tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/coronavirus-and-education-83712/articlesCoronavirus and education – The Conversation2022-02-09T13:23:10Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1752162022-02-09T13:23:10Z2022-02-09T13:23:10ZPandemic-related school closings likely to have far-reaching effects on child well-being<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443545/original/file-20220131-25-nypi1j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C0%2C5521%2C3628&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Schools are wrestling with the consequences of long-term closures because of the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APTOPIXVirusOutbreak-CaliforniaSchools/2a962a3bafab4f62a6737755fc714a7f/photo">AP Photo/Jae C. Hong</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A global analysis has found that kids whose schools closed to stop the spread of various waves of the coronavirus <a href="https://academic.oup.com/wbro/article/36/1/1/6174606">lost educational progress and are at increased risk of dropping out</a> of school. As a result, the study says, they will <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/12/06/learning-losses-from-covid-19-could-cost-this-generation-of-students-close-to-17-trillion-in-lifetime-earnings">earn less money from work over their lifetimes</a> than they would have if schools had remained open. </p>
<p>Educational <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=C9YZiOsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">researchers like me</a> know these students will feel the <a href="https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/consequences">effects of pandemic-related school closures</a> for many years to come. Here are four other ways the closings have affected students’ well-being for the long term.</p>
<h2>1. Academic progress</h2>
<p>At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, most students were about <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning">four to five months behind</a> where they should have been in math and reading, according to a July 2021 report by McKinsey and Co., a global management consulting firm.</p>
<p>When the researchers looked at the data from fall 2021, though, they found <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-an-emerging-k-shaped-recovery">students attending majority-white schools are catching up</a>. But students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds – including those attending majority-Black or low-income schools – are falling further behind. As a result, students attending majority-Black schools are now estimated to be a full year behind those attending majority-white schools.</p>
<p>Differences also can vary by grade level. High schools have been <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29398/w29398.pdf">closed more total days</a> than elementary schools. According to a recent news report, <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/1/24/22895461/2021-graduation-rates-decrease-pandemic">2021 graduation rates dipped</a> across the country, and some education leaders fear future graduating classes may be hit even harder. Schools have scrambled to provide options such as credit recovery to boost graduation rates, leaving concerns about the quality of learning. </p>
<p>College and university leaders have been <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/center/teaching-learning/2021/09/01/assessingu-should-we-worry-about-learning-loss">preparing</a> for first-year students with less knowledge, weaker study habits and more difficulty concentrating than new college arrivals in past years.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Children wearing masks sit on a classroom floor" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/443547/original/file-20220131-118117-1td8b9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Schools are adapting their classroom procedures to prevent the spread of disease.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakStandardizedTests/7ce902458dfc4acdabc13b3c557ae50b/photo">AP Photo/Mary Altaffer</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Social-emotional development</h2>
<p>Even early in the pandemic, <a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5840">school closings were harming students’ social and emotional well-being</a>, according to a review of 36 studies across 11 countries including the U.S. By summer 2021, <a href="https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/explore/sel-survey.html">teachers and administrators in the U.S.</a> said students felt more emotional distress, disengagement, depression, anxiety and loneliness than in previous years.</p>
<p>When schools resumed in fall 2021, large numbers of children in the U.S. had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01253-8">lost a primary caregiver</a> over the previous year to COVID-19. A colleague and I raised concerns about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/students-are-returning-to-school-with-anxiety-grief-and-gaps-in-social-skills-will-there-be-enough-school-mental-health-resources-165279">anxiety and grief</a> those students would likely feel.</p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-an-emerging-k-shaped-recovery">28% of all parents</a> of children in grades K-12 are “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” about their child’s mental health and social and emotional well-being. That’s down from a high of 35% in spring 2021, but is still 7 percentage points higher than before the pandemic. Parents of Black and Hispanic students are 5 percentage points more likely to be worried than parents of white students.</p>
<p>Schools and organizations have focused resources on supporting students’ social, emotional and mental health. The <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-new-resource-supporting-child-and-student-social-emotional-behavioral-and-mental-health-during-covid-19-era">U.S. Department of Education</a>, for example, recommends, based on research, that teachers integrate lessons around compassion and courage into classroom activities, and that schools establish wellness teams to help students.</p>
<p>States have said they plan to address these needs with <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/ncsl-in-dc/standing-committees/education/cares-act-elementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief-fund-tracker.aspx">federal funds meant to help schools respond to the pandemic</a>. In <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2021/11/26/school-age-children-are-seeking-out-mental-health-care-more-than-ever/">Connecticut</a>, for example, school districts will hire additional mental health support staff, offer social-emotional programs and partner with local agencies to increase access to supports. </p>
<h2>3. Behavioral habits</h2>
<p>The return to in-person learning has been accompanied by school leaders’ <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/threats-of-student-violence-and-misbehavior-are-rising-many-school-leaders-report/2022/01">reports</a> of increasing student misbehavior and threats of violence. These increases were more likely to be reported in larger districts and where most students had engaged in remote or hybrid learning – rather than in-person instruction – during the prior school year.</p>
<p>Viral social media “challenges” – like memes on TikTok suggesting students “<a href="https://www.distractify.com/p/tiktok-school-challenges-list-2021">smack a staff member</a>” or skip school on a particular day – certainly aren’t helping educators provide safe and supportive environments. </p>
<p>Parents’ distress is also affecting their children. Students whose parents are depressed, anxious, lonely and exhausted are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101375">more likely to misbehave in school</a> – and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101375">that connection grew stronger</a> during lockdown periods when schools were closed.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, news reports show students are <a href="https://edsource.org/2021/absenteeism-surging-since-schools-reopened/661507">missing more school</a> than they were before the pandemic, with more kids out for more than 15 days of a school year. Given <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-019-01072-5">links</a> between chronic absenteeism and increased high school dropout rates, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-an-emerging-k-shaped-recovery">researchers warn</a> this increase in missed school could lead between 1.7 million and 3.3 million students in eighth through 12th grade to not graduate on time.</p>
<h2>4. Physical health</h2>
<p>Adults have suffered <a href="https://www.asrn.org/journal-nursing/2665-the-pandemic-body-how-the-covid-era-changed-us-%E2%80%93-from-hair-loss-to-weight-gain.html">hair loss, sore eyes, irritable bowels and skin flare-ups</a> as a result of the pandemic. One study found that Chinese preschool children whose schools closed during the pandemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00912-4">were shorter than preschoolers</a> in previous years, though the researchers did not observe noteworthy differences in weight change. </p>
<p>Schools can be a primary place for children to access physical activity and healthy food. Amid school closures, researchers are exploring the effects of losing out on these benefits. During lockdowns in Italy, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22861">children with obesity engaged in less physical activity</a>, slept and used screens more and increased their consumption of potato chips and sugary drinks.</p>
<p>In the U.S., <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2033629">1 in 4 families</a> with school-age children don’t have reliable access to food. Abrupt school closures cut off <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2033629">more than 30 million children</a> from free and reduced-price lunches and breakfasts delivered at school.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees school food programs, provided waivers to <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/fns-disaster-assistance/fns-responds-covid-19/child-nutrition-covid-19-waivers-previous-school-years">let schools provide meals</a> in ways that fit their students’ needs. In Connecticut, for example, researchers found that letting families know about wider availability and pickup sites for to-go school meals <a href="https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.020">boosted the number of students who received food</a> during the pandemic.</p>
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<p>Time will tell if the costs of school closings will be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.28786">worth the benefits</a>. These early indicators show that decisions are not as simple as reducing the physical health risks of COVID-19. A full assessment would consider the effects across all aspects of child well-being, including how diverse populations are affected. </p>
<p>Connection, collaboration and positive interaction are fundamental to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888691.2018.1515296">healthy childhood</a> growth and development. Working together, schools, families and communities can <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.758788">assess and address every child’s needs</a> to reduce the lasting effects of school closings.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175216/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandra M. Chafouleas receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, Connecticut State Department of Education, the Neag Foundation, and the Principal Foundation.</span></em></p>The ways in which school closings affect children are just beginning to be known, but early indications are they’re taking a negative toll on kids’ learning and overall well-being.Sandra M. Chafouleas, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of ConnecticutLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1529792021-01-19T19:07:50Z2021-01-19T19:07:50ZCoronavirus: is it safe for kids to go back to school? And what about the new mutant strain?<p>A year ago, in late January 2020, Australia reported its first cases of COVID-19. Since then, we have seen almost <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers">29,000 confirmed cases</a> and 909 deaths. </p>
<p>As cases climbed in Australian cities in 2020, many students did their <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/schools/covid-19-national-principles-school-education">schoolwork from home</a>. Australia, including Victoria, came out of lockdowns at the end of last year. But due to outbreaks in New South Wales and Queensland over <a href="https://theconversation.com/vic-qld-and-nsw-are-managing-covid-outbreaks-in-their-own-ways-but-all-are-world-standard-152974">Christmas and New Year</a>, that impacted on Victoria, restrictions remain in some places.</p>
<p>So what now, for the new school year? Is it safe for students to go back to school?</p>
<h2>What we learnt in 2020</h2>
<p>Australian health officials, paediatricians, and federal and state education departments worked together to understand how SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — is transmitted in Australian schools. </p>
<p>They also kept updating, as more information came to light, what schools can do to provide a safe learning environment for children and staff. </p>
<p>Up to the end of term 3 in <a href="https://www.ncirs.org.au/covid-19-in-schools">New South Wales</a>, 49 student- and 24 staff- cases were linked to schools and early learning centres. Each of these cases, and their contacts, were followed since the pandemic began. Schools had <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30251-0/fulltext">low rates of transmission</a> — with 51 transmission events (38 students, 13 staff) out of 5,793 contacts traced (<1%) — in terms 1, 2, and 3 when COVID-19 safe measures were in place. </p>
<p>Key measures were:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>limiting adults in the school and early learning centre grounds</p></li>
<li><p>staying home when unwell with cold-like symptoms</p></li>
<li><p>getting tested early.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Most schools and early learning centres in NSW reopened after only a few days. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/202009/Report-summary-COVID-19-in-victorian-schools-pdf.pdf">Victoria</a>, up until the end of August 2020, 1,635 cases were associated with early learning centres and schools. These consisted of 254 staff, 599 students and 753 household members, out of a total of 19,109 cases in Victoria during their second wave. </p>
<p>Two-thirds of infections in early learning centres and schools did not progress to outbreaks (two or more cases) and more than 90% were small outbreaks (fewer than ten cases). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/behind-victorias-decision-to-open-primary-schools-to-all-students-report-shows-covid-transmission-is-rare-147006">Behind Victoria's decision to open primary schools to all students: report shows COVID transmission is rare</a>
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<p>While transmission has been <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/senior-students-behind-runaway-covid-19-cluster-at-al-taqwa-college-20200707-p559wd.html">connected with a Victorian school in the media</a>, transmission events often have a more complex basis than just occurring in the classroom. Schools are often located in a multi-generational community and cases in this large school cluster were linked to high community transmission rates rather than infection in the <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/202009/Report-summary-COVID-19-in-victorian-schools-pdf.pdf">school</a>.</p>
<p>These studies confirm that when SARS-CoV-2 is detected in a student or staff member, it is very unlikely for other students or staff to be infected at school with the processes put in place in 2020 to provide a safe learning environment. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.telethonkids.org.au/projects/detect-schools/">Western Australia</a>, almost 14,000 asymptomatic staff and students were swabbed at the school in terms 2 and 3. No cases of SARS-CoV-2 were detected, consistent with the absence of community transmission in that state.</p>
<h2>But why are other countries closing schools?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/01/three-studies-highlight-low-covid-risk-person-school">Overseas</a>, studies have shown schools can implement health strategies to safely keep schools open and minimise SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks.</p>
<p>In the US, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7003e1.htm">noted</a> that: “trends among children and adolescents aged 0–17 years paralleled those among adults”. However, the organisation <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7003e1.htm">also reported</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>as of the week beginning December 6, aggregate COVID-19 incidence among the general population in counties where K–12 schools offer in-person education (401.2 per 100,000) was similar to that in counties offering only virtual/online education (418.2 per 100,000).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In Norway, where testing is strong, <a href="https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011">schools were open with mitigation measures</a> in place. There was minimal child-to-child (0.9%, 2 out of 234) and child-to-adult (1.7%, 1 out of 58) <a href="https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011#abstract_content">transmission</a>.</p>
<p>Other countries have chosen to close schools as a last resort in national <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home">lockdowns</a> in the face of extremely high rates of community transmission and daily case numbers, which meant only widespread reductions in population movements could be effective. This is not the case in Australia at the start of term 1, 2021.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/children-may-transmit-coronavirus-at-the-same-rate-as-adults-what-we-now-know-about-schools-and-covid-19-150523">Children may transmit coronavirus at the same rate as adults: what we now know about schools and COVID-19</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It is common for viruses to evolve and there have now been several new variants of concern such as those identified in the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55659820">UK, South Africa and Brazil</a> which are more <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2775006">transmissible</a>. The potential of such variants entering Australia is uncertain, and so is the risk of transmission in schools. </p>
<p>Reassuringly, if community transmission of such a variant occurs in Australia, we have established experience to monitor, and hopefully halt, its spread. </p>
<h2>So, what should Australia do?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-16/coronavirus-home-school-how-australian-parents-are-coping/12152790">Remote learning</a> provides <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-28/vulnerable-students-could-fall-behind-remote-learning-covid19/12190834">considerable challenges</a> to keep students engaged, reduces the close supervision and support in the classroom, and provides an added disadvantage for <a href="http://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/combatting-covid-19-s-effect-on-children-2e1f3b2f/">children</a> with mental-health conditions, disabilities or special needs. </p>
<p>For parents, it is difficult to work effectively, provide for the family and maintain their well-being when their child is learning from home. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-workload-was-intense-what-parents-told-us-about-remote-learning-146297">'The workload was intense': what parents told us about remote learning</a>
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<p>Based on the above evidence, schools are safe to open. But states should adopt mitigation measures — including when to add masks, reduce attendance or close schools — according to a traffic light system from green (standard measures) to red (close schools) based on the degree of community transmission. The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has recommended this approach for <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/202009/Report-summary-COVID-19-in-victorian-schools-pdf.pdf">Victoria</a>. Education departments around Australia can consider a similar approach.</p>
<p>This is consistent with the recommendations of Australia’s <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/schools/covid-19-national-principles-school-education">National Cabinet</a> and <a href="https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/01/12/creating-covid-secure-schools-we-need-strategy-not-just-ad-hoc-responses/">international advice</a>. </p>
<p>It is important schools and early learning centres continue to adhere to their local <a href="https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/schools-teachers-and-principals,%20https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families">COVID advice</a>. Parents and guardians should check their contact details are up to date so they can be contacted easily, regularly check what restrictions are in place and, when unwell, get their child tested and stay at home. </p>
<p>In 2020, students and staff rapidly learned to regularly wash their hands, adapt to cleaners in the school throughout the day, socially distance and wear masks when required. These public health interventions, vaccination, and <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.10.09.20209429v1.full">testing and tracing</a> will remain the mainstay for the year ahead in Australia.</p>
<p>Monitoring well-being and building resilience will also be core educational activities in the months ahead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152979/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Asha Bowen receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and the Department of Health and Department of Education of Western Australia.
