feel like. In your response, we are interested in hearing real-time testimonies about challenges, and issues, you are experiencing as your academic work suddenly moves online. Your 500-word contributions should contain roughly the following:

Where, and when, are you writing this testimony?

• A sentence or two about context. Where do you work? How has your university reacted? What is expected from you at this stage?
• How are you dealing with these expectations? Which major challenges (professional, private, personal, family…) are you finding along the way?
• What are your main feelings at the moment (stress, anxiety, excitement, happiness…)? How are you coping with those feelings?
• And, of course, anything else you would like to tell the world about your experience.

 Please write your ca 500-word response and return it Petar Jandrić, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Responses will be collated into a collectively authored article and prepared for publication in Postdigital Science and Education. This is an example of a collectively written article.

IF YOU WISH TO RESPOND ANONYMOUSLY, PLEASE INDICATE THIS IN YOUR EMAIL.

Timeline

6 April 2020 – deadline for submission of contributors’ responses

8 April 2020 – complete manuscript will be sent for inspection to all authors and reviewers

13 April 2020 – manuscript will be sent to production

Please contact Petar Jandrić (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for any questions.  

Call for Testimonies (pdf)