Asha Bowen is the current Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ANZPID) group of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID). She is co-chair of the Paediatric and Adolescent Guidelines for the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce and a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians COVID-19 expert reference group. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Archana Koirala is a paediatric infectious diseases specialist at NCIRS. She is a member of the Australian Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ANZPID) and ASID Vaccine Special Interest Group (VACSIG). Archana receives funding from NSW Health. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Russell receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Wellcome Trust, and Coffey (funded by DFAT). Previously, she has received funds from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, PATH, and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. She is Deputy Chair of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases Vaccination Special Interest Group (VACSIG). She is a member of DFAT's External Advisory Group for COVID-19 vaccines for the Asia-Pacific region. She is a panel member on WHO's Global Science Dialogue on COVID-19 and schools, and member of WHO's COVID-19 Living Systematic Review group for research in children.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristine Macartney is the Director of NCIRS. NCIRS receives funding from Australian Government Department of Health, State Health Departments, the NHMRC, the World Health Organisation, Gavi and other (non-commercial) sources. She is a member of numerous national and international advisory committees on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Margie Danchin receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria, Commonwealth Department of Health and WHO. She is chair of the Collaboration on Social Science in Immunisation (COSSI) and a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 working group on vaccine safety, evaluation, monitoring and confidence. </span></em></p>Based on closely following outbreaks in schools and early learning centres across Australia throughout 2020, we have enough evidence to show how students can return to school safely.Asha Bowen, Head, Skin Health, Telethon Kids InstituteArchana Koirala, Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, University of SydneyFiona Russell, Principal research fellow, The University of MelbourneKristine Macartney, Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of SydneyMargie Danchin, Associate Professor, University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children's Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1505232020-11-23T19:04:46Z2020-11-23T19:04:46ZChildren may transmit coronavirus at the same rate as adults: what we now know about schools and COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370687/original/file-20201123-17-gukzdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/small-girl-face-mask-school-after-1746069461">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The role children, and consequently schools, play in the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard to work out, but that puzzle is now finally starting to be solved. </p>
<p>The latest research shows infections in children <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666634020300209">frequently go undetected</a>, and that children are <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30387-9/fulltext">just as susceptible</a> as adults to infection. Children likely transmit the virus at a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6944e1.htm?s_cid=mm6944e1_w">similar rate to adults</a> as well.</p>
<p>While children are thankfully much less likely than adults to get seriously ill, the same isn’t true for the adults that care for them. Evidence suggests schools have been a <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-schools-now-driving-force-of-covid-19-spread-experts">driver of the second wave</a> in Europe and elsewhere. This means the safety of schools needs an urgent rethink.</p>
<h2>It’s hard to detect COVID-19 in children</h2>
<p>Infections with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in children are generally <a href="https://journals.lww.com/pidj/FullText/2020/06000/COVID_19_in_Children,_Pregnancy_and_Neonates__A.1.aspx">much more mild</a> than in adults and easy to overlook. A study from South Korea found the majority of children had symptoms mild enough to go unrecognised, and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2770150">only 9% were diagnosed at the time of symptom onset</a>.</p>
<p>Researchers used an antibody test (which can detect if a person had the virus previously and recovered) to screen a representative sample of nearly 12,000 children from the general population in Germany. They found the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666634020300209">majority of cases in children had been missed</a>. In itself, that’s not surprising, because many cases in adults are missed, too. </p>
<p>But what made this study important, was that it showed young and older children were similarly likely to have been infected.</p>
<p>Official testing in Germany had suggested young children were much less likely to be infected than teenagers, but this wasn’t true. Younger children with infections just weren’t getting tested. The study also found nearly half of infected children were asymptomatic. This is about <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa955/5869860">twice what’s typically seen in adults</a>.</p>
<h2>But children do transmit the virus</h2>
<p>We’ve known for a while that around the <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2768952">same amount</a> of viral genetic material can be found in the nose and throat of both children and adults.</p>
<p>But that doesn’t necessarily mean children will transmit the same way adults do. Because children have a smaller lung capacity and are less likely to have symptoms, they might release less virus into the environment.</p>
<p>However, a new study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6944e1.htm?s_cid=mm6944e1_w">children and adults were similarly likely to transmit the virus</a> to their household contacts.</p>
<p>Another study, of more than 84,000 cases and their close contacts, in India found <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6517/691">children and young adults were especially likely to transmit the virus</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/children-might-play-a-bigger-role-in-covid-transmission-than-first-thought-schools-must-prepare-144947">Children might play a bigger role in COVID transmission than first thought. Schools must prepare</a>
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<p>Most of the children in these studies likely had symptoms. So, it’s unclear if asymptomatic children transmit the virus in the same way. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/1/20-3849_article">outbreaks in childcare centres</a> have shown transmission by children who don’t show symptoms still occurs. During an outbreak at two childcare centres in Utah, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e3.htm?s_cid=mm6937e3_w">asymptomatic children transmitted the virus</a> to their family members, which resulted in the hospitalisation of one parent.</p>
<h2>What we know about outbreaks in Australian schools</h2>
<p>Schools didn’t appear to be a major driver of the epidemic in Victoria, although <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-02/coronavirus-changes-victorian-schools-and-child-care-explained/12516544">most students switched to remote learning</a> around the peak of the second wave. </p>
<p>However, schools did contribute to community transmission to some extent. This was made clear by the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-09/al-taqwa-college-coronavirus-covid19-cluster-melbourne-truganina/12437584">Al-Taqwa College cluster</a>, which was linked to outbreaks in Melbourne’s public housing towers.</p>
<p>When researchers analysed cases in Victorian schools that occurred between the start of the epidemic and the end of August 2020, they found infections in schools <a href="https://www.mcri.edu.au/news/covid-19-victorian-schools-and-childcare-mainly-driven-community-transmission-analysis-finds%C2%A0">mirrored what was happening in the community overall</a>. They also found 66% of all infections in schools were limited to a single person.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/behind-victorias-decision-to-open-primary-schools-to-all-students-report-shows-covid-transmission-is-rare-147006">Behind Victoria's decision to open primary schools to all students: report shows COVID transmission is rare</a>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A closed-school sign on the gate." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370690/original/file-20201123-19-13hnxin.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Most students in Victoria switched to remote learning at the peak of the second wave.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/school-closed-sign-protective-mask-hanging-1678762111">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>This might seem encouraging, but we have to remember this virus is characterised by superspreading events. We <a href="https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/5-67">now know that about 10% of infected people</a> are responsible for about 80% of secondary COVID-19 cases.</p>
<p>Two major studies from <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1092-0">Hong Kong</a> and <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6517/691">India</a> revealed about 70% of people didn’t transmit the virus to anyone. The problem, is the remainder can potentially infect a lot of people.</p>
<p>What happened in Victorian schools was entirely consistent with this. </p>
<p>The risk associated with schools rises with the level of community transmission. The picture internationally has made this clear.</p>
<h2>What we know about outbreaks in schools, internationally</h2>
<p>After schools reopened in Montreal, Canada, school clusters quickly outnumbered those in workplaces and health-care settings combined. President of the Quebec Association of Infectious Disease Microbiologists, <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-schools-now-driving-force-of-covid-19-spread-experts">Karl Weiss, said</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Schools were the driver to start the second wave in Quebec, although the government did not recognise it.</p>
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<p>A report by Israel’s Ministry of Health concluded <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-report-finds-kids-more-likely-to-catch-virus-than-adults/">school reopening played at least some role in accelerating the epidemic</a> there, and that schools may contribute to the spread of the virus unless community transmission is low. In the Czech Republic, a rapid surge in cases following the reopening of schools prompted the mayor of Prague to describe schools as “<a href="https://www.news4teachers.de/2020/09/prags-buergermeister-schulen-sind-zu-covid-tauschboersen-geworden/">COVID trading exchanges</a>”.</p>
<p>The opposite pattern has been seen when schools have closed. England just witnessed a drop in new cases, followed by a return to growth, coinciding with the <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/208413/coronavirus-prevalence-remains-high-some-evidence/">half-term school holidays</a>. This was before any lockdown measures were introduced in the country.</p>
<p>These observations are consistent with a study examining the effect of imposing and lifting different restrictions in 131 countries. Researchers found school closures were associated with a reduction in R — the measure of how fast the virus is spreading — while <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30785-4/fulltext">reopening schools was associated with an increase</a>.</p>
<p>The risk has been spelled out most clearly by the president of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s equivalent of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, he <a href="https://twitter.com/AscotBlack/status/1329710952850272257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1329710952850272257%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fdrafts%2F150523%2Fedit">reported the virus</a> is being carried into schools, and also back out into the community.</p>
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<h2>What we need to do</h2>
<p>It won’t be possible to control the pandemic if we don’t fully address transmission by children. This means we need to take a proactive approach to schools.</p>
<p>At a minimum, <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/">precautionary measures</a> should include the use of <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-children-and-masks-related-to-covid-19">face masks</a> by staff and students (including <a href="https://www.g-f-v.org/sites/default/files/Statement%20ad%20hoc%20commission%20SARS2_englisch_final-RB_sent.pdf">primary school students</a>). Schools should also improve ventilation and indoor air quality, reduce class sizes, and ensure kids and staff practise hand hygiene. </p>
<p>School closures have a role to play as well. But they must be carefully considered because of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-21/coronavirus-what-we-know-about-long-term-effect-school-closure/12679496">harms associated with them</a>. But these harms are likely outweighed by the harms of an unmitigated epidemic.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-ww2-to-ebola-what-we-know-about-the-long-term-effects-of-school-closures-146396">From WW2 to Ebola: what we know about the long-term effects of school closures</a>
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<p>In regions with high levels of community transmission, temporary school closures should be considered. While a lockdown without school closures can probably still reduce transmission, it is unlikely to be maximally effective.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150523/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zoë Hyde does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The risk associated with schools is tied to the level of community transmission. The more community transmission there is, the more transmission there will be in schools.Zoë Hyde, Epidemiologist, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448542020-11-08T19:04:56Z2020-11-08T19:04:56ZIs learning more important than well-being? Teachers told us how COVID highlighted ethical dilemmas at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361534/original/file-20201005-16-1l9jvwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-teacher-she-sitting-looks-351401795">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As an <a href="https://educationalethics.org/">educational ethicist</a>, I research teachers’ ethical obligations. These can include their personal ethics such as protecting students from harm, respect for justice and truth, and professional norms like social conformity, collegial loyalty and personal well-being.</p>
<p>Moral tensions in schools can come about when certain categories of norms conflict with each other. For example, sometimes students’ best interests are pitted against available resources. These present difficult decisions for the teacher, the school community and its leaders. </p>
<p>As part of a <a href="https://www.justiceinschools.org/event/educational-ethics-during-global-pandemic-discussion-group-research-study-educators">global study</a> on educational ethics during the pandemic, I conducted focus groups with Australian childcare, preschool, primary and secondary school teachers to find out what ethical issues were most pressing for them.</p>
<p>Below are three ways in which the pandemic highlighted existing tensions between ethical priorities.</p>
<h2>1. Student well-being versus learning</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf">Australian Professional Standards for Teachers</a> emphasise student well-being is important to learning. But they note teachers’ main priority is making sure the student learns at their stage of the <a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/">Australian National Curriculum</a>. </p>
<p>During COVID, this flipped and well-being took precedence. A primary school teacher told me:</p>
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<p>It’s the first time in my teaching career where the learning became a low priority, and well-being took over … if we could keep them chugging along, that was good enough.</p>
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<p>An Aboriginal-identifying teacher who shared their strong cultural background with students said: </p>
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<p>… a lot of the Aboriginal students … didn’t have access to … resources. And so there was already this disconnect that became even wider by the time they had to learn from home … Some students were not able to complete the work that I was putting on the online forum because they were caring for little brothers and sisters when they were at home … or home life was extremely volatile …</p>
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<p>A secondary school teacher said:</p>
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<p>There were certain students that we were made aware of by the well-being coordinators that we weren’t to make contact with. If there were more extenuating circumstances in the life of the child then we weren’t to … exacerbate that by sending emails home about them not completing work … </p>
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<p>Some teachers found it particularly difficult to identify students at heightened risk and to put in place their duty of care requirements. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-workload-was-intense-what-parents-told-us-about-remote-learning-146297">'The workload was intense': what parents told us about remote learning</a>
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<p>A public primary school principal in a low socioeconomic area said:</p>
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<p>We had a couple of instances where we would have had more contact with family, community services and since (then) we have heard stories of what happened when the children weren’t coming to school … we would have made an instant call to DOCS [Department of Community Services], but because we weren’t having that day to day contact we didn’t know. A lot of those things were hidden, very serious issues.</p>
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<h2>2. Government policy versus staff well-being</h2>
<p>Leading teachers and principals found the tension between their personal safety and that of their colleagues were often in conflict with a lag in institutional directives. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Textbooks, a mask and sanitiser on a teacher's desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Education departments often put out instructions long after principals felt the safety of their staff was compromised.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/search/schools+social+distancin">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>For instance, on March 25 The <a href="https://news.nswtf.org.au/blog/media-release/2020/03/media-release-normal-school-operations-must-end-put-health-and-safety-students-and-staff-first">NSW Teachers’ Federation</a> urged the education department to immediately prioritise the safety of staff and students. </p>
<p>But the department took time to mandate social distancing measures, school closures and learning from home. In the meantime principals were on alert for risk management, anticipating directives for extensive social distancing, such as cancelling school assemblies, before being instructed to do so. </p>
<p>One public school principal said:</p>
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<p>The federation is telling us this. The department is telling us that … I would make a decision and then a couple of weeks later … the department would come up with the same strict instructions … it was the well-being of the staff first for me … even to the point where we sent the kids home for the first week with no learning … the second that one child comes to school and catches COVID, then I’m not going to be able to live with myself.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-had-no-sanitiser-no-soap-and-minimal-toilet-paper-heres-how-teachers-feel-about-going-back-to-the-classroom-138600">'We had no sanitiser, no soap and minimal toilet paper': here's how teachers feel about going back to the classroom</a>
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<p>But it wasn’t the same in all schools. A primary school teacher in a bushfire affected area reflected on the decisions made by the principal.</p>
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<p>I’m trying to be diplomatic … We were very slow to engage with kids who were starting to be kept home from school. And we were very slow for teachers to be able to work from home and we were very quick to come back to … school … We have a parent who worked at the local high school saying, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve been working at home all week’. We haven’t even been told that’s a possibility …</p>
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<h2>3. Personal well-being versus professional integrity</h2>
<p>A teacher’s professional integrity is how they evaluate the alignment between the expectations of their role and their values. When a schism arises, it throws into question some core professional values. </p>
<p>One public school principal’s integrity had an extremely high bar.</p>
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<p>I’ll be really honest, despite all of the warnings and all of the advice, my own well-being was my last priority. And the ethical dilemma for me was, I can’t look after myself because I’ve got so many other people to look after first, despite all the warnings, despite all the advice.</p>
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<p>Teachers reported the personal cost of changing work arrangements into remote settings, concerned about how they were to fulfil their professional integrity to provide the kind of meaningful interactions students needed. </p>
<p>A secondary Catholic school teacher said:</p>
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<p>Remote learning really threw me off balance and I struggled to find myself and how I fit into that situation … I had to learn to let go and … work out what is really important.</p>
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<p>For the next generation of teachers, the dilemma was more about how to set boundaries in an emerging professional identity. </p>
<p>One early career public secondary teacher said:</p>
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<p>I did go out of my way to with my Year 11s, them being my most senior year … Which did bring up the ethical thing … there were times I would get a message at one o'clock and I’d be up but I’d say, I’m not answering that, I’m not looking at it. I’m looking at it in the morning. That’s too much in each other’s heads. And, yeah, the barriers were tough.</p>
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<p>An experienced secondary teacher in an International Baccalaureate school said:</p>
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<p>I was working sending emails at midnight, and getting up three hours before my lessons to try and make sure that the platform is working … and obviously all my lessons that I plan had to be then turned into online lessons. So that takes a whole other weekend for everything … I got WhatsApp messages at all hours … </p>
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<p>She said students sent her emails to thank her for the commitment. She realised it was a toxic message to send, and that implied this should be the norm for teachers. While teaching is a generous profession, COVID highlighted the expectations on their generosity.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-beyond-measure-what-teachers-are-saying-about-covid-19-and-the-disruption-to-education-143601">'Exhausted beyond measure': what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniella J. Forster does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An educational ethicist talked to teachers about what ethical issues were most pressing during COVID. Here are the three that featured most.Daniella J. Forster, Senior Lecturer, Educational ethics and philosophies, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1464882020-10-25T19:03:47Z2020-10-25T19:03:47ZHow creative use of technology may have helped save schooling during the pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361808/original/file-20201006-18-1fch0fn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-dancing-making-fun-pose-while-1668234745">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-executive-director-henrietta-fore-remarks-press-conference-new-updated">is estimated</a> around half the world’s students’ schools remain shut down. All told, this has been a potentially damaging disruption to the education of a generation.</p>
<p>But one of the few positive outcomes from this experience is an opportunity to rethink how digital technologies can be used to support teaching and learning in schools.</p>
<p>Our collective experiences of remote schooling offer a fleeting opportunity for schools to think more imaginatively about what “digital education” might look like in the future.</p>
<p>This is not to echo the hype (currently being pushed by many education reformers and IT industry actors) that COVID will prove a <a href="https://edtechdigest.com/2020/05/13/learning-and-leadership/">tipping-point</a> after which schools will be <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/">pushed fully</a> into digital education.</p>
<p>On the contrary, the past six months of hastily implemented <a href="https://edtechdigest.com/2020/05/13/learning-and-leadership/">emergency remote schooling</a> tell us little about how school systems might go fully virtual, or operate on a “blended” (part online, part face-to-face) basis. Any <a href="https://www.worldsofeducation.org/en/woe_homepage/woe_detail/16856/the-edtech-pandemic-shock-by-ben-williamson-anna-hogan">expectations of profiting</a> from the complete digital reform of education is well wide of the mark.</p>
<p>Instead, the most compelling technology-related lessons to take from the pandemic involve the informal, improvised, scrappy digital practices that have helped teachers, students and parents get through school at home.</p>
<h2>Technology during the pandemic</h2>
<p>All over the world, school shutdowns have seen teachers, students and families get together to achieve great things with relatively simple technologies. This includes the surprising rise of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53079625">TikTok</a> as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/28/green-teen-memes-how-tiktok-could-save-the-planet-aoe">source</a> of <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/angelicaamartinez/tiktok-creators">informal learning content</a>. Previously the domain of young content creators, remote schooling saw teachers of all ages turn to the video platform to <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=7656">share bite-size (up to one minute) chunks</a> of teaching, give inspirational feedback, set learning challenges or simply show students and parents how they were coping. </p>
<p>TikTok also been used as a place for educational organisations, public figures and celebrity scientists to <a href="https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-announces-learnontiktok-initiative-to-encourage-education-during-lo/578805/">produce bespoke learning content</a>, as well as allowing teachers to put together materials for a wider audience.</p>
<p>Even <a href="https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/District_Dossier/2020/07/meet_the_principals_of_tiktok_.html">principals</a> have used it to keep in contact with their school — making 60-second video addresses, motivational speeches and other alternatives to the traditional school assembly speech.</p>
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<p>Classes in some countries have been <a href="https://uxdesign.cc/a-unique-opportunity-for-whatsapp-to-take-over-classrooms-cc9048b97ca0">run through WhatsApp</a>, primarily because this was one platform most students and families had access to, and were used to using in their everyday lives.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, teachers have set up virtual <a href="https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/07/30/bitmoji-classrooms-why-teachers-are-buzzing-about.html">BitMoji classrooms</a> featuring colourful backdrops and cartoon avatars of themselves. These spaces act as a friendly online version of their familiar classroom space for students to check in and find out what they should be learning, access resources and temporarily feel they were back at school.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tiktok-can-be-good-for-your-kids-if-you-follow-a-few-tips-to-stay-safe-144002">TikTok can be good for your kids if you follow a few tips to stay safe</a>
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<p>Some teachers have worked out <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20200831/teachers-in-district-220-find-creative-ways-to-teach-virtually">creative ways of Zoom-based teaching</a>. These stretch beyond the streamed lecture format and include live demonstrations, experiments, and live music and pottery workshops.</p>
<p>Social media, apps and games have proven convenient places for teachers to <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/kindergarten-teacher-tiktok-energy-viral">share insights</a> into their classroom practice, while students can <a href="https://m.facebook.com/abcmelbourne/videos/2778263975790515/?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fstory.php&_rdr">quickly show</a> teachers and classmates what they have been working on. </p>
<p>These informal uses of digital media have played an important role in boosting students, teachers and parents with a bit of human contact, and additional motivation to connect and learn.</p>
<h2>So, what now?</h2>
<p>All this will come as <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Good-Reception-Teachers-Mobile-Angeles/dp/0262037084/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=antero+garcia&qid=1600463690&s=books&sr=1-7">little surprise</a> to <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Beyond-Technology-Childrens-Learning-Digital/dp/0745638813">long-term</a> <a href="https://clalliance.org/publications/hanging-out-messing-around-and-geeking-out-tenth-anniversary-edition/">advocates</a> of popular forms of digital media in education. There is a sound evidence base for the educational benefits of such technology.</p>
<p>For example, a <a href="https://clalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CLRN_Report.pdf">decade’s worth of studies</a> has developed a <a href="https://clalliance.org/about-connected-learning/">robust framework</a> (and many examples) of how students and educators can make the most of personal digital media inside and outside the classroom. These include allowing students to participate in online fan-fiction writing communities, digital journalism, music production and podcasting. </p>
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<p>The past ten years has also seen a <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=4388">rise in e-sports</a> — where teams of young people compete in video games.</p>
<p>This stresses the interplay between digital media, learning driven by students’ interests and passions, and online communities of peers. Informal digital media can be a boon for otherwise <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/digital-youth-network">marginalised and disadvantaged youth</a> and allowing students to find supportive communities of like-minded peers regardless of their local circumstances.</p>
<p>Australia continues to be one of the few countries in the world where <a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-mobile-phones-in-schools-beneficial-or-risky-heres-what-the-evidence-says-119456">classroom use of smartphones is banned</a> by some governments. Some of the most popular social media platforms, content creation apps, and open sites such as YouTube remain <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/education/schools/procedures/webfiltering">filtered and blocked</a> in many schools too.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-mobile-phones-in-schools-beneficial-or-risky-heres-what-the-evidence-says-119456">Banning mobile phones in schools: beneficial or risky? Here's what the evidence says</a>
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<p>At the same time, official forms of school technology are <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/19/131155/classroom-technology-holding-students-back-edtech-kids-education/">increasingly criticised</a> for being boring, overly-standardised, and largely serving institutional imperatives, rather than pitched toward the interests of students and teachers.</p>
<p>Concerns are growing over the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/06/25/new-concerns-raised-about-well-known-digital-learning-platform/">limited educational benefits</a> of personalised learning systems, as well as the <a href="https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2020/june/1590933600/anna-krien/screens-ate-school#mtr">data and privacy implications</a> of school platforms and systems such as Google Classroom.</p>
<p>The past six months have seen many schools forced to make the best of whatever technologies were immediately to hand. Previously reticent teachers now have first-hand experience of making use of unfamiliar technologies. Many parents are now on board with the educational potential of social media and games. Most importantly, students have been given a taste of what they can achieve with “their” own technology.</p>
<p>With US schools now exploring the benefits of establishing official <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/education/469079-the-tiktok-generation">TikTok creation clubs</a> to enhance their video-making skills, it might be time for Australian educators to follow suit. Let’s take the opportunity to re-establish schools as places where teachers, students and families can work together to creatively learn with the devices and apps most familiar to their everyday lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146488/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Neil Selwyn receives funding from the Australian Research Council</span></em></p>COVID has shown us how powerful educational uses of digital technology can be informal, impromptu and conducted on the fly.Neil Selwyn, Distinguished Research Professor, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1458452020-09-22T20:10:09Z2020-09-22T20:10:09ZCoronavirus disrupted my kid’s first year of school. Will that set them back?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359007/original/file-20200921-22-f4yr3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-boy-girl-playing-outdoors-face-1635619165">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Students in the first year of school to Year 10 have been <a href="https://education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/term3.aspx">learning remotely</a> in Victoria. It’s estimated first-year students (known as prep in Victoria) in areas that have been under lockdown for some time <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/veteran-principal-says-more-prep-students-may-need-to-repeat-next-year-20200830-p55qns.html">have missed around 12 weeks</a> of classroom schooling in terms two and three.</p>
<p>These first year students will also be <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/restrictions-in-victoria-to-ease-from-midnight/news-story/95d35093d9f7230f6ab7479c3f9157ec">one of the first groups to return</a> to face to face classes when restrictions start easing in Melbourne. In <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-11/coronavirus-queensland-back-to-school/12199118">other states</a> when restrictions lifted, students in the first years of school, and the most senior years, were the first to go back.</p>
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<p>This recognises the first year is important for children’s education. It provides the foundations for literacy, numeracy and socialisation, which all matter for lifelong success. </p>
<p>Given the disruption in 2020 to this important year of school all across Australia — particularly in Victoria — <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/veteran-principal-says-more-prep-students-may-need-to-repeat-next-year-20200830-p55qns.html">some school leaders have expressed concern over disadvantaged students</a>, such as those living in households where English is a second language, and suggested children repeat the year in 2021.</p>
<p>Parents may be concerned about how this year’s disruption has affected their kids. But how worried should they really be?</p>
<p>Parents should remember that while remote school may look different to “normal” school, children are still being taught; they are still learning and many are still actively engaged in the curriculum. Teachers are still teaching, developing lessons and engaging with children in their learning. </p>
<p>Here are four other things to keep in mind.</p>
<h2>1. Parent engagement matters as much as learning at school</h2>
<p>Research shows <a href="https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/towards-best-practice-parent-involvement.pdf?acsf_files_redirect">parents’ engagement is one of the most important influences</a> on children learning. Children’s educational outcomes improve not only when parents are actively engaged in their learning, but also when parents are genuinely interested. </p>
<p>So, simply asking your children how their day went and what they learnt can enhance their outcomes. </p>
<p>Remote schooling has highlighted inequities in the way children access education. This is particularly so for children who may not be confident English speakers, or families who have limited access to technology at home. But those aren’t the only tools necessary for success.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-your-kids-with-homework-without-doing-it-for-them-126192">How to help your kids with homework (without doing it for them)</a>
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<p>Home resources also include <a href="https://www.educationreview.com.au/2020/04/education-expert-john-hattie-weighs-in-on-the-impacts-of-distance-learning/">parents who are interested</a>, supportive and committed to their child’s learning. And being confident in English isn’t mandatory either. Education <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/languages/manage/Pages/speakyourlanguage.aspx">departments encourage</a> multilingual parents to speak their own language to the child as much as possible, as this actually enhances their English skills and helps with memory and attention. </p>
<h2>2. Kids don’t start school as a blank slate</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/covid-19-practical-tips-for-early-years-teaching-and-learning">importance of the early years of a child’s education</a> (from birth to eight) is well documented. When children enter the first year of formal schooling, they do not begin as a blank slate. </p>
<p>Across Australia, around 90% of children starting school <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/education/early-childhood-education">have already attended preschool</a>. They start school with a <a href="https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/starting-strong-v_9789264276253-en#page1">range of skills and abilities</a> — including having learnt independence, how to develop relationships and how to acquire new knowledge — that significantly contribute to their later school success. </p>
<h2>3. It’s not what kids know that matters</h2>
<p>More important than what children know is how they engage as learners. Children’s social and emotional competence is a significant measure of later school success. Having a <a href="https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/article/why-childrens-dispositions-should-matter-all-teachers#:%7E:text=The%20link%20between%20dispositions%20and,%E2%80%9D%20(2002%2C%20246)">positive attitude</a> towards learning, a positive sense of self, strong emotional well-being and strong social competence are key indicators for effective learning. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Legs and feet of child paying hopscotch." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359215/original/file-20200922-22-1mbktr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Children start school already having a range of skills and abilities they need for success.</span>
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<p>Rather than focusing on what academic learning kids may have missed, parents and teachers can support children to develop these <a href="https://www.ecrh.edu.au/docs/default-source/resources/ipsp/learning-to-learn-positive-dispositions-as-a-learning-curriculum.pdf?sfvrsn=6">positive dispositions</a>. </p>
<h2>4. Other factors affect learning</h2>
<p>Nobody knows exactly how children’s learning and success will have been affected by the disruption to schools over 2020. There are, however, studies investigating how children’s learning was affected when school was disrupted due to natural disasters.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdev.13200">2019 study</a> looked at the effects of school disruptions due to bushfires in Australia. It found a reduction in expected gains in Year 3 to 5 NAPLAN scores in schools affected by the bushfires. But a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1753-6405.12625#:%7E:text=Objective%3A%20To%20examine%20the%20impact,transition%20period%20of%20school%20leaving.&text=Results%3A%20Despite%20concerns%20about%20negative,a%20consequence%20of%20the%20earthquakes">2016 study</a> into long-term effects on academic success for children who went through the Christchurch earthquake found increased school disengagement had no bearing on poorer academic performance. </p>
<p>These findings need to be considered in context. In both situations, children experienced trauma associated with being displaced, the loss of family and friends, and homes and schools destroyed. Trauma is <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=learning_processes">linked to poorer educational outcomes</a>. </p>
<p>We know many children are currently experiencing levels of trauma due to what they are seeing and hearing in the media, whose parents may have lost jobs, or whose family has been impacted by the illness. For these children, trauma may have affected their learning during the remote learning period. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-every-teacher-needs-to-know-about-childhood-trauma-132965">Why every teacher needs to know about childhood trauma</a>
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<p>However, given the findings from these previous events, when children do return to the classroom, they will be returning to an environment in which they feel safe and connected. It is important for teachers to recognise these children may have experienced trauma and to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-017-0774-9">create a supportive classroom environment</a>.</p>
<p>When contemplating whether your child should repeat their foundation year, it is important to not focus on what they haven’t achieved. </p>
<p>Instead, focus on their dispositions for learning, their self-confidence, and their emotional well-being, as these will be better predictors of their ability to catch up.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145845/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>In her role as Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, Elizabeth Rouse has worked on a number of research projects funded to the University by the Victorian Department of Education, the Frak Leydon Trust and the International Baccalaureate.
Elizabeth Rouse is currently a member of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), The European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA); the Early Childhood Association (ECA), Australian Community Children's Servies (ACCS) and Community Child Care Victoria (CCC).</span></em></p>Remote school may look different to ‘normal’ school, but children are still being taught; they are still learning and many are still actively engaged in the curriculum.Elizabeth Rouse, Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1466722020-09-22T04:51:24Z2020-09-22T04:51:24Z$7.6 billion and 11% of researchers: our estimate of how much Australian university research stands to lose by 2024<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359249/original/file-20200922-24-1n1acjr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/team-medical-research-scientists-collectively-working-691541095">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian university research funding is made up of discretionary income that comes from various sources, including international student fees. This is additional to the funding, including government grants, specifically received for research activities. </p>
<p>Universities spent <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/technology-and-innovation/research-and-experimental-development-higher-education-organisations-australia/latest-release">A$12.2 billion on research</a> in 2018. Discretionary income used to fund Australian university research that year amounted to $6 billion, of which $3.1 billion came from international student fees. </p>
<p>This means international student fees made up 51% of all the externally sourced research income.</p>
<p>We <a href="https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/lh-martin-institute/fellow-voices/individual-university-research-funding-challenges">have estimated</a> the loss of international student revenue due to COVID-19 will mean the discretionary income available to support research will decline to less than 30% of external funding for 2020 and beyond. This is equivalent to a decrease of between $6.4 billion and $7.6 billion from 2020–24.</p>
<p>The associated reduction in the Australian university research workforce will be in the range 5,100 to 6,100 researchers. This includes graduate research students, research assistants and academic research leaders. </p>
<p>This amounts to around 11% of the current research force.</p>
<p>We relied on cost of teaching data used by the Australian government to determine funding rates for domestic student places to make our estimates.</p>
<h2>The universities most affected</h2>
<p>All Australian universities will be affected. But our modelling identifies 13 universities likely to be most at risk because of the size of their research effort and their international student programs. </p>
<p>These are the research-intensive Group of Eight universities: The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, UNSW, Monash University, The University of Queensland, ANU, The University of Western Australia and Adelaide University. </p>
<p>These universities account for 70% of the total research funding shortfall. </p>
<p>Five other universities account for 18% of the research funding shortfall: UTS, Deakin University, Macquarie University, QUT and Griffith University.</p>
<p>The impact of the fee losses on the other 25 universities is just 12% of the total.</p>
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<p>Some of the 13 universities are facing significantly greater risk to their research programs because they are committing a proportionately greater amount of discretionary fee income than the sector average of 51% to fund research. </p>
<p>We have rated UTS, Deakin and Macquarie at extremely high risk. For Sydney, Melbourne, UNSW, QUT, Griffith and Queensland the risk will be very high, while for Monash, Adelaide, ANU and UWA, risks will be moderately high.</p>
<p>Research rankings and global university reputations are at risk if effective mitigation actions are not achieved. </p>
<h2>What needs to be done</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A marine biologist observing a coral." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359255/original/file-20200922-24-lp2ukt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Collaborations across sectors pools research expertise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sabah-malaysia-19-mac-2011-marine-318686651">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Given their reliance on international student revenue to sustain research, universities must place a high priority on restoring, as quickly as possible, existing international student markets or building new markets in other countries. The government can help by promoting stronger international engagement and fast-tracking student visas when borders reopen.</p>
<p>Universities will need also to identify savings in other spending areas such as infrastructure investment, and identify alternative revenue sources such as increased donations, royalties and investment income.</p>
<p>Broader collaborations between industries, universities and government research agencies such as CSIRO, DST (Defence, Science and Technology) and AIMS (The Australian Institute of Marine Science) are in the national interest, as it pools expertise across sectors. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, enhanced collaborations between industry and universities will be limited because Australia’s current level of business research and experimental development is low, compared to the OECD benchmark. In 2018, Australia’s <a href="https://data.oecd.org/rd/gross-domestic-spending-on-r-d.htm">research and development investment</a> was 1.97% of GDP compared with the OECD average of 2.4%.</p>
<p>Establishing an independent “research and innovation council” representing private research institutes, universities, publicly funded government research agencies and industries with a strong research and development focus has considerable merit.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-10-000-job-losses-billions-in-lost-revenue-coronavirus-will-hit-australias-research-capacity-harder-than-the-gfc-138210">More than 10,000 job losses, billions in lost revenue: coronavirus will hit Australia's research capacity harder than the GFC</a>
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<p>Such a body could provide governments with independent strategic research advice to underpin internationally competitive programs. This includes proposing national research priorities important for economic development and social well-being. This council could also play a valuable advocacy role in promoting the national benefits of investment in research.</p>
<p>Individual universities should rigorously reappraise their own research strengths and potential capabilities. This could sharpen their focus on priority areas and increase research performance. </p>
<p>These actions can be combined with an analysis of other university spending — including on administrative services and corporate overheads — to reduce the need for further savings in high-performing research areas.</p>
<p>The federal government needs to acknowledge there is a crisis in university research funding. To date, a coordinated policy response has been muted. While the government has established a <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tehan/research-sustainability-working-group">research sustainability working group</a> — made up of vice chancellors and others who are to provide advice to the education minister — no other initiatives have been announced. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-what-australian-universities-can-do-to-recover-from-the-loss-of-international-student-fees-139759">COVID-19: what Australian universities can do to recover from the loss of international student fees</a>
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<p>Undoubtedly, the most vexed issue is the under-funding of the indirect costs of research linked to competitive grants and contracts. This is a critical unresolved policy issue sought by universities for at least two decades.</p>
<p>The pandemic highlights the research contribution universities are making to state and regional economies. State governments should also be identifying initiatives they can take to mitigate the research disruptions universities are confronting.</p>
<p>Fundamentally, increased collaborative investment across industry, governments, universities and private research institutions are essential to alleviate the research funding shortfall and protect Australia’s international research and innovation standing in a post COVID-19 world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146672/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We estimate the reduction in international student fees will lead to a loss of 5,100 to 6,100 researchers by 2024, with some universities more affected than others.Frank Larkins, Professor Emeritus and Former Deputy Vice Chancellor, The University of MelbourneIan Marshman, Honorary Principal Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1450102020-08-25T04:23:09Z2020-08-25T04:23:09ZNSW hits pause on school choirs, but we can’t stop the music forever<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354489/original/file-20200825-20-1vf0jgc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-school-children-singing-choir-together-272254136">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The NSW health department recently <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/cho-advice-education.aspx">instructed schools</a> to stop certain activities to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Among these — which includes school formals and graduation ceremonies — is a ban to all “school-related group singing or chanting activities and use of wind instruments in groups”.</p>
<p>These <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/coronavirus-warning-over-musical-instruments-c-1220818">guidelines came after new evidence emerged</a> that such activities could potentially contribute to the spread of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. The velocity with which airborne particles of the virus can be expelled from the mouth while singing is much greater than when speaking. This means the usual social distancing rules schools are adopting may not prevent the virus being passed between students when they sing.</p>
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<p>These measures are of course necessary, at least temporarily, to protect the community against further transmission of COVID-19. But the thought a ban on group singing in schools might be part of our new normal is frightening.</p>
<p>There is nothing quite like the sound of a group of children singing together. I can still remember my first experience of singing in a choir when I was in third grade, and the hair-raising thrill of being part of a large group of children singing in four-part harmony at the Sydney Opera House.</p>
<p>But this is about more than just fun for our children. The social and <a href="https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199660773.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199660773-e-017">psychological benefits of singing</a> are well established. It is important we find innovative solutions to make it safe for singing to become a part of classroom activities again as soon as possible. </p>
<h2>Singing is integral to humans</h2>
<p>Singing has been part of human communication for thousands of years. Singing, or something much like it, may even <a href="https://www.vpr.org/post/timeline-which-came-first-language-or-music#stream/0">pre-date human speech</a>. </p>
<p>Speech is composed of both the linguistic content — the words — and what is known as prosody — the song-like element in which we vary the pitch and rhythm of our speech to communicate emotion. Some <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-musical-self/201209/which-came-first-music-or-language">theorists argue</a> this song-like element may have been an important way for our ancestors to communicate prior to the development of speech and might have been the pre-cursor to song.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">There’s nothing quite like the sound of a group of children singing. (Colour Music children’s choir from the Ukraine)</span></figcaption>
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<p>Music may also play an important role in parent-child bonding, which is important to the survival of human children who are born relatively dependent compared to other species. Even before birth, singing is a way parents bond with their child. Newborn babies <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030025557">can recognise</a> both their mother’s voice and music they heard in utero.</p>
<p>And singing still serves important functions. Group singing provides a sense of social connection and unity. One <a href="https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/abs/10.1027/1864-9335/a000282?journalCode=zsp">study found</a> group singing in primary-school aged children increases cooperativeness more than participation in group art or games.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-song-in-your-heart-shouldnt-lead-to-an-infection-in-your-lungs-reasons-to-get-with-online-choirs-137705">proliferation of virtual choirs</a> on social media during lockdowns across the world are testament to the way group singing connects us. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-song-in-your-heart-shouldnt-lead-to-an-infection-in-your-lungs-reasons-to-get-with-online-choirs-137705">A song in your heart shouldn't lead to an infection in your lungs: reasons to get with online choirs</a>
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<h2>Singing in schools</h2>
<p>Singing doesn’t just make us feel closer to each other. It also has <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/56455">therapeutic and cognitive benefits</a>
For example, singing can have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735611430081">positive effects on mood</a>, such as reducing a child’s arousal levels and calming them down. </p>
<p>The opportunity to master songs and perform them can be a wonderful boost to confidence in children too. </p>
<p>Singing is also an inherent part of the way we learn. Children all over the world learn the alphabet and other important information in the form of song, and have <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-dictionary-of-nursery-rhymes-9780198600886?cc=us&lang=en&#:%7E:text=The%20Oxford%20Dictionary%20of%20Nursery%20Rhymes%20is%20now%20more%20than,by%20parents%20and%20children%20alike">done so for centuries</a>, with early songs for remembering the alphabet dating from at least as early as 1671.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Young boy wearing headphones and whistling." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354504/original/file-20200825-20-1idjzy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Singing has positive effects on mood.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/picture-stylish-cool-afro-american-schoolboy-1354900256">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>We transmit cultural information in this way too. Some <a href="https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/articles/connection-dreamtime-songlines/">Aboriginal tribes use song</a> to provide children with an understanding of their Dreamtime beliefs.</p>
<p>In some schools, particularly infant and primary schools, singing is part of the daily routine. It is used first thing in the morning so children start their day with a sense of unity and positivity and can cope better with the transition from home to the classroom. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/learning-music-early-can-make-your-child-a-better-reader-106066">Learning music early can make your child a better reader</a>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.nfhs.org/media/4029952/preliminary-testing-report-7-13-20.pdf">recent research</a> around singing and COVID-19 suggests transmission options such as singing with masks on, or singing outdoors with greater spacing between students, might be viable solutions. </p>
<p>Our teachers are nothing if not versatile, as recent events have demonstrated. In current circumstances, we will need to be creative to ensure our children can experience the important benefits of group music making in school situations while adhering to health guidelines.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145010/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandra Garrido does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Singing is integral to humans. And it has important social and psychological benefits for children.Sandra Garrido, NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellow, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1449332020-08-24T20:05:12Z2020-08-24T20:05:12Z3 education questions the Victorian government should answer at the COVID-19 inquiry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354315/original/file-20200824-24-diewcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-students-huddle-together-654250039">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today, Victorian Education Minister James Merlino will front the <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/paec/inquiries/inquiry/1000">state parliamentary inquiry</a> into the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He should answer these three questions on the handling of schools. </p>
<h2>Q 1. How will the government help disadvantaged students catch up?</h2>
<p>Victorian children have now been in remote schooling for about 17 weeks or almost two terms — virtually half of their 2020 school year. Many will have fallen behind in their learning, but the most vulnerable students will have been hit hardest. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/">analysis shows</a> the equity gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students grows at triple the rate during remote schooling. Even in the best case scenario — where remote schooling was delivered well — disadvantaged students are likely to have lost at least two months of learning over the period. In schools where remote schooling was of average quality, disadvantaged students are likely to have gone backwards.</p>
<p>The government should be providing extra resources to help vulnerable children catch up fast. This can be done through small-group tutoring and targeted literacy and numeracy programs. The Grattan Institute analysis recommended an investment in these two areas of A$1.2 billion nationally — including over A$350 million in Victoria – at the end of term two. With more remote schooling in term three, the need is now even bigger.</p>
<p>For small-group tuition programs, disadvantaged students would receive regular short sessions in reading and maths, three or four times a week over 12 weeks. Tuition is expensive, but it can increase student learning by an additional five months over one or two terms of schooling.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disadvantaged-students-may-have-lost-1-month-of-learning-during-covid-19-shutdown-but-the-government-can-fix-it-140540">Disadvantaged students may have lost 1 month of learning during COVID-19 shutdown. But the government can fix it</a>
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<p>Young university graduates and student teachers should be hired as tutors where possible. They make good tutors, and will also be hit harder by the recession than older Australians, which will make them more likely to spend the extra income quickly, stimulating the economy at the same time. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/education-53100881">UK government</a> has already announced £1 billion (A$1.8 billion) of extra support for disadvantaged students, with investments in a new <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/">national tutoring scheme</a>. Our governments should spend big, and quickly.</p>
<h2>Q 2. What extra money will the government provide to improve students’ mental health?</h2>
<p>Many students, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7195413/">especially those with pre-existing mental-health issues</a>, will have found social isolation hard during remote schooling. And many children have had to deal with family hardships due to loss of income, as well as the added stress of remote learning.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/paec/COVID-19_Inquiry/Report/PAEC_59-07_Vic_Gov_response_COVID-19_Interim_report.pdf">interim inquiry report into the government’s response to COVID-19</a> highlights that around 25% of secondary schools now have a mental health practitioner on staff, but many are still concerned about inconsistency in accessing support across schools. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A side view of a girl on the couch, with knees to her chest and chin on hand looking away from camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Mental health issues have increased among young people during the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/side-view-young-woman-looking-away-1196187574">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Given the increase in demand from young people for <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/new-mental-health-clinics-support-victorians-during-covid-19-pandemic">mental-health services</a>, the minister should clarify what the average wait times are for students referred, along with plans to ensure they are reasonable in the near future. </p>
<p>Importantly, the minister should demonstrate how the government will support primary school students, not just secondary students. <a href="https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/mental-health/prevention-and-promotion/early-intervention-in-mental-health">Early mental-health support</a> for children is key to preventing ongoing problems down the track, and primary school is notoriously overlooked in this area.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-safeguard-childrens-mental-health-during-covid-19-parents-must-look-after-their-own-143897">To safeguard children's mental health during COVID-19, parents must look after their own</a>
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<p>More broadly, the minister should demonstrate plans for teachers to have adequate training in how to identify and refer students who may be struggling. This is also highlighted as an area of need in the <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/paec/COVID-19_Inquiry/Report/PAEC_59-07_Vic_Gov_response_COVID-19_Interim_report.pdf">interim report</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, all students will need extra support to readjust from the period of social isolation. <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/tools/guidance-reports/social-and-emotional-learning/">Evidence</a> shows what the teacher does in the classroom, in their routines and everyday teaching, is key to helping students build social and emotional skills. </p>
<p>It’s a sophisticated art, and students can be harmed if teachers don’t do this properly. For example, asking students to talk about the challenges they faced during home learning can be damaging if they suffered negative experiences or trauma. Teachers need to be well trained in these areas.</p>
<h2>Q 3. How will the government better support students if there is a third or fourth wave?</h2>
<p>We’ve all been caught off guard by the pandemic. But what lessons has the government learnt about remote learning? What will be done better if there is a “next time”? </p>
<p>Asking this question is not a swipe at the minister or anyone else. The Victorian department and teachers have gone above and beyond to support learning from home. But we must be better prepared next time.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
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<p>Australia can learn from high-performing countries that were better prepared, even before the first wave hit. As discussed in our June report <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/recovery-book/">Recovery Book</a>, Singapore had a fully online curriculum ready to go. And Hong Kong had many more digital resources aligned to the curriculum that could be easily shared. Our systems can, and must, improve.</p>
<p>It will not be good enough for the minister to suggest we don’t yet know enough to make changes. It is OK to have made mistakes, but it is not OK if we’re not learning from them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144933/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann is the Acting Program Director, School Education, Grattan Institute. She is also a Board Member of The Song Room. </span></em></p>The government should have a plan for how to help disadvantaged students catch up from learning lost during the pandemic, and how to better support students with mental health issues.Julie Sonnemann, Acting Program Director, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1440042020-08-17T02:30:31Z2020-08-17T02:30:31Z‘It really sucks’: how some Year 12 students in Queensland feel about 2020<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352857/original/file-20200814-14-14536d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/graduating-senior-stuck-home-quarantine-wears-1716898450">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With a little over three months to go, Year 12 students have their sights set on the last major hurdle that will see them complete their final year of school — exams. </p>
<p>What a year it has been for them. All students have experienced disruption, some for many weeks with learning at home rolled out around the nation in its various forms.</p>
<p>Senior induction days celebrated early this year promised a very different experience for these now young adults as their rite-of-passage year slowly changed into one of postponed and finally cancelled events.</p>
<p>We conducted a series of interviews at the end of the first semester with eight Year 12 students from one Queensland school, who hope to study at university. Six were female and two male. </p>
<p>Many students said they were anxious about how COVID-19 has affected their senior year.</p>
<p>One girl said she was</p>
<blockquote>
<p>super overwhelmed and uncertain as to how my results will be affected […] I am nervous for the future […] to be honest I am a little bit down[…] I was extremely excited for senior year[…] there is also a lot of chaos in the world, which is pretty overwhelming.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But some were more positive. One commented on “having fantastic teachers”, while another said he was “excited to use technology more”. </p>
<p>Here is what else the students we spoke with had to say about their experience in 2020 and their aspirations for university in 2021.</p>
<h2>How they felt</h2>
<p>As the parent of a Year 12 student, I have had the chance to sit alongside some Year 12s and witness their journey. Like many other parents and teachers, we have been privy to their disappointments and seemingly endless capacity to pivot, adapt and recalibrate — their resilience and resolve is inspiring. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-beyond-measure-what-teachers-are-saying-about-covid-19-and-the-disruption-to-education-143601">'Exhausted beyond measure': what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Because this is <em>their</em> year, they must make it the best it can be. But for some the resolve is wearing thin. Almost all the students in our survey expressed a sense of loss about their school year. </p>
<p>One girl said</p>
<blockquote>
<p>we are missing out on a lot of these opportunities as well as being able to spend time with my friends at school</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And another girl expressed that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>it really sucks that we have already missed out on events throughout the school and we are uncertain for how long this will last. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>One girl said the class of 2020 was</p>
<blockquote>
<p>disadvantaged because many memories that we are meant to be making together in our senior year has been taken away from us.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three girls lying on towels on the beach and taking a selfie." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352861/original/file-20200814-18-al4i1q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many Year 12 students feel they have missed out on important memories.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-girlfriends-taking-selfie-beach-concept-256774570">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This highlights the important final year of schooling as a milestone — a rite of passage. </p>
<p>Only one student, who was male, had a contrary view of missing out on a normal year, saying</p>
<blockquote>
<p>it’s a great opportunity to relieve myself of many commitments and free up time to work on other endeavours — in other words, I feel pretty good about it.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What about university?</h2>
<p>This year Queensland joined the rest of the country in calculating an ATAR for university entry, whereas before they used a different system.</p>
<p>We asked students if they had concerns about university in 2021. One girl summarised many of the responses by saying</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think everyone is a little bit worried about how we will be affected as a cohort — not just because of Covid-19 but also because we are the first year level through on the new ATAR system. That was already pretty overwhelming in terms of new assessment, new university entry calculations, etc. I think that the biggest worry/uncertainty is if universities are going to be a bit more flexible with our cohort. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Students also suggested they are looking to universities to make up some of their lost experiences. One girl said</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the class of 2020 will need supportive universities with a close sense of community when we attend in 2021 to make up for some of our lost lasts. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is a sense of shared experience, a kind of bonding these students expressed, with several comments such as we are “staying positive and looking to the future” and “we just need to look after each other”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/every-victorian-year-12-student-will-have-covid-19-factored-into-their-grade-we-should-do-it-for-all-australian-students-144192">Every Victorian Year 12 student will have COVID-19 factored into their grade — we should do it for all Australian students</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Perhaps endurance and resilience have become a necessary part of the DNA of the class of 2020. These are positive behaviours that will see them through their next phase of education.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144004/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Eight Year 12 students in Queensland share how they feel about their disrupted, final year of school.Donna Pendergast, Dean, School of Educational and Professional Studies, Griffith UniversitySarah Prestridge, Senior Lecturer, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1441922020-08-11T06:49:11Z2020-08-11T06:49:11ZEvery Victorian Year 12 student will have COVID-19 factored into their grade — we should do it for all Australian students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351859/original/file-20200809-22-cvudax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/blonde-student-worried-about-exams-291680690">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the weekend, Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino, <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/supporting-students-through-pandemic">announced</a> the individual impact of COVID-19 will be taken into account for every Year 12 student in the state when calculating their VCE score and ATAR. </p>
<p>Under usual circumstances, <a href="https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6869000/a-year-like-no-other-changes-to-vce-scores-and-atar-rankings-due-to-covid-19/?cs=12">individual students are assessed</a> for special consideration on a case by case basis. But this year, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will introduce a “Consideration of Educational Disadvantage” process to recalculate VCE scores for every student, individually. </p>
<p>The authority may consider, alongside a range of formal data such as exam results, a student’s General Achievement Test (<a href="https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/vce-assessment/general-achievement-test/Pages/Index.aspx">GAT</a>), their expected achievement levels before the impact of coronavirus, and school assessments completed prior to remote and flexible learning.</p>
<p>At the heart of these announcements is an acknowledgement of individual differences. The <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/supporting-students-through-pandemic">premier’s website says</a> it may also include</p>
<blockquote>
<p>assessing the individual impact of coronavirus on each student, including school closures, direct impacts on the health of a student, students dealing with substantial extra family responsibilities, ongoing issues with remote learning and mental health challenges.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This kind of individual assessment is what educational advocates have been calling on for decades. </p>
<h2>How COVID-19 has affected students</h2>
<p>Victoria’s decision is intended to support <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/Year-12-exams-managing-stress">worried students</a> and soften the blow of the <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/victorian-year-12-students-petition-to-have-vce-exams-cancelled-amid-coronavirus-stage-4-c-1219901">graduation implications</a> complicated by the pandemic. Its social, emotional and psychological effects are being recognised alongside academic pressures.</p>
<p>Teachers and school leaders have put forth their best efforts to ensure all students have transitioned to online learning effectively. But the unexpected change may have led already vulnerable students, such as from lower socio-economic backgrounds who may not have reliable access to internet, towards further disadvantage.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1291658663329820673"}"></div></p>
<p>Students already disengaged from school may have become more disengaged during remote learning. Teachers who completed a <a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">survey</a> in Australia during the last remote learning period said many of their students were not logging in to remote classes or completing their school work. Teacher participants in <a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-beyond-measure-what-teachers-are-saying-about-covid-19-and-the-disruption-to-education-143601">another survey</a> said student disengagement and equity were a key concern.</p>
<p>Teachers have <a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">also expressed concern</a> about the emotional toll of remote learning on students. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Not all students have experienced adversity as a result of COVID-19. There are many who have thrived in home learning environments. Students who would typically experience social or separation anxiety resulting in school refusal, for instance, have found the online way of learning works better.</p>
<p>The initiatives taken by governments, such as the latest Victorian announcement, acknowledge the necessity to <a href="https://www.vtac.edu.au/results-offers/atar-explained.html">go beyond dry numbers</a> and to account for individual differences — a step towards a more inclusive education.</p>
<h2>It’s a human right</h2>
<p>The United Nation’s <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/about-us/sustainable-development-goals-sdgs-and-disability.html">Sustainable Development Goals</a> establish the core underpinnings of quality education. Specifically, goal number four is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-year-12-students-are-learning-remotely-but-they-wont-necessarily-fall-behind-143844">Victoria’s Year 12 students are learning remotely. But they won't necessarily fall behind</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Inclusive education is where all students of all capabilities have the opportunity to learn and express their abilities. Inclusion takes into account student circumstances, such as individual learning needs and health. These include well-being and behavioural challenges. </p>
<p>The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) committee has noted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>education has to be flexible so it can adapt to the needs of changing societies and communities and respond to the needs of students within their diverse social and cultural settings. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>How can we do this?</h2>
<p>Studies show <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305764X.2020.1770692">teachers see</a> school assessment as isolated, offering a limited understanding of the teaching and learning environment. Including as many aspects as possible in assessment processes seems to be more important now than ever. This might involve harnessing student perspectives or inviting parents into the conversation regarding their child’s progress. </p>
<p>Policymakers will assure student equity by providing clear grading guidelines. These can include acknowledgement of the need for <a href="https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/administration/special-provision/Pages/SpecialExaminationArrangements.aspx">special examination arrangements</a> not only during a pandemic. They could enable the support of a health-care worker during a test, for instance.</p>
<p>Universities could also work with secondary schools and agree to consider entrance exams or portfolios that are relevant to the courses students are applying for.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-are-more-than-a-number-why-a-learner-profile-makes-more-sense-than-the-atar-143539">Students are more than a number: why a learner profile makes more sense than the ATAR</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Some people may be concerned the government proposal will not result in fair outcomes across the board. But for assessment to be truly fair, each student must receive the individual level of support they need.</p>
<p>The unfolding developments of the pandemic have opened a door for a more inclusive assessment in schools. Perhaps it is time to reconsider this practice beyond the special circumstances of an outbreak and beyond VCE students, to include all year 12 students this year, and every year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144192/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Grové is a fellow of the College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists, a member of the Australian Psychological Society, and the American Psychological Association, and a member of The United Nations Association of Australia Academic Network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kelly-Ann Allen is a fellow of the College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists, a member of the Australian Psychological Society, and a member of the American Psychological Association. She is a Board Director of Early Childhood Intervention Australia VIC/TAS. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ilana Finefter-Rosenbluh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pandemic has paved the way for much-needed inclusive assessments in Victorian schools – taking into account more than only students’ academic capabilities.Ilana Finefter-Rosenbluh, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityChristine Grové, Senior Lecturer and Educational and Developmental Psychologist, Monash UniversityKelly-Ann Allen, Educational and Developmental Psychologist and Senior Lecturer, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1438442020-08-04T19:55:35Z2020-08-04T19:55:35ZVictoria’s Year 12 students are learning remotely. But they won’t necessarily fall behind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351027/original/file-20200804-18-1p918iq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In early July, <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/updates/coronavirus-covid-19/statement-premier">Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews</a> announced government school students in prep to Year 10 — in Metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire —would learn from home for term three. Students in Years 11 and 12, as well as those in Year 10 attending VCE or VCAL classes, and students with special needs, would learn face to face.</p>
<p>The exemption for students doing VCE subjects to go class was made to ensure the least amount of disruption to the final years of schooling. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1282168564238086144"}"></div></p>
<p>From today, however, after the announcement of harsher, Stage 4 restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne and Stage 3 restrictions for the rest of Victoria, students in Years 11 and 12 will learn remotely with every other student in the state. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-actually-is-an-atar-first-of-all-its-a-rank-not-a-score-126594">What actually is an ATAR? First of all it's a rank, not a score</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So, will remote learning at the end of schooling mean Victorian students will fall behind the rest of the country?</p>
<h2>Setting up Year 12s for further learning</h2>
<p>Year 12 marks the end of school and the shift to work and further education for most students. </p>
<p>The Year 12 journey is sprinkled with milestones and rites of passage: the school formal, leadership opportunities, gaining independence with a new driver’s license and for many, turning 18 and being regarded as an adult.</p>
<p>In classrooms, learning is highly regulated by the teacher. Whereas in vocational education and training, and university, learning is rapidly moving to a more online, independent, mode. Even before the pandemic, post-school education required students to be more self-directed learners than they were at school. </p>
<p>This year’s Year 12 students won’t experience many common milestones and rites of passage. But many will have gained significant experiences of learning online, and independently — beyond what they ordinarily would have — which will set them up for similar learning beyond school. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/year-12-can-be-stressful-but-setting-strong-and-healthy-goals-can-help-you-thrive-131028">Year 12 can be stressful, but setting strong and healthy goals can help you thrive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The chance to develop online learning capabilities while being supported by their school teachers will give Year 12s learning remotely a real advantage.</p>
<h2>Year 12s like learning independently</h2>
<p>We conducted a survey of students who experienced remote schooling during March and April this year at an independent school in Queensland. Overall 1,032 students completed the survey, across prep to Year 12. </p>
<p>Just over 41% of students, overall, said they found learning at home stressful. But this was generally not the case for students in Year 12. Year 12 students were keen for the flexibility to learn at their own pace, and being free to determine the order of study each week, rather than follow a timetable set by the school.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Younger students find remote learning more stressful than do Year 12s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/stressed-teen-boy-studying-laptop-while-1096311866">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Year 12 students said they preferred to concentrate on one subject a day and to work intensely.</p>
<p>Generally Year 12 students said they disliked live video sessions and found them disruptive to their study flow. While 75% of Grade 7 students valued form class or home room live sessions, only 16% of Grade 12 students did. They preferred to spend their time focusing on given subject materials.</p>
<h2>Is online learning inferior to face to face?</h2>
<p>Studies <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1753-6405.12625">have suggested online learning</a> is likely to be less effective than classroom education over the longer-term. But <a href="https://credo.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj6481/f/online_charter_study_final.pdf">there is also evidence</a> to suggest <a href="https://cep.org.au/what-we-do/rural-learning-support/blended-learning/">the impact may be negligible</a> in the short term.</p>
<p>Other studies suggest <a href="https://www.learntechlib.org/p/98390/">there is no significant difference</a> in learning outcomes between students in distance education (when students live too far from the school to attend in person) and face-to-face learning.</p>
<p>But there are significant variations in outcomes within each approach. This means a student’s ability to learn online, the design of the online learning environment and even the amount of time needed for students to get familiar with learning online can affect their outcomes.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/studying-for-exams-heres-how-to-make-your-memory-work-for-you-124586">Studying for exams? Here's how to make your memory work for you</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Students have been conditioned for over 12 years to learn in classrooms from a teacher. This can make it difficult for them to become familiar with new ways of learning. </p>
<p>A major issue associated with online learning is a student’s ability to regulate themselves. This means being able to stay on task especially when a problem arises. Being unfamiliar with new ways of accessing and interpreting online environments and subject content, as well as working with peers online in communication spaces, presents new challenges for students. </p>
<p>However, the problem may again have to do with age. In our survey, mentioned above, 75% Year 12 students believed they were able to work through a problem productively online. This was higher than the other high-school year levels. </p>
<h2>Tips for Year 12 students</h2>
<p>There are many advantages to learning online. Students can work at their own pace, revise and review teacher made videos for examples, and engage with extensive notes and study guides to help with assessment and exams. </p>
<p>Students can also access their teachers in more varied ways and at different times of day. In other words, moving online for Year 12 students can provide a world of resources and access to teachers they have not experienced before.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-youre-going-to-school-online-here-are-6-ways-to-make-the-most-of-it-135215">So you're going to school online – here are 6 ways to make the most of it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To make the most of their Year 12 experience, students should keep these simple tips in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>organise your learning week.</strong> Set up your own timetable of tasks to complete. Include breaks and time to relax</p></li>
<li><p><strong>be an active learner</strong>. Make notes while listening to teacher made videos and written materials</p></li>
<li><p><strong>contact a friend if you have a problem</strong>, and work through the issue together</p></li>
<li><p><strong>use the communication tools available</strong> to tell your teachers and friends what you are thinking about</p></li>
<li><p><strong>participate in live sessions</strong> and forums as much as you can. </p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: this article previously had an incorrect statement about ATAR calculation. This has now been removed.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143844/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Prestridge received funding from an independent school for a project on remote learning, from which the survey discussed in this article emerged.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donna Pendergast does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With Year 12s studying for their final year exam, the score of which will be converted into a ranking as related to their peers across the country, many Victorians are worried they may be set back.Sarah Prestridge, Senior Lecturer, Griffith UniversityDonna Pendergast, Dean, School of Educational and Professional Studies, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1436012020-08-03T20:01:02Z2020-08-03T20:01:02Z‘Exhausted beyond measure’: what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350764/original/file-20200803-18-16mktal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tired-teacher-sleeping-against-big-blackboard-395205160">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>All <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-02/coronavirus-changes-victorian-schools-and-child-care-explained/12516544">Victorian school students</a> will be learning remotely from Wednesday. Prior to the state’s premier Daniel Andrews announcing a tightening of restrictions over the weekend, only students in prep to Year 10 in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire were learning from home.</p>
<p>But on Wednesday, schools will close for Year 11 and 12 students in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, as well as every student across Victoria — except for students in special schools and children of essential workers.</p>
<p>Like with the last remote learning period in Australia, the current uncertainty in Victoria might cause disarray and stress among teachers, parents and students.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In response to the closures in April, with <a href="https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/teaching-and-learning-in-a-pandemic/">seven other researchers</a> across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the US, we <a href="https://tinyurl.com/TeachinginCOVID">designed a survey</a> that asked teachers 16 open-ended questions about how COVID-19 affected them and their students. </p>
<p>The teachers ranged from early childhood education through to school and university. We also included other educators, such as at museums. </p>
<p>The survey opened on May 4, 2020 while most countries in the survey engaged in home-based learning. There have been 621 responses to date. Of these, 179 are from Australian teachers, with 65% having over 21 years teaching experience, from which this article reports. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Number of respondents, by sector.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Our survey gained rich responses about the sudden closure of schools, transition to online learning, and the difficulties of negotiating social-distancing and increased hygiene maintenance. </p>
<h2>Relentless workload</h2>
<p>When asked, “How has COVID-19 impacted your teaching and learning?”, responses most commonly referred to technical issues, then the pragmatics of teaching and workload. </p>
<p>Overwhelmingly, teachers from early childhood to higher education experienced a significant increase in their workload. One teacher said the sudden change to online learning created “endless paperwork and programming issues” and “has been relentless”. </p>
<p>Another said </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s definitely added significantly to my workload and taken the holiday time that would normally provide some respite, meaning I am closer to burnout than ever.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Social distancing requirements also increased teachers’ workload, creating “lots of additional cleaning requirements and having to collect children from the carpark as families are not allowed to enter”. </p>
<p>One teacher said</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is draining. Exhausting. Time consuming. The work never stops.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>‘I don’t want to teach anymore’</h2>
<p>The impact on the mental and physical health of teachers was the next most frequently expressed — after the technical, pragmatic and workload issues.</p>
<p>One teacher told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I struggle to sleep at night for thinking about work all the time. I’m very stressed and anxious; my physical health has been impacted.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It has challenged everything I enjoy about teaching.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And another wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>All the teachers I work with are EXHAUSTED beyond measure.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Teachers said a lack of voice and agency in decision making made them feel “unmotivated” or “unvalued”.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(we) may have felt more supported had we been consulted and listened to by management and government. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>One teacher wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In the beginning, I felt I could have dropped dead at home and my workplace wouldn’t even notice.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Going through this, not feeling safe, and then seeing teachers belittled in the media, has made me come to the realisation that I don’t want to teach anymore. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>‘It was a scramble’</h2>
<p>When asked, “What are the issues you are struggling with and need support with?” some teachers mentioned the management and decision-making concerning school closures.</p>
<p>The word cloud below shows the most frequent words in response to the question. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most frequent words in response to ‘What are the issues you are struggling with and need support with?’</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>One teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Our school closed down at the end of term one. It was a scramble and our management made some decisions which made life harder for teachers. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>One early childhood and childcare teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The government has largely ignored the realities of EC [early childhood] environments, the impossibility of social distancing with children under five, and the fact we have high exposure to bodily fluids. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>But the most frequently mentioned struggle for teachers in Australia was maintaining quality in pedagogy and curriculum delivery. Teachers are worried the quality of education might be compromised during this uncertain time. </p>
<p>One teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are in social repair time. And you know what — no one cares what we are doing in our rooms — just get through ‘til term’s end.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The teachers named student disengagement, uncompleted work and the disparity of access to online materials as the key challenges to quality. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-had-no-sanitiser-no-soap-and-minimal-toilet-paper-heres-how-teachers-feel-about-going-back-to-the-classroom-138600">'We had no sanitiser, no soap and minimal toilet paper': here's how teachers feel about going back to the classroom</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The second most frequent struggle was insufficient time to attend to teaching and learning demands. Many reported working 60% to three times more hours than they were contracted and paid. The sudden shift to online required teachers to self manage production and delivery of online teaching and learning materials, without adequate training and resourcing. </p>
<p>In the longer term, this sudden change in education may lead us to think of <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/3-ways-coronavirus-is-reshaping-education-and-what-changes-might-be-here-to-stay/">innovation in the area</a>. But for now, teachers, schools and students are just trying to survive, and they need all the resources necessary to make it through this year — and beyond.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143601/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Phillips previously received research grant funding from The Spencer Foundation, USA and Queensland Department of Education. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Cain does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In response to school closures in April, researchers put together a survey asking teachers how COVID-19 affected them and their students.Louise Phillips, Associate Professor in Education, James Cook UniversityMelissa Cain, Lecturer in Inclusive Education and Arts Education, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1427062020-07-22T11:58:33Z2020-07-22T11:58:33ZHow other countries reopened schools during the pandemic – and what the US can learn from them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348707/original/file-20200721-19-1oxa443.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=411%2C74%2C4580%2C2994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Class is in session in Uruguay, one of the first countries in the Western Hemisphere to reopen its schools. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Virus-Outbreak-Uruguay/f51b789442b54e789666b36e87ffed29/1/0">AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As American school officials debate when it will be safe for schoolchildren to return to classrooms, looking abroad may offer insights. Nearly every country in the world <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apa.15432">shuttered their schools early in the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. Many have since sent students back to class, with varying degrees of success.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://spcs.richmond.edu/people/bspires/">scholar of comparative international education</a>. For this article, I examined what happened in four countries where K-12 schools either stayed open throughout the pandemic or have resumed in-person instruction, using press reports, national COVID-19 data and <a href="https://globalhealth.washington.edu/sites/default/files/COVID-19%20Schools%20Summary%20%282%29.pdf?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkRreE5XWXlORFF3TXpNeCIsInQiOiJIbVNQTTVySEo0Vzk1cHVBZVVqWnFGVmR1UEJxRGdpd01mTXg4OGw3Mk5nTnpmaUoyMGt2UXIwWVZBOE5GVjIybHA5aStrbzJ3MUxsanoxamZibmlocmpSbXZyVFVoV0VHYU1aTGx0RnpsMXlmOEtXSVJqaDJsZ0RJU1BQcVZjZSJ9">academic studies</a>. </p>
<p>Here’s what I found.</p>
<h2>Israel: Too much, too soon</h2>
<p>Israel took stringent steps early on in the coronavirus pandemic, including severely restricting everyone’s movement and closing all schools. By June, it was being <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/08/middleeast/israel-coronavirus-second-wave-netanyahu-intl/index.html">lauded internationally</a> for containing the spread of COVID-19.</p>
<p>But shortly after schools reopened in May, on a <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/224fa625-657c-4ffb-a6a0-a40e04d685b9">staggered schedule paired with mask mandates and social distancing rules</a>, COVID-19 cases <a href="https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1278682387325616129">surged</a> across Israel. <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-data-show-school-openings-were-a-disaster-that-wiped-out-lockdown-gains">Schoolchildren and teachers</a> were among the sick. Today, <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/school-openings-across-globe-suggest-ways-keep-coronavirus-bay-despite-outbreaks">several hundred Israeli schools have closed again</a>. </p>
<p>Some blame <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/7/15/21324082/coronavirus-school-reopening-trump-children-safety">lax enforcement of health guidelines</a> in schools. The weather didn’t help: In May, a <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/school-openings-across-globe-suggest-ways-keep-coronavirus-bay-despite-outbreaks">record heat wave hit Israel</a>, making masks uncomfortable for students to wear. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Children wearing face masks walk close together with an adult" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348709/original/file-20200721-25-1xczr28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">No social distancing here, Tel Aviv, July 6, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-Israel/1266fc7e9be44f51920286f6e0c1a2ba/1/0">AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But schools were only part of a broader reopening in Israel that, many experts say, <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/where-we-went-wrong-expert-says-these-3-blunders-caused-new-israeli-covid-chaos/">came too soon and without sufficient testing capacity</a>. </p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p>
<p>“The reopening happened too fast,” said <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-data-show-school-openings-were-a-disaster-that-wiped-out-lockdown-gains">Mohammed Khatib, an epidemiologist on Israel’s national COVID-19 task force</a>. “It was undertaken so quickly that it triggered a very sharp spike, and the return to more conservative measures came too little, much too late.”</p>
<p>Israel’s public health director, Siegal Sadetski, resigned in early July, saying the health ministry had ignored her warnings about <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-battles-new-wave-coronavirus-infections-after-reopening-n1233139">reopening schools and businesses</a> so rapidly.</p>
<h2>Sweden: A hands-off approach</h2>
<p>Schools never closed in Sweden, part of the Scandinavian country’s risky <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/15/world/europe/sweden-coronavirus-deaths.html">gamble on skipping a coronavirus lockdown</a>. Only students 16 and older stayed home and did remote learning. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/05/sweden-hasnt-locked-down-but-normal-life-is-a-luxury/">Social distancing</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/school-openings-across-globe-suggest-ways-keep-coronavirus-bay-despite-outbreaks">masks were recommended but optional</a>, in line with the Swedish government’s emphasis on personal choice. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People sit at tables inside a small restaurant" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348706/original/file-20200721-27-1j24pw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A restaurant in Stockholm still full of diners, March 25, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-Sweden/1f62c6496c1a4f01be9f99339c58c5d0/4/0">AP Photo/David Keyton</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This strategy earned <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/schools-reopening-coronavirus/2020/07/10/865fb3e6-c122-11ea-8908-68a2b9eae9e0_story.html">praise from President Donald Trump</a> but some resistance from Swedish parents, especially those whose children have health issues. The government threatened to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-sweden-compels-parents-send-kids-to-school-2020-5">punish parents</a> who didn’t send their kids to school. </p>
<p>Sweden’s plan <a href="https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-schools-sweden-denmark-5ff88c81-67e3-4c33-8b74-fe57b9555827.html">seems to have been safe enough</a>. Its health agency reported on July 15 that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-sweden-schools/swedens-health-agency-says-open-schools-did-not-spur-pandemic-spread-among-children-idUSKCN24G2IS">COVID-19 outbreaks among Sweden’s 1 million school children</a> were no worse than those in neighboring Finland, which did close schools. And pediatricians have seen <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa864">few severe COVID-19 cases</a> among school-age children in Stockholm. Only <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107913/number-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-sweden-by-age-groups/">one young Swedish child is believed to have died of the coronavirus</a> as of this article’s publication. </p>
<p>However, officials in Stockholm have admitted they don’t know how the disease may have affected teachers, parents and other adults in schools.</p>
<p>Sweden had <a href="https://www.coronatracker.com/country/sweden/">over 70,000 COVID-19 cases</a> as of July 21, which puts it in the middle of the pack in Europe, according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa864">a joint study</a> from Sweden’s Upsala University and the University of Virginia. Of those, slightly more than <a href="https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/contentassets/c1b78bffbfde4a7899eb0d8ffdb57b09/covid-19-school-aged-children.pdf">1,000 involved children and teens</a>. </p>
<h2>Japan: So far, so good</h2>
<p>Japan, which has mostly <a href="https://www.coronatracker.com/?country_code=JP">kept COVID-19 under control</a>, took <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-coronavirus-schools-reopen/2020/06/06/9047be8c-a645-11ea-8681-7d471bf20207_story.html">a conservative approach</a> to reopening schools in June. </p>
<p>Different schools have <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/06/bdd000c967a7-school-restarts-picking-up-in-japan-amid-lingering-coronavirus-fears.html">different strategies</a>, but generally Japanese students <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/18/national/japan-schools-reopen-state-of-emergency/">attend class in person on alternating days</a>, so that classrooms are only half full. Lunches are silent and socially distanced, and students undergo daily temperature checks. </p>
<p>These precautions are <a href="https://globalhealth.washington.edu/sites/default/files/COVID-19%20Schools%20Summary%20%282%29.pdf?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkRreE5XWXlORFF3TXpNeCIsInQiOiJIbVNQTTVySEo0Vzk1cHVBZVVqWnFGVmR1UEJxRGdpd01mTXg4OGw3Mk5nTnpmaUoyMGt2UXIwWVZBOE5GVjIybHA5aStrbzJ3MUxsanoxamZibmlocmpSbXZyVFVoV0VHYU1aTGx0RnpsMXlmOEtXSVJqaDJsZ0RJU1BQcVZjZSJ9">more stringent than those in many other countries</a>. Still, some Japanese school children have <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/06/bdd000c967a7-school-restarts-picking-up-in-japan-amid-lingering-coronavirus-fears.html">gotten COVID-19</a>, particularly in major cities. </p>
<p>A survey from Save the Children found that Japanese school children <a href="https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00744/">wanted more clear and detailed information</a> about the virus and the outbreaks. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/04/06/national/japan-parents-back-to-school-coronavirus/">Parents</a>, students and <a href="https://japan-forward.com/what-its-like-going-back-to-school-after-the-coronavirus-emergency/">teachers</a> continue to express hesitancy about returning to school and <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/06/09/national/japanese-students-coronavirus-measures-school/">displeasure over reopening measures</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Nurse in protective gear takes the temperature of a small child" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348720/original/file-20200721-35-wmj61x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Temperature check at Kinugawa Elementary School in Nikko, Japan, June 3, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/pupil-has-her-temperature-taken-by-a-school-nurse-at-news-photo/1217222086?adppopup=true">Carl Court/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Uruguay: A+ for safety</h2>
<p>Analysts credit Uruguay’s <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/post/small-uruguay-big-proof-committing-public-health-can-contain-covid-19#stream/0">well-organized and efficient public health system</a> and Uruguyans’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/uruguay-quietly-beats-coronavirus-distinguishing-itself-from-its-south-american-neighbors-yet-again-140037">strong faith in government</a> for its success stopping the coronavirus. The progressive South American country of 3.4 million has the region’s <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/post/small-uruguay-big-proof-committing-public-health-can-contain-covid-19#stream/0">lowest rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths</a>, and it never shut down its economy entirely. </p>
<p>Uruguay was one of the Western Hemisphere’s first countries to send its students back to school, using a <a href="https://blogs.iadb.org/educacion/en/uruguayreopening/">staged approach</a>. </p>
<p>In late April, Uruguay <a href="https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/gobierno-anuncio-que-el-22-de-abril-se-pueden-retomar-las-clases-en-973-escuelas-rurales-202048204622">reopened schools in rural areas</a>, where the student population is small. In early June, it brought vulnerable student groups, which were <a href="https://blogs.iadb.org/educacion/en/uruguayreopening/">struggling to access online learning</a>, and high school seniors back into classrooms. Then all students in non-urban areas went back to classrooms. </p>
<p>Finally, on June 29, <a href="https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2020/06/29/uruguay-completa-la-reapertura-de-las-escuelas-256-mil-alumnos-vuelven-a-clase-en-montevideo/">256,000 students in the capital of Montevideo</a> returned to school. An <a href="https://labs.ebanx.com/en/notes/uruguay-one-of-the-first-in-the-americas-to-reopen-schools/">alternating schedule</a> of in-person and virtual instruction reduces the number of students in classrooms at one time. </p>
<p>Uruguay is notable for residents’ <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-30/in-midst-of-covid-chaos-one-latin-american-nation-gets-it-right">consistent and early adoption of measures</a> like social distancing and masks. Its successful pandemic response comes despite its <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-30/in-midst-of-covid-chaos-one-latin-american-nation-gets-it-right">proximity to hard-hit Brazil</a>, where schools remain closed.</p>
<h2>Final grades</h2>
<p>There is no perfect way to reopen schools during a pandemic. Even when a country has COVID-19 under control, there’s no guarantee that schools can reopen safely.</p>
<p>But the policies and practices of countries that have had some initial success with schools point in the same direction. It helps to slowly stage the reopening. Strict mask wearing and social distancing is critical, both in schools and surrounding communities. And both officials and families need <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/puar.13252">reliable and up-to-date data</a> so that they can continually assess outbreaks – and change course quickly if necessary.</p>
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<p>That complicates school reopenings in the U.S., with its <a href="https://theconversation.com/experts-agree-that-trumps-coronavirus-response-was-poor-but-the-us-was-ill-prepared-in-the-first-place-133674">soaring COVID-19 cases</a>, limited testing capacity and decentralized education system. Most countries have national education systems. In the U.S., school officials in all 50 states must sort through the same <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/us/politics/trump-accuses-media-democrats-coronavirus.html">politicized messaging</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-numbers-confusing-you-heres-how-to-make-sense-of-them-142624">confusing data</a> as everyone else to make their own decisions about whether, when and how to welcome back students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142706/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bob Spires does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nearly every country in the world shuttered its schools due to COVID-19. Now, from Israel to Uruguay, many students are back in class, with varying degrees of success.Bob Spires, Assistant Professor of Education, University of RichmondLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1427152020-07-21T19:50:20Z2020-07-21T19:50:20ZCoronavirus: how likely are international university students to choose Australia over the UK, US and Canada?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348509/original/file-20200721-174332-15ih05s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/oxford-uk-march-27-2015-university-266467889">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian universities are suffering revenue and job losses due to the current and projected loss of international students. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251">Mitchell Institute</a> report has estimated the sector may lose up to A$19 billion in the next three years, while modelling from <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/universities-urged-to-bring-back-international-students-as-researchers-face-huge-job-losses-20200520-p54usd.html">Universities Australia</a> shows more than 20,000 jobs are at risk over six months, and more after that.</p>
<p>On April 3, Prime Minister <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-030420">Scott Morrison said</a> international students in Australia could return home if they could not support themselves. Commentators <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-increases-risk-to-international-students-mental-health-australia-urgently-needs-to-step-up-137596">feared such a flippant attitude</a> would cause Australia to lose its world class reputation if it didn’t come to the aid of international students. </p>
<p>Months of tension with China (the biggest source of Australian university <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/node/53021">international students</a>, at a third of the total) threatened to further jeopardise our international standing.</p>
<p>On Monday, the Australian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/20/australia-to-restart-granting-visas-to-international-students-to-lift-struggling-university-sector">government announced</a> it will restart granting international student visas and allow current students to count online study while overseas in a push to restart international education.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1285051418655612930"}"></div></p>
<p>But how do we compare with some of Australia’s largest competitors?</p>
<h2>Closed campuses</h2>
<p>Australia imposed a <a href="https://theconversation.edu.au/article-132175">ban on travel</a> from China on February 1, stranding an estimated <a href="https://thepienews.com/news/aus-to-resume-student-visa-processing-among-measures-to-boost-sector/">87,000 students</a> abroad who were due to start their academic year in Australia in March. </p>
<p>By that time it was the middle of the second, or winter, semester for Australia’s big English language competitors in the northern hemisphere: the USA, UK and Canada. Most of these countries’ international students stayed to complete their semester, so universities did not suffer an immediate fall in revenue. </p>
<p>But universities in these countries did incur substantial <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6814099/Outlook-Higher-Education-US-18Mar20-1.pdf">additional costs</a> as many completed the semester by transferring teaching online at short notice. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/without-international-students-australias-universities-will-downsize-and-some-might-collapse-altogether-132869">Without international students, Australia's universities will downsize – and some might collapse altogether</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While online education <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-54943-3_10">meets similar standards</a> to campus-based education, students <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-12-11-most-students-and-faculty-prefer-face-to-face-instruction-educause-surveys-find#:%7E:text=Most%20college%20students%20and%20faculty,person%2C%20not%20online%2C%20instruction.&text=Among%20student%20respondents%2C%2070%20percent,with%2073%20percent%20preferring%20them">prefer face-to-face learning</a>. This is particularly true for international students, who see immersion in a different culture as one of the main benefits of studying overseas.</p>
<p>In May, many <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/05/27/will-active-learning-be-possible-if-colleges-have-physically">US</a> and <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/2020-a-space-and-timetabling-odyssey/">UK</a> universities announced bullish plans to teach their first semester in autumn, starting in September, face-to-face (or mask-to-mask). There were various provisions for plexiglass, physical distancing, masks and regular testing.</p>
<p>But even partial campus reopening plans <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Aren-t-Reopening-in/248803">were never credible</a> in the US when they were announced. Still, many universities in the competitor countries <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Aren-t-Reopening-in/248803">sought to maximise international enrolments</a> by maintaining at least a substantial part of their campuses would be open by September.</p>
<h2>The US</h2>
<p>US universities no longer seem to be nearly as strong competitors for <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/07/17/rescission-international-student-policy-directive-leaves-unresolved-questions-about">international students</a>. While the number of new COVID-19 cases has bumpily fallen in Australia, Canada and the UK, they have been <a href="https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us">increasing in the US</a>. </p>
<p>When it became clear US universities could not responsibly open their campuses, they started <a href="https://www.educationdive.com/news/colleges-walk-back-their-fall-plans-as-coronavirus-cases-spike/581785/">reversing their announcements</a> of opening fully in September.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348513/original/file-20200721-33-1meqr19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Princeton University. It’s unlikely many US universities will be able to offer full on-campus education in their first autumn semester.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/princeton-nj-10-march-2016-university-394834045">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>By July 20 some 53% of <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Here-s-a-List-of-Colleges-/248626?cid=RCPACKAGE">1,215 US universities surveyed</a> still planned to teach in person in September, 11% planned online education, 32% planned a mix of online and in person education, and 4% were considering a range of scenarios or had not yet decided their education mode.</p>
<p>US President Donald Trump sought to <a href="https://www.educationdive.com/news/trump-administration-amps-up-pressure-to-reopen-colleges/581166/">pressure universities</a> to open fully by making studying at least partly on campus a condition of international students’ visas. He soon reversed that order, but <a href="https://www.educationdive.com/news/colleges-brace-for-another-attempt-at-enrollment-limits-on-foreign-students/581662/">may issue an alternative</a> seeking the same effect.</p>
<p>US attractiveness as an international study destination is likely to be further reduced by the <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Hoped-for-an/249206">instability in universities’ plans</a>, the uncertainty of federal immigration conditions, and continuing restrictions on entry from China and elsewhere.</p>
<h2>The United Kingdom</h2>
<p>Australian universities are in a much more similar position to UK universities, which are long time and powerful rivals for international students. They are expecting to <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/the-ifs-on-the-covid-19-risk-to-the-sector/">lose substantially</a> from COVID-19’s suppression of international enrolments.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.edu.au/article-138514">Unlike Australia</a>, the UK government has granted <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students">universities access to government-backed support</a> such as a job retention scheme which includes short-term contracts, and business loan support. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-australian-government-letting-universities-suffer-138514">Why is the Australian government letting universities suffer?</a>
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<p>The UK government has also brought forward teaching payments and block research grants, and increased funds for students in financial difficulty.</p>
<p>Unlike Australia, the UK does not impose international travel restrictions but requires entrants from most countries including China and India to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_restrictions_related_to_the_COVID-19_pandemic#Europe_3">self-isolate for a fortnight</a> after entry. It will therefore remain a more attractive destination for new students until Australia lifts or at least relaxes its travel restrictions.</p>
<h2>Canada</h2>
<p>Canadian universities and colleges have some distinct advantages over their competitors for international students. They enjoy considerable financial and other <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/welcome-to-the-2020s/">support from their national and provincial governments</a>.</p>
<p>While Canada’s average proportion of new COVID-19 cases is similar to Australia’s and the UK’s, these are concentrated in the biggest cities of Toronto, Montreal and their environs. The Atlantic provinces have Tasmanian levels of COVID-19 cases, and some of their universities attract <a href="https://higheredstrategy.com/cape-breton-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/">very high proportions of international students</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348511/original/file-20200721-23-aynymd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The University of Toronto. Canada’s universities have received more support from their government than Australia’s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/university-college-building-sunset-toronto-ontario-450746794">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Canada’s biggest competitive disadvantage is that while it will admit returning international students, it currently is <a href="https://www.canadavisa.com/coronavirus-covid-19-impact-canada-immigration-visa-border-latest-news.html#gs.b2clmu">not admitting new students</a> for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>The Canadian government will grant permits to international students who study online from abroad, and <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tudge/supporting-international-students-support-australian-jobs">like Australia</a> this will count towards their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit. The government has also introduced a <a href="https://www.cicnews.com/2020/07/canada-makes-huge-changes-to-help-international-students-0715032.html#gs.ave1np">temporary two-stage approval process for international students</a> to expedite their approval to enter to study on campus when this is permitted.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/interactive-international-students-make-up-more-than-30-of-population-in-some-australian-suburbs-140626">Interactive: international students make up more than 30% of population in some Australian suburbs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But Canada is not likely to be a desirable destination for new international students until the government and then institutions can give a firm timetable and clear plans for studying on campus.</p>
<h2>So, what should Australia do?</h2>
<p>To remain competitive <a href="https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/07/06/how-to-recruit-international-students-in-2020-communicate-communicate-communicate/">compared to the UK</a>, Australian universities should keep prospective students updated on the issues that affect their study decisions such as entry requirements, start dates, and study and accommodation conditions. This communication should be targeted towards education agents and their clients, and be specific to individual students.</p>
<p>Few students and their parents are convinced about the <a href="https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/07/06/how-to-recruit-international-students-in-2020-communicate-communicate-communicate/">value</a> and <a href="https://www.idp-connect.com/en-us/newspage/international-higher-education/international-students-willing-to-quarantine-if-they-can-start-f2f-learning-sooner/">quality</a> of online education. And they fear much of the benefit of immersion in an English speaking <a href="https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/07/06/how-to-recruit-international-students-in-2020-communicate-communicate-communicate/">university environment</a> would be lost if spatial distancing required social distancing. </p>
<p>Australian universities will have to be as clear as they can about the benefits of the study and living conditions students are likely to experience here.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142715/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gavin Moodie is vulnerable to the University of Toronto not renewing his casual teaching appointment.</span></em></p>The Australian government has not been good to international students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But compared to the US, UK and Canada, we haven’t lost our competitive edge.Gavin Moodie, Adjunct professor, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1427092020-07-15T20:01:30Z2020-07-15T20:01:30ZSchool is important, and so is staying safe from coronavirus. Here are some tips for returning seniors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347547/original/file-20200715-27-1mmelvj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/deliberately-blurred-students-background-working-on-1737631289">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Victorian <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/return-to-flexible-and-remote-learning/">senior students returned to school</a> this week, as did those in specialist schools. This follows substantial community transmission of COVID-19, and stage three restrictions, in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire. </p>
<p>Although senior and specialist school students in the restricted areas are going back to class, government school students in prep to Year 10 (except those doing VCE subjects) will learn remotely for term three. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
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<p>Whether schools close or remain open has been one of the more contentious aspects of this pandemic.</p>
<p>The Australian government previously signalled a lack of sustained and widespread community transmission meant it was more important for children to attend school than stay at home. But the situation has now changed, in Victoria at least.</p>
<p>That state <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-update-victoria-14-july-2020">recorded 270 new cases of COVID-19</a> since yesterday, with 147 linked to an outbreak at Al-Taqwa College. Almost all the new cases come from community transmission.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1282934674952773632"}"></div></p>
<p>For returning seniors and teachers, it’s important to remember no single measure in isolation prevents disease transmission. It is a matter of reducing the likelihood and enhancing the capacity of the system to deal with events that occur.</p>
<h2>School closures have consequences</h2>
<p>Most of our evidence on the effectiveness of school closures comes from influenza research. Closing schools <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanchi/PIIS2352-4642(20)30095-X.pdf">has been shown to reduce the speed and extent of influenza spread</a>. This measure won’t be effective in isolation, though, and must be complemented by social distancing and enhanced personal hygiene.</p>
<p>But SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is different to influenza. Children are less likely to become infected and less likely to become seriously ill. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/13/german-study-covid-19-infection-rate-schools-saxony">recently reported German study</a> suggests fewer than 1% of children and teachers had contracted the disease at school. Other <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanchi/PIIS2352-4642(20)30095-X.pdf">analysis</a> has not shown significant benefit from closing schools, even in communities with widespread community transmission. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-weve-seen-schools-close-but-the-evidence-still-shows-kids-are-unlikely-to-catch-or-spread-coronavirus-141445">Yes, we've seen schools close. But the evidence still shows kids are unlikely to catch or spread coronavirus</a>
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<p>That doesn’t mean transmission cannot occur among teachers and students, as we have seen with several outbreaks in Australian schools. </p>
<p>It is just that schools are not the disease incubators they would be with influenza or rhinovirus (which causes the common cold). This means transmission is not as likely in schools as it appears to be among adults. </p>
<p>The Victorian government has indicated Year 11 and 12 students – and those in Year 10 studying for the VCE – should return to school, and special schools should remain open, even in areas under restrictions. But universities, TAFE and adult education must continue online.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347549/original/file-20200715-31-p6kola.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Wearing a mask isn’t harmful, and it does offer some protection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-young-woman-surgical-mask-using-1745792027">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Even though senior students may have a similar transmission as adults, the logic is that educational and social disadvantage faced by senior students outweighs the risk of disease transmission. </p>
<p>And older students should also be able to understand the importance of health protection strategies and cooperate more readily than younger children can.</p>
<p>They are at a critical stage of their education, where lost access to education for a prolonged period may have longer life implications.</p>
<p>The unique social and personal support offered by special schools may also outweigh the COVID-19 risks.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, adults in higher education institutions usually have alternatives to allow them to continue their education.</p>
<h2>So, what should schools do?</h2>
<p>Victorian schools need to adhere to enhanced public health protections — this is understandably challenging for principals and teachers. </p>
<p>Whatever the schools can do will help reduce risk — it is not necessary to do everything, if not possible.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/288-new-coronavirus-cases-marks-victorias-worst-day-and-it-will-probably-get-worse-before-it-gets-better-142481">288 new coronavirus cases marks Victoria's worst day. And it will probably get worse before it gets better</a>
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<p>Managing fewer classes by only having senior students and children of essential workers on campus may help schools maximise screening, social distancing and enhanced personal hygiene measures.</p>
<p>Teachers and students who may be at greater risk if they contract this disease, including older teachers and those with chronic illness, should isolate themselves if possible. </p>
<p>The Victorian government has provided <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/Pages/coronavirus-advice-schools.aspx">guidelines for schools</a> but these contain quite a lot of varied information which could be confusing for staff and parents. </p>
<p>There are five key principles for risk mitigation in schools</p>
<p><strong>1. Maintain a high level of awareness of COVID-19 transmission</strong> </p>
<p>This should be done through standard and consistent communication to staff, parents and students.</p>
<p><strong>2. Stop infected people from attending school</strong> </p>
<p>Parents, students and staff should be required to stay away from the school if they are infected or have been exposed to someone with the disease. </p>
<p>Schools should screen people on arrival, including, if possible, temperature screening either on arrival or at first class, dependent on the circumstances of the school. Anyone with symptoms or a temperature should be removed immediately and quarantined. </p>
<p>The Victorian government <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/temperature-checks-to-be-introduced-in-term-3/">has promised more than 14,000 non-contact thermometers</a> for government, independent and Catholic schools in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, and to schools in neighbouring areas that need them. </p>
<p><strong>3. Implement a practical level of social distancing</strong> </p>
<p>Mass gatherings, assemblies and functions should be avoided, arrival and departure times staggered. Break times should also be staggered and students spread out during them.</p>
<p><strong>5. Maintain hygiene</strong></p>
<p>Students and teachers should wash or sanitise their hands on arrival, before and after breaks and before departure.</p>
<p>Everyone should consider using face masks where social distancing is not possible, such as on public transport. Masks are not harmful, but they do not necessarily protect from COVID-19, so they can’t be completely relied on. They are just one measure of reducing risk.</p>
<p>High traffic areas must be subject to enhanced cleaning and environmental hygiene practices.</p>
<p>No single measure is critical and there are no guarantees, but together, reasonable approaches will reduce risk and offer increased protection.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142709/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerard Fitzgerald does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>No single measure in isolation prevents disease transmission. It is a matter of reducing the likelihood and enhancing the capacity of the system to deal with events that occur.Gerard Fitzgerald, Emeritus Professor, School of Public Health, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1405402020-06-14T19:57:41Z2020-06-14T19:57:41ZDisadvantaged students may have lost 1 month of learning during COVID-19 shutdown. But the government can fix it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341407/original/file-20200612-38702-e3bnlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-parent-father-baby-hand-silhouette-519683224">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite massive efforts by teachers and schools during the remote learning period, many students are likely to have learnt less than they would have in the classroom. Most of these students will recover without too much trouble, but disadvantaged students will need extra help.</p>
<p>Our new report, <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/home/school-education/">COVID-19 catch-up: helping disadvantaged students close the equity gap</a>, shows the achievement gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students widens at triple the rate in remote schooling compared to regular class.</p>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341404/original/file-20200612-38712-1twjgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Even if remote learning worked well, disadvantaged students are likely to have learnt at about 50% of their usual rate. This means they would have lost about one month of learning over two months of remote schooling.</p>
<p>The Morrison government has already committed an <a href="https://blog.grattan.edu.au/2020/04/covid-19-where-the-federal-governments-194-billion-is-going/">unprecedented A$134 billion</a> to stimulate the economy, with more stimulus spending to come. Some should go to helping disadvantaged students catch up over the next six months.</p>
<h2>How we made our estimates</h2>
<p>We estimate around one in four students will need help to catch up on their learning. This is especially so for students who were already far behind, for whom the extra challenges of remote schooling are likely to have compounded existing inequalities. </p>
<p>This includes students from low socio-economic families, Indigenous backgrounds and remote communities, as well as students experiencing poor mental health.</p>
<p>Our estimates of how far behind disadvantaged students may have fallen during the remote period are only a rough indication. But they are based on a significant review of various studies on learning disruption, led by the UK <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/EEF_(2020)_-_Impact_of_School_Closures_on_the_Attainment_Gap.pdf">Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)</a> in May. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-are-moving-online-but-not-all-children-start-out-digitally-equal-134650">Schools are moving online, but not all children start out digitally equal</a>
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</em>
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<p>The EEF searched literature across a variety of scenarios that cause school disruptions including hurricanes, bushfires, summer holidays and teacher strikes. While summer holidays are different to remote schooling, they are relevant because they isolate the influence of the home on a student’s performance.</p>
<p>The findings from these studies show during the US summer vacation, a gap
of up to three months in learning opens up between disadvantaged students and their peers. Disadvantaged students return to school being much further behind their peers than when holidays began.</p>
<h2>Why disadvantaged students lose out</h2>
<p>There are many reasons disadvantaged students are hit hardest by remote schooling, as the chart below shows. They tend to get less help with school work from their parents. They are less likely to have a computer, good internet service, and a desk or quiet place to study. </p>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341410/original/file-20200612-38682-159jyhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Disadvantaged students, on average, are also likely to be <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/widening-gaps/">behind in their learning</a>, making it harder to work independently.</p>
<p>The existing achievement gap is more than ten times greater than the gap that will have developed during the COVID-19 disruptions, as shown the chart below. </p>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341415/original/file-20200612-38686-1my5x1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>The recession will only make things harder, because disadvantaged students are more likely to have to deal with the emotional and financial stresses of a parent losing income or a job.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/number-of-australias-vulnerable-children-is-set-to-double-as-covid-19-takes-its-toll-140057">Number of Australia's vulnerable children is set to double as COVID-19 takes its toll</a>
</strong>
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<h2>What the government can do: put stimulus funding toward disadvantaged students</h2>
<p>Governments are now spending big to stimulate the economy. The <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/06/08/covid-19-to-plunge-global-economy-into-worst-recession-since-world-war-ii">World Bank
believes</a> COVID-19 has sparked the worst global recession since at least the second world war. </p>
<p>COVID-19 and the economic downturn offers a big opportunity for a national investment in education. We recommend a recovery package of A$1.2 billion targeted at vulnerable students for the next six months. This will help one million students, around one in four, recover the learning lost during COVID. </p>
<p>The money should be spent on two high-priority initiatives. </p>
<p>First, $1 billion should go towards helping large numbers of struggling students access small-group tutoring. Tutoring would be delivered in groups of about three students, either in or outside classes, three or four times a week over a 12-week period. </p>
<p>Evidence shows <a href="https://evidenceforlearning.org.au/the-toolkits/the-teaching-and-learning-toolkit/all-approaches/small-group-tuition/">small group tuition</a> can boost student learning by five months over one or two terms of schooling. </p>
<p>Young university graduates and student teachers should be hired as tutors where possible – given <a href="https://blog.grattan.edu.au/2020/05/the-modest-rise-in-unemployment-hides-a-much-grimmer-picture/">young people</a> will be hit harder by the recession than older Australians and are likely to spend the extra income quickly.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-shouldnt-have-to-repeat-a-year-of-school-because-of-coronavirus-there-are-much-better-options-134889">Kids shouldn't have to repeat a year of school because of coronavirus. There are much better options</a>
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<p>Second, we recommend investing $70 million in successful literacy and numeracy programs which can improve student learning by three or more months. For example teaching reading using synthetic phonics, as well as reading comprehension strategies and oral language interventions. </p>
<p>These are a priority for the early years, so students have the foundations for future learning.</p>
<p>We also suggest extra support for students to improve both well-being and learning. There is less evidence on what works in this area, but we suggest small trials in promising areas, such as extra training for teachers in mental health literacy and supporting students’ social skills, as well as extra resources for targeted behaviour supports. </p>
<p>To ensure the students who most need help are accurately identified in the first place, we recommend the national assessment body – the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority – create a A$20 million package of suitable in-class assessment tools. The right support depends on pinpointing student needs.</p>
<p>While costing a little over $1 billion, our suggested reform package would deliver about $3.5 billion in extra future earnings for disadvantaged students, given better results at school leads to better employment and income prospects in later life. </p>
<p>This reform package offers an important opportunity to trial and evaluate what works, to inform longer-term efforts to close the bigger existing equity gap.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140540/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann is a Board member of The Song Room, a not-for-profit organisation delivering arts-based education to disadvantaged students.
The Grattan Institute began with contributions to its endowment of $15 million from each of the Federal and Victorian Governments, $4 million from BHP Billiton, and $1 million from NAB. In order to safeguard its independence, Grattan Institute’s board controls this endowment. The funds are invested and contribute to funding Grattan Institute's activities. Grattan Institute also receives funding from corporates, foundations, and individuals to support its general activities as disclosed on its website.
We would like to thank the Origin Energy Foundation who provided generous and timely support for this project.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Goss does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A Grattan Institute report shows the achievement gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students widens at triple the rate in remote schooling compared to regular class.Julie Sonnemann, Fellow, Grattan InstitutePeter Goss, School Education Program Director, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1389262020-06-11T12:21:51Z2020-06-11T12:21:51ZGoing online due to COVID-19 this fall could hurt colleges’ future<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339793/original/file-20200604-67377-1rvqa5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">California State University schools have ruled out in-person classes for this fall.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/california-state-university-fullerton-students-gather-for-a-news-photo/1094227760">FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the California State University system <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/14/cal-state-pursuing-online-fall">decided</a> to conduct all of its classes online this coming fall, administrators said it was to avoid the health risks associated with COVID-19. Many other colleges are making similar decisions as they move online. </p>
<p>Wayne State University and Michigan State University <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/04/23/um-hopes-students-campus-fall-wayne-state-michigan-state-lean-online/3013230001/">are likely to go online</a> – but may offer a hybrid of online and in-person classes. USC will offer <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-02/usc-announces-a-modified-return-to-campus-with-online-and-in-person-classes-and-fewer-people-in-dorms">nearly every course in an online version</a>. The University of Pennsylvania is offering four scenarios, <a href="https://coronavirus.upenn.edu/announcement/message-community-our-ongoing-planning-efforts">three of which are mainly online</a>. <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/6/3/hgse-fall-online/">Six of Harvard’s 12 schools</a>, including its School of Law, will be online in the fall.</p>
<p>While an all-online term – or nearly-all-online term – reduces COVID-19 risks to students and staff, it also will likely increase the financial risks to universities. It also can reveal preexisting financial strains, particularly at state colleges that are much more dependent than they used to be on high tuition revenues. </p>
<p>As a scholar of higher education, I have examined the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=594MsEkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">precarious state of funding</a> at America’s public universities and have tracked a plummeting of state funding to support them over the last 20 years. Colleges are looking at very high costs for keeping campuses open for students and staff if the pandemic continues. </p>
<p>But if these costs force many colleges not to open or to open in a very limited way, it may take years to recover from the financial hit. Some colleges may not recover at all.</p>
<h2>The cost of opening</h2>
<p>Cal State is a comprehensive university, catering to a highly diverse working-class and middle-class student body. Its 23-university system educates roughly <a href="https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/facts-about-the-csu/enrollment">482,000</a> – or nearly 5% of the nation’s <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cha.asp">10.9 million</a> four-year college students. Most of its students are commuters. Like most large universities, Cal State offers many online courses, and <a href="https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/CSU-Students-Can-Now-Take-More-Fully-Online-Courses-Every-Term.aspx">a quarter of its students enroll in at least one</a> online course in a given year. But three-quarters do not, and a move to online marks a dramatic shift away from its face-to-face learning conditions.</p>
<p>While trying to decide what to do, the Cal State board of trustees noted that some universities, such as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/opinion/coronavirus-colleges-universities.html">Brown University</a>, <a href="https://www.jconline.com/story/news/2020/05/26/purdue-university-reopening-campus-coronavirus-what-expect-fall-mandatory-face-masks/5258121002/">Purdue University</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/opinion/notre-dame-university-coronavirus.html">Notre Dame</a>, are planning on opening and keeping faculty and students safe with testing, tracing and isolation procedures. But Cal State University system Chancellor Timothy White <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/14/cal-state-pursuing-online-fall">called</a> that idea too costly during a May 2020 meeting with the board of trustees. </p>
<p>“When asked by a trustee in the meeting why that was not feasible for CSU, Chancellor White said that to test half the student body weekly would cost around $25 million per week,” one news outlet <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/14/cal-state-pursuing-online-fall">reported</a>. “At the moment, financially, testing everyone is not in the cards,” White said at the time.</p>
<p>The costs for COVID-19 suppression are not entirely known but are bound to be high. These costs will need to cover personal protective equipment for all staff and students. But that is only the beginning. COVID-19 suppression also means a drastic <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Welcome-to-the-Socially/248850">reduction of campus occupancy</a>, one that may well need to persist throughout 2020-21 and beyond. That is why <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-we-have-a-responsibility-to-open-purdue-university-this-fall/2020/05/25/da3b615c-9c62-11ea-ac72-3841fcc9b35f_story.html">Purdue plans</a> to “redesign 700 classrooms and labs, and 9,500 dormitory rooms,” among many other measures. Low-tech practices, possibly like sanitizing hundreds of classrooms many times each day, will multiply the costs of custodial staff. </p>
<p>Weekly testing of all University of California students and employees are estimated to <a href="https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2020/05/audacious-vs-universal-testing.html">run US$1 billion a year</a>.</p>
<p>College administrators understand that closing campuses reduces health risks while creating financial ones. The biggest of these is that students will not want to pay full tuition for online college. Surveys show that student satisfaction with remote teaching this spring <a href="https://oneclass.com/blog/featured/177356-7525-of-college-students-unhappy-with-quality-of-elearning-during-covid-19.en.html">has been low</a>. Parental satisfaction was also low: They rated remote course quality as <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/04/27/some-parents-wont-pay-or-are-unsure-about-children-enrolling-online">5.6 out of 10 in one survey</a>.</p>
<p>Another survey found that <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/05/26/students-want-fall-semester-close-possible-last-falls-surveys-show">one-third of students would transfer out of their college</a> “if their college continued online instruction for the fall semester.” Revenues may be hit by the fact that <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/05/26/students-want-fall-semester-close-possible-last-falls-surveys-show">79% of students said they would expect lower tuition</a> for online or hybrid courses.</p>
<p>Wealthy private universities like Brown and Notre Dame may have decided that the financial risks of losing students are too great, and also have the money to regularly test everyone every week and undertake similarly expensive measures.</p>
<h2>Need for government help</h2>
<p>But how can public colleges and universities get the money to cover these costs in order to open? I’ve studied the finances of another public university – the University of California, where I am employed – in detail. Over the past 20 years, state funding has <a href="http://utotherescue.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-public-universities-cant-take-new.html">dropped to about 40% of what it should be today</a> to fully fund all of today’s students. </p>
<p>This means that the University of California, Cal State and most other public universities are now dependent on stable tuition revenues for COVID-19 suppression – and it still isn’t enough.</p>
<p>Tuition revenue had not made up for lost public funding even in pre-COVID-19 times. Tuition’s limited financial powers will be reduced even further if colleges can’t open fully in the fall – at least this is the fear. It is – in my view – a reasonable one: Many students may indeed decide not to enroll if colleges can’t open campuses.</p>
<p>Only additional federal stimulus funding can solve the COVID-19 challenges that America’s public colleges and universities face. Higher education organizations <a href="https://production-tcf.imgix.net/app/uploads/2020/04/27175217/State-Higher-Education-Support-Hill-Letter-4-27-20.pdf">initially requested $46.6 billion</a> in COVID-19-related recovery funding. The <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/caresact.html">CARES Act</a> sent universities about <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/caresactgrantfundingcoverletterfinal.pdf">$14 billion</a> instead.</p>
<p>The current stimulus bill, the HEROES Act, provides an additional $32 billion for higher ed. But it <a href="https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2020/05/heroes-act-education-funding-house-passes.html">may not survive the Senate</a>. State legislatures seem to be betting on “too little too late” in the way of federal help and are <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/15/size-state-budget-cuts-becomes-clearer">planning major cuts to their higher education sectors</a>, or are <a href="https://edsource.org/2020/california-lawmakers-would-spare-k-12-schools-from-any-budget-cuts/633091">making steady budgets contingent on receiving federal money</a> this summer. </p>
<p>The absence of federal stimulus funding will leave most public college without good choices.</p>
<p>Universities want to resume face-to-face teaching as soon as is safe because, overall, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.p20161057">students learn more</a> than with remote instruction, especially <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/03/20/racial-implications-californias-proposed-online-university-opinion">students of color</a>. </p>
<p>To give their colleges a shot at a safe 2020-21 year, states must not cut their colleges and universities’ operating budgets. Colleges also need additional COVID-19-related cost support while there is still time to build the protocols and facilities that will allow them to open as much as COVID-19 will allow this fall.</p>
<p>Cal State’s half-million students deserve full college as much as the students at Brown and Notre Dame – and they need solid public funding that will allow it.</p>
<p>[<em>You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-help">Read The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138926/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Newfield works for the University of California. </span></em></p>Opening colleges and universities for in-person instruction this fall could be risky, but so could going online. A higher education funding expert explains why.Christopher Newfield, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Santa BarbaraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1389792020-06-10T07:06:27Z2020-06-10T07:06:27ZHow to create engaging online learning amid COVID-19 pandemic: lessons from Singapore<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340562/original/file-20200609-21230-yk4u4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fun Man Fung/National University of Singapore</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/study-shows-that-students-learn-more-when-taking-part-in-classrooms-that-employ-active-learning-strategies/">Research has shown</a> students <a href="https://youtu.be/Js7kBVcFtJw">learn better</a> when they are <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/39/19251">actively engaged</a> in the learning process, rather than just passively listening to a lecture. </p>
<p>However, the coronavirus pandemic has forced what many thought would never happen: <a href="https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/wuhan-coronavirus-dorscon-orange-nus-ntu-smu-move-large-lectures-online-suspend-mass-events">online courses extensively replacing traditional programs</a>.</p>
<p>Over the <a href="https://blog.nus.edu.sg/alsetnus/2019/04/25/nus-fights-fake-news-new-course-cognitive-bias/">past three years</a>, our faculty team and teaching assistants at the National University of Singapore successfully created an <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fungfunman_togetherweovercome-educhat-onlineteaching-activity-6658313026824957952--Rmn">engaging large in-class course</a> for our students, who were notorious for their <a href="https://learning.jobscentral.com.sg/study-in-sg/articles/on/337/understanding-asian-learners-and-their-learning-behaviour">unwillingness</a> to participate actively in class.</p>
<p>When we moved our class to teach <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/wuhan-virus-coronavirus-nus-e-learning-classes-12411884">entirely online</a>, we learned many lessons on how to avoid losing the student engagement that we had worked so hard to develop. </p>
<p>Our team offers a three-pronged approach that educators can use to maintain engaging online learning amid <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019">the COVID-19 pandemic</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338665/original/file-20200530-78858-9wpmod.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The three-pronged approach to engage learners online.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Fun Man Fung)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. Strengthen student-teacher interaction</h2>
<p>When students and teachers are physically distant, it becomes more critical to create a social connection.</p>
<p>While students are waiting for class to start, we use the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02607476.2020.1755205">chat function</a> to ask them how they are doing. During the first session, we orient them to our course structure and requirements.</p>
<p>This initial connection makes them feel more comfortable with using this channel to offer questions and comments during the class. </p>
<p>Also, we remind them to turn on their videos. This makes them more responsible for paying attention to the class to avoid succumbing to other distractions associated with learning from home. </p>
<hr>
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<p>Teachers should optimise their <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hbe2.191">communication techniques</a>, which includes ensuring high-quality sound, <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00004">video</a> and lighting. </p>
<p>We suggest positioning the camera in front of our monitor at eye-level. This allows us to look at the students instead of our laptops or notes.</p>
<p>Standing during our class enables educators to express themselves using hands and body language. Even if the camera angle only covers our heads and shoulders, students still can see our body movement and it helps communicate our messages. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=240&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=240&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=240&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=301&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=301&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/338670/original/file-20200530-78875-4qzhhy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=301&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We stand up and teach for better energy. Note that the camera is positioned at our eye level. The teaching assistant seated on the right supports answering students’ questions in real time on the Zoom chat function.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Fun Man Fung)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We are fortunate to <a href="https://youtu.be/mIUofI6yymE">team-teach</a> in our class, with a <a href="https://youtu.be/7kCMjQQmTrw?t=4008">back-and-forth conversation between lecturers</a>. Team-teaching helps bring up different ideas and perspectives on the same subject. </p>
<p>At the same time our teaching assistants work the “backend”, taking care of any real-time technical issues, helping to place students in breakout groups, and providing a real-time summary of the class discussion by group chat.</p>
<p>They also acknowledge questions from the students and manage the appropriate time during the class for the lecturers to answer them. </p>
<h2>2. Plan regular checkpoints with live student responses</h2>
<p>Regular, real-time responses from students provide valuable insights into their opinions and help us understand their grasp of the content.</p>
<p>These <a href="https://youtu.be/jCOeI4u3qag?t=2623">live responses</a> enable us to tailor the subsequent lessons to suit students’ level of understanding of the concepts and keep them engaged. For example, these unannounced checkpoints can be in the form of short, non-graded questions and polls.</p>
<p>Students enjoy seeing real-time responses from their fellow students. We use <a href="https://www.polleverywhere.com/">Poll Everywhere</a>, but occasionally use other interactive platforms such as <a href="https://www.mentimeter.com/">Mentimer</a>, <a href="https://kahoot.it/">Kahoot</a>!, <a href="https://padlet.com/">Padlet</a> and <a href="https://pigeonholelive.com/">Pigeonhole Live</a> when we need different features for our checkpoints.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340550/original/file-20200609-21238-51cip8.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students use their mobile devices to submit their answers to receive real-time class feedback.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fun Man Fung/National University of Singapore</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our students typically won’t raise their hands when asked a question in class, even the simplest one. They are more open to answering these polling systems, which is helpful to get students to reply and engage with the subject.</p>
<h2>3. Utilise student interaction</h2>
<p>Our classroom experience wants to ensure students will comfortably interact, ask questions and contribute in groups, much more often than they do in large lecture theatres. As a result, we decided to divide students into teams where they answer problems posed by the teaching team. </p>
<p>It is even more important to insert group work in the virtual classrooms. Group work allows students to <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00836">deepen their understanding</a> of the materials. We determine the membership of each group, which is fixed over the course.</p>
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<p>Students then rotate responsibility for leading their groups, taking notes and reporting back to the larger class. The also enjoy getting to know other students in the class (especially those from different disciplines).</p>
<p>We have found it essential to provide “ice-breakers” at the beginning of the course to introduce team members to each other. Our <a href="https://youtu.be/4GxUZEFrs4o?t=2363">teaching assistants or faculty staff “drop in” to group sessions</a> and provide suggestions, but do not replace the student team leader of the session. Although it takes extra time, at least one or two of the groups should report back to the entire class at the end of the group activity. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337413/original/file-20200525-106832-behrxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Team teaching is fun and rewarding. Here, the team of three faculties is setting up the online classroom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fun Man Fung</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Worth the investment</h2>
<p>Keeping students engaged virtually is more challenging because it is harder to pick up on the clues you get during a traditional class: knowing when students are lost, distracted or confused and when to speed up or slow down.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFfycdEUAXk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Learning How to Learn Better by Fun Man Fung, PhD, and Robert Kamei, MD.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By <a href="http://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/education-responses-to-covid-19-embracing-digital-learning-and-online-collaboration-d75eb0e8/">effectively using teaching techniques</a> and available online platforms, lecturers can deliver engaging lessons while achieving meaningful interactions among the teaching team and students.</p>
<p>We encourage educators to explore and expand on the various methods to make online learning more engaging for students. Although it will take time to do, it is worth the investment.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors acknowledge the <a href="http://blog.nus.edu.sg/teachingconnections/2020/06/03/undergraduate-teaching-assistants-as-co-curators-for-the-module-learning-to-learn-better-what-we-learned/">teaching assistants team</a> (esp. Tan Hui Ru, Chng Wei Heng and Christian Chonardo) for their help in the courses ALS1010 & ALS1020, as well as the NUS Libraries team for their support. We appreciate Joshua Gooley, PhD, Mara McAdams, MD, and Jennifer Davis of Duke-NUS for their contributions.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138979/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Para penulis tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi di luar afiliasi akademis yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>The pandemic has intensified online learning, but educators are struggling to keep students engaged. Faculty members from the National University of Singapore offer three strategies to overcome this.Fun Man Fung, Visiting Researcher at CRI Paris, Visiting Scholar at Peking University, Lecturer in Learning Sciences and Chemistry, National University of SingaporeNg Tao Tao Magdeline, Senior Librarian, National University of SingaporeRobert K Kamei, Professor of Paediatrics, National University of SingaporeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1355702020-06-08T01:43:36Z2020-06-08T01:43:36ZFor online teaching to succeed, train educators to embrace uncertainty in learning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327489/original/file-20200413-146889-1xsg7kc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified digital learning as students study from home to curb the spread of the virus. <a href="https://theconversation.com/gagap-3-aspek-vital-kuliah-online-di-tengah-covid-19-bisa-perparah-gap-akses-pembelajaran-bermutu-bagi-mahasiswa-miskin-134933">Insufficient digital infrastructure and a vast digital divide</a> have posed significant challenges for students in Indonesia. </p>
<p>On a more fundamental level, online learning exacerbates the inadequacy of one-way teaching that’s characterised by “explaining” and just “giving exercises” in class. </p>
<p>Indonesia has more than <a href="https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2019/05/02/berapa-jumlah-peserta-didik-indonesia">45 million students</a>, and <a href="https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2019/09/26/tertinggi-sejak-1997-jumlah-mahasiswa-indonesia-2018-capai-7-juta-jiwa">7 million of them are enrolled in higher education</a>. </p>
<p>Teachers and lecturers have reportedly been uploading lessons and homework <a href="https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/03/24/15391751/mendikbud-singgung-guru-yang-hanya-beri-tugas-berat-tanpa-bimbingan">without any meaningful feedback</a>, and <a href="https://www.jpnn.com/news/belajar-online-mayoritas-guru-hanya-memberi-tugas-tanpa-interaksi-dengan-siswa">failing to facilitate discussions</a>. Students have been <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/04/11/challenges-of-home-learning-during-a-pandemic-through-the-eyes-of-a-student.html">frustrated and confused</a>.</p>
<p>To overcome this, teachers should change their teaching mindset and embrace uncertainty in learning. The government should support teachers to “unlearn” conventional styles of teaching to bring about meaningful change in this time of crisis.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lack-of-internet-access-in-southeast-asia-poses-challenges-for-students-to-study-online-amid-covid-19-pandemic-133787">Lack of internet access in Southeast Asia poses challenges for students to study online amid COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Embrace uncertainty in learning</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1359866X.2017.1355051">A 2017 Australian study</a> involving 80 teachers and principals from Eastern Indonesia highlights that most educators are not familiar with collaborative teaching styles. They tend to focus solely on textbooks.</p>
<p><a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/726801468269436434/pdf/Main-report.pdf">Various studies</a> suggest this problem exists in other parts of Indonesia, even in more developed provinces <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED514886.pdf">such as West Java</a>.</p>
<p>Most teachers seem to prefer <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47530784_The_Making_of_Indonesian_Education_An_Overview_on_Empowering_Indonesian_Teachers">a familiar and rigid lesson plan</a> for students to follow, rather than posing open-ended questions or leaving room for uncertainties <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9752.12038">as an instructional method</a>. </p>
<p>But this one-way teaching mindset breaks down in the face of online education. What minimum interaction teachers had during classroom settings is now even worse. Many teachers have abandoned virtual meetings altogether in favour of <a href="https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/03/24/15391751/mendikbud-singgung-guru-yang-hanya-beri-tugas-berat-tanpa-bimbingan">merely leaving students with assignments</a>.</p>
<p>One way teachers can improve in this aspect is to start adopting methods that invite students to <a href="https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1409&context=ijpbl">embrace uncertainty in learning</a>. Teachers can introduce complex problem-solving tasks or project-based learning.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-teachers-can-support-pbl-home">At primary school level</a>, for example, teachers can ask students in a group to explore ideas for e-poster campaigns for a healthy environment to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. </p>
<p>At university level, teachers can initiate <a href="https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/jpe/article/download/25229/11316/">interdisciplinary projects</a> to stimulate similar creative group tasks.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-universities-are-shifting-classes-online-but-its-not-as-easy-as-it-sounds-133030">Coronavirus: universities are shifting classes online – but it's not as easy as it sounds</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This positions teachers in a more active role of promoting online discussions. At the same time, it invites students to take advantage of vast knowledge resources offered by platforms such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/tiga-langkah-strategis-untuk-dukung-budaya-pembelajaran-daring-pasca-covid-19-135337">massive open online course (MOOC) portals</a>, instead of just being passive learners.</p>
<p>Research has shown that introducing uncertainty in learning leads to higher academic performance.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebecca_Jesson/publication/323592095_Improving_Achievement_Using_Digital_Pedagogy_Impact_of_a_Research_Practice_Partnership_in_New_Zealand/links/5b46751045851519b4b07808/Improving-Achievement-Using-Digital-Pedagogy-Impact-of-a-Research-Practice-Partnership-in-New-Zealand.pdf">A 2018 study</a> from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, found using open-ended techniques in digital instruction greatly increased educational attainment, namely in reading and writing.</p>
<h2>Reform teacher training</h2>
<p>Indonesia’s Ministry of Education can use several platforms to help teachers “unlearn” their conventional teaching style and reform the way they engage with students in the classroom – both offline and online. </p>
<p><strong>1. Reform existing nationwide programs such as the Teachers’ Professional Training Program (<em>PPG</em>)</strong></p>
<p>Set up in 2005 to enable teachers to upgrade their skills, the program has ended up as a shortcut certification scheme for teachers <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/07/11/sri-mulyati-reprimands-teachers-association-over-complacency.html">to increase their salary</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://aadcice.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/e/publications/sosho4_2-04.pdf">A study from the Indonesian University of Education (UPI)</a> shows the program resulted in little to no improvement of teacher capacity.</p>
<p>Reforming the program is crucial. It is the most effective way to reach the majority of Indonesian teachers categorised as “senior” teachers, older than 40, who are more likely to employ outdated one-way teaching methods.</p>
<p><a href="http://statistik.data.kemdikbud.go.id/index.php/page/smp">Data from the Ministry of Education</a>, for example, show that teachers aged over 40 account for 49%, 49.7% and 46.2% of teaching staff in primary, junior and senior high schools respectively.</p>
<p><strong>2. Train future teachers to employ modern teaching styles</strong> </p>
<p>The ministry also has an important role in reforming the way teacher candidates are taught <a href="https://theconversation.com/visi-merdekabelajar-menteri-nadiem-harus-diikuti-dengan-perbaikan-kualitas-guru-127811">at education universities</a> (<em>Lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan</em>, or LPTK).</p>
<p>Currently, Indonesia’s education universities are too loaded with theories and research. They do not give teacher candidates enough opportunities to <a href="https://theconversation.com/visi-merdekabelajar-menteri-nadiem-harus-diikuti-dengan-perbaikan-kualitas-guru-127811">experiment with teaching methods in schools</a>.</p>
<p>Scholars have suggested setting up <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/09/21/improving-teacher-training-colleges.html">“pedagogy labs”</a> to research and explore modern teaching styles in our education universities.</p>
<p>The teacher education curriculum must also be revamped to incorporate more opportunities for field experience and digital pedagogy.</p>
<p><strong>3. Showcase teaching innovations from Indonesia’s most progressive educators</strong></p>
<p>For example, the government can invite notable organisations such as the <a href="http://smeru.or.id">SMERU Research Institute</a>, the <a href="https://www.inovasi.or.id">INOVASI School Project</a>, or the <a href="http://pspk.web.id">Centre for Education and Policy Studies (PSPK)</a> to share innovative teaching methods through a formal, government-backed program.</p>
<p>Events such as <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/youth/2018/03/19/shining-light-on-tech-friendly-teachers.html">Microsoft’s Education Exchange (E2)</a> in Singapore, where 400 teachers from 91 countries gather to exchange innovative teaching ideas and trends, do exist. However, similar local initiatives seem to be scarce in Indonesia.</p>
<p>Minister of Education Nadiem Makarim’s #MerdekaBelajar – a set of policies aiming to provide leeway for schools to have more control over how students are taught – should offer a supportive environment for these reforms to take place.</p>
<p>However, none of these policies incentivises effective change of educators’ teaching methods or provides examples of how to start.</p>
<p>That’s why exposing teachers to progressive teaching innovations is just as crucial.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-prosperous-teachers-have-no-impact-on-the-quality-of-education-90690">More prosperous teachers have no impact on the quality of education</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135570/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Luciana tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian teachers have struggled to adapt to online learning. To overcome this, teachers should be taught to be bolder in introducing ‘uncertainty in learning’.Luciana, Lecturer in English Education, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1385752020-05-26T15:32:39Z2020-05-26T15:32:39ZCOVID-19 reveals the folly of performance-based funding for universities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337215/original/file-20200524-124814-1xovsb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=95%2C95%2C7820%2C3245&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Universities' funding can't be judged against metrics such as student employment or salary outcomes over which universities have little control.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the folly of performance-based funding schemes for post-secondary institutions planned by the Ontario and Alberta governments. </p>
<p>Proposed indicators in both provinces for determining how well universities are performing are linked to labour-market and economic outcomes. For example, Ontario plans to consider the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-doug-ford-university-college-post-secondary-grants-1.5121844">earnings of graduates and proportion of graduates who have full-time employment in a related or partly related field</a>, and Alberta will examine <a href="https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/performance_based_funding_means_more_red_tape_uncertainty_for_post_secondary_institutions">graduate median income</a>.</p>
<p>The economic and labour disruption wrought by COVID-19 shows that university funding cannot be judged against metrics like student employability or salary since universities have no control over those outcomes.</p>
<p>Ontario called for a significant proportion of post-secondary funding <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-metrics-for-ontario-university-and-college-funding-include/">to be tied to performance on a narrow set of indicators about a year ago</a>, <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=67447A51C2BC1-CBF8-78E9-C6759CE8A736486C">and Alberta</a> <a href="https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/performance_based_funding_means_more_red_tape_uncertainty_for_post_secondary_institutions">followed suit this past January</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-doug-ford-could-learn-from-wisconsin-about-higher-education-116138">What Doug Ford could learn from Wisconsin about higher education</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Now, Ontario has <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-shelves-plan-for-performance-based-postsecondary-funding/">rightly pressed pause on its performance-based funding plans, citing the need for flexibility in the current climate</a>. Alberta is hanging on, and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-college-and-university-performance-based-funding-changes-delayed-by-pandemic-1.5513467">a draft agreement is expected to be finalized at the end of May</a>. </p>
<p>Under the performance-based funding models proposed, universities move from being <a href="https://uofrpress.ca/Books/D/Dissident-Knowledge-in-Higher-Education">institutions dedicated to fostering critical, creative and engaged citizens that generate public-interest research</a> toward institutions with newly conceived narrow missions. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337214/original/file-20200524-124832-2ij7z4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides shakes hands with Premier Jason Kenney after being sworn into office in Edmonton in April 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Should be shelved for good</h2>
<p>These funding schemes should not simply be temporarily suspended, but shelved for good.</p>
<p>Judging universities on the basis of how successful they are <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-metrics-for-ontario-university-and-college-funding-include/">in attracting research funds</a> (in Alberta under “<a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/parklandinstitute/pages/1777/attachments/original/1580249801/IMA_outline.pdf?1580249801">sponsored research funding</a>”) could lead to a narrowing of scholarship both in teaching and research. Academics may start to focus on what’s rewarded instead of what matters.</p>
<p>Such an emphasis could negatively impact society by devaluing less costly but no less important scholarship, including risky, yet innovative research, community-engaged research and other valuable research that cannot easily be measured or reflected by a simple financial calculus.</p>
<p>Making matters worse is the perverse incentivization of competition between universities rather than collaboration. </p>
<h2>Corporate interests</h2>
<p>Also questionable is the government’s rationale to use current labour-market realities to direct future post-secondary education funding. Alberta’s optimistic investment in petroleum engineers 10 years ago is a case in point: <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/albertas-post-secondary-funding-problem-is-staring-them-right-in-the-face/">the job market those graduates entered is now significantly different than what was earlier projected</a>. </p>
<p>As highlighted in reports, such as the federal government’s 2017 report from the Expert Panel on Youth Employment, the nature of work is changing. We’re shifting away from <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/youth-expert-panel/report-modern-strategies-youth-employment.html#new">manufacturing to service and knowledge economies with a greater emphasis on soft skills such as problem-solving, communication, interpersonal skills and critical thinking</a>.</p>
<p>It’s precisely in the area of flexible thinking and soft skills where universities excel. However, in order to maintain their ability to remain consistent in their quality offerings — whether in professional schools, humanities, social sciences or sciences — universities require predictable funding based on traditional inputs such as how many students are enrolled, their faculty, institutional space and so on. </p>
<h2>Universities are already accountable</h2>
<p>Defenders of performance-based funding systems will invariably mention the one or two more reasonably conceived indicators, such Indigenous enrolment as proposed in Alberta or work-integrated learning opportunities as proposed in both provinces. </p>
<p>Universities’ capacities to attract and retain Indigenous students in Alberta (and throughout Canada) is certainly important, but a call and support for such efforts should be rightly seen as part of wider systemic changes needed throughout all levels of education <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/funding-changes-coming-for-first-nations-k-12-education/">that invest in Indigenous students at the same levels as non-Indigenous Canadian students</a>.</p>
<p>It should also be understood as part of larger <a href="https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/indigenization-efforts-vary-widely-on-canadian-campuses-study-finds/">Indigenization efforts that are underway</a> in response to <a href="http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf">Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission</a>.</p>
<p>Tying student enrolments, and their future employment to specific outcomes, with performance-based funding has the potential to skew <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/peformance-based-funding-alberta-university-college-1.5439739">rewards towards institutions that enrol students with the most social capital</a> — whether Indigenous or non-Indigenous — and the best chances of being employed at the highest pay immediately after graduating. </p>
<p>In terms of work-integrated learning, the popularity of co-op internship programs has been steadily <a href="https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/co-op-programs-are-popular-and-growing-at-canadian-universities">growing without performance-based funding</a>. Student enrolments in co-op programs at Canadian universities have increased 25 per cent to 65,000 in 2013 from <a href="https://www.univcan.ca/priorities/co-ops-internships/">53,000 in 2006</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337220/original/file-20200524-124810-7gf30t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Universities are accountable to the public through a variety of measures. The University of Regina is seen here.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To leave the impression that universities are currently unaccountable is not only misleading, but untrue. External and internal program reviews, scholarly peer review, student teaching evaluations, professional accreditation bodies and strict financial audits all act as existing accountability measures. </p>
<p>Universities already spend a great deal of resources gathering and responding to data and <a href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/province-unveils-new-performance-based-funding-structure-for-post-secondary-institutions-1.4775212">publishing about performance</a> to better serve, attract and retain students — and ultimately to better serve society. Such work is organized through <a href="https://www.uregina.ca/orp/">dedicated research offices</a>. </p>
<p>Universities Canada also <a href="https://www.univcan.ca/universities/facts-and-stats/">tracks data</a>, for example, in the area of <a href="https://www.univcan.ca/priorities/indigenous-education/">Indigenous outreach, leadership and academic programs</a>. </p>
<h2>Gaming the new metrics</h2>
<p>Imposing performance-based funding systems will invariably lead to the addition of another layer of bureaucracy at both post-secondary institution and ministry levels. There will likely be new or re-classified university management positions whose sole purpose will be to assess, report, target and ultimately game the new metrics. </p>
<p>On the government side, bureaucrats will be needed to gather, evaluate, monitor and, in the longer term, respond to the manipulated metrics as well as to their unintended consequences. </p>
<p>The United Kingdom offers an example of the distortions that occur when coercive metrics are imposed. Various iterations of the “<a href="https://www.ref.ac.uk/">Research Excellence Framework</a>” have led to unintended consequences <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/11/05/the-growing-high-stakes-audit-culture-within-the-academy-has-brought-about-a-different-kind-of-publishing-crisis/">such as ramping up publish-or-perish pressures to new extremes</a> and <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/now-good-time-uk-ditch-ref-and-tef">de-emphasizing university teaching</a>.</p>
<p>The government responded by creating a <a href="https://academicmatters.ca/understanding-the-united-kingdoms-teaching-excellence-framework-and-its-implications/">Teaching Excellence Framework</a> to add to an ever-expanding <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/681534">set of auditing frameworks</a>. </p>
<p>Although that framework <a href="https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/choosing-course/teaching-excellence-framework-tef-what-you-need-know">is, for now, still voluntary</a>, it <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/teaching-excellence-framework-tef/tef-faqs">corresponded to how much universities would be permitted</a> to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/nov/22/universities-nus-boycott-teaching-excellence-framework-tuition-fees">raise tuition</a> — something <a href="https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/12469">later amended after criticism</a>. It’s going to be <a href="https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/national-reforms-higher-education-75_en">redeveloped in 2020</a>.</p>
<p>It’s still too early to determine what effects the U.K.’s <a href="https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/choosing-course/teaching-excellence-framework-tef-what-you-need-know">gold, silver and bronze ratings (yes, just like the Olympics)</a> could have on teaching. </p>
<p>It’s no surprise that these frameworks have led to bureaucratic bloat, while threatening to divert larger and larger pieces of the pie away from teaching, research and service — the very budget line items that serve students and society.</p>
<p>Hopefully we can benefit from the insights the COVID-19 crisis has afforded us, and permanently shelve these misguided performance-based funding plans.</p>
<p>Performance-based funding means pushing universities in the direction of becoming entrepreneurial training centres while performing short-sighted research and development that’s more corporate in style — and less in the public’s interests.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marc Spooner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Albertans expect a draft agreement for performance-based funding for universities — but here’s why it should be scrapped.Marc Spooner, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of ReginaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1379642020-05-25T20:35:36Z2020-05-25T20:35:36ZAfter coronavirus closures, reopening schools demands collaboration<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337117/original/file-20200522-124845-2wqh16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=380%2C0%2C1881%2C2162&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children wait to wash their hands before going into class at their school in Saint Jean de Luz, southwestern France, on May 14, 2020, as some schools started reopening after COVID-19 lockdowns. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Bob Edme)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Across Canada, many parents, educational policy experts and educators are now looking at <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-brian-pallister-covid-19-1.5578571">possibly late August</a> or early September as they consider how schools can <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/legault-quebec-covid-19-reopen-business-1.5555326">safely reopen amid the unknowns of the coronavirus pandemic</a>. </p>
<p>I’ve had the good fortune to spend close to 30 years in the education sector including working as a teacher, principal and director of education. I’m now a professor of educational leadership and dean of the faculty of education at the University of Regina, which is on Treaty 4 territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation. My career has spanned the geographical, social and political contexts of the prairie provinces. </p>
<p>Over the past eight weeks, I’ve <a href="http://www.jeromecranston.ca/web-series.html">been hosting a web series for educators (Leading a School Community Through a Pandemic)</a> and connecting with other <a href="http://csse-scee.ca/acde/">Canadian deans of education</a>. I’ve spoken to other educators about the challenges for schools, from hindered learning and children’s developmental needs to the impact COVID-19 has on Black, racialized and Indigenous students and their families.</p>
<p>Educational leaders are facing an overwhelming task: establishing effective mechanisms to maintain physical <a href="https://en.unesco.org/news/back-school-preparing-and-managing-reopening-schools">distancing and to practise adequate hygiene while, at the same time, continuing to support teachers so they can meet students’</a> learning and developmental needs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337122/original/file-20200522-124826-lygi7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=630&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A boy hugs his mother before entering Ecole Marie Rose, as elementary schools outside the greater Montréal area reopen, May 11, 2020, in Saint-Sauveur, Que.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pan-Canadian school road map needed</h2>
<p>Given what we are collectively facing, we need a national, rapid-response task-force made of educational experts — practitioners such as teachers or educators, policy makers as well as scholars who understand how schools operate — and experts from community health and infectious diseases to work together. </p>
<p>This would be similar to what the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health.html">Public Health Agency of Canada</a> has done under the leadership of Dr. Theresa Tam. </p>
<p>A task force for education could develop a pan-Canadian road map to inform how authorities responsible for kindergarten to Grade 12 education could develop and implement their own specific frameworks for reopening. </p>
<p>Such a task force would require meaningful involvement of Indigenous education leadership groups to support school reopening efforts on-reserve and for Indigenous students going to school off-reserve. There is a need to recognize the inherent sovereignty of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, especially following from the Calls to Action offered in <a href="http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Honouring_the_Truth_Reconciling_for_the_Future_July_23_2015.pdf">the final report</a> of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. </p>
<p>Any school reopening efforts on reserve require that the Canadian government not forget the <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/march-2020/priority-pandemic-response-needed-for-first-nations/">a dire need for additional pandemic funding</a>.</p>
<p>Without a road map, it’s hard to see where we are headed. </p>
<h2>Openings can’t be unconditional</h2>
<p>Without robust, evidence-based plans, a rapid return to school will only increase existing pressures. One serious challenge is that large numbers of students who return to school could, in fact, be carriers of the virus but <a href="https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/update-on-covid-19-epidemiology-and-impact-on-medical-care-in-children-april-2020">not present obvious symptoms</a>. Despite physical distancing measures in schools, the simple act of mingling with others may lead to a steep increase of transmission.</p>
<p>The planning for school reopening cannot be unconditional. If infections rise, schools would have to be closed again. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337127/original/file-20200522-124822-fa6u0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Schoolchildren raise their hands to answer their teacher, wearing a face mask, in a school in Strasbourg, France, in May 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Changed spaces</h2>
<p>Education <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475852707/Essential-Learning-Theories-Applications-to-Authentic-Teaching-Situations">affects the development of children intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, artistically, creatively and spiritually</a>. </p>
<p>Schools are <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1473613?seq=1">social systems</a> that buttress students’ academic achievement as well as shape — and hopefully support — their social and emotional development. Research has illustrated the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2379-3988.2012.tb00073.x">important role that formal education plays to support students as they develop the social and emotional skills</a> essential for working with others. This includes developing healthy coping mechanisms, resiliency, and achieving educational and life goals. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-physical-environment-of-classrooms-mark-phillips">Research points</a> to the fact that the physical setup of classrooms and schools contribute to student learning. </p>
<p>Everything from classroom <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9604.2008.00375.x">seating arrangements</a> to playground spaces to a school’s physical layout can impact how and what students learn. The physical, built environments of schools and classrooms certainly impact learning and development. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337123/original/file-20200522-124855-1eb0xfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students wait for class to begin with plastic boards placed on their desks at Jeonmin High School in Daejeon, South Korea, on May 20, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Kim Jun-beom/Yonhap via AP)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Changed, responsive teaching</h2>
<p>Teaching extends beyond transmitting subject and content knowledge to students. Teachers introduce children and youth to societal values, norms and life-skills. Learning is an interactive process, and effective teaching is based on <a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov08/vol66/num03/It's-All-About-Relationships.aspx">relationships</a>. </p>
<p>Reopening is a complex public health concern that requires preparation and considers such factors as how the newly arranged physical environment of schools and classrooms — enacted to mitigate risks of COVID-19 — impact teaching philosophies and practices and the overall goals of what students learn. </p>
<h2>What it might look like</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/schools-reopen-fall-coronavirus/2020/04/26/d60e2f62-85b3-11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html"><em>Washington Post</em></a> article shows what schools could look like: one-way hallways; students and teachers in masks; lunch inside classrooms instead of cafeterias if they exist; buses running half-empty; and students and staff having their temperatures checked before entering. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52412171">The government of Scotland</a> is considering such measures as: placing limits on class sizes; grades alternating weekly between studying at school and at home; splitting the day between students who attend in the morning and those who attend in the afternoon; redesigning and reconfiguring classrooms to ensure physical distancing; requiring students to take recess and lunch breaks at different times.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336207/original/file-20200519-152302-1hc2tbd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Marks on the pavement outside a classroom for social distancing, ahead of school reopening at the Koninklijk Antheneum, in Sint-Michiels, a suburb of Bruges, Belgium, May 14, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The weight of this unknown is compounded by the varied impacts that months of the pandemic may have on vulnerable families, individual children and communities — not to mention how social distancing, shutdowns and COVID-19 is interacting with other social inequities such <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-is-not-the-great-equalizer-race-matters-133867">as racism</a>, poverty <a href="https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2020/04/09/no-such-thing-as-natural-disasters-infrastructure-and-the-first-nation-fight-against-covid-19/">and colonialism</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-strategies-to-support-vulnerable-students-when-schools-reopen-after-coronavirus-136201">4 strategies to support vulnerable students when schools reopen after coronavirus</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is a considerable amount of work that needs to be done to develop plans.
The need for a collective, strategic approach to support the health, education and developmental well being of children and youth is critical. </p>
<p>If we don’t start working collaboratively now on a road map, the experiment of reopening this fall might result in a kind of failure that not only negatively impacts student learning and development, but could also cost lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137964/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jerome Cranston does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A national task force could help educational leaders develop their plans to reopen schools.Jerome Cranston, Dean & Professor, Faculty of Education, University of ReginaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1377782020-05-15T04:14:20Z2020-05-15T04:14:20ZMore than 70% of academics at some universities are casuals. They’re losing work and are cut out of JobKeeper<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335282/original/file-20200515-138610-qmh3qt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-speaker-giving-presentation-lecture-hall-1055550002">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The National Tertiary Education Union this week <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/article/Media-Release%3A-Landmark-agreement-preseres-12%2C000-jobs-and-hard-won-university-conditions-22048">struck an agreement with universities</a> that no ongoing university staff member would be stood down involuntarily without pay. This deal is contingent on staff above a certain pay grade taking a cut of up to 15% of their salary. </p>
<p>It’s still uncertain how many universities will sign up to the deal – the <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/uni-rejects-job-protection-framework/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email">Australian Catholic University</a> has already rejected it.</p>
<p>Casual and contract academics are most vulnerable to imminent job losses. By mid-2018, an estimated 94,500 people were employed at Australian universities on a casual basis, primarily in <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/907-Mapping-Australian-higher-education-2018.pdf">teaching-only roles</a>. </p>
<p>The number of precariously employed academics <a href="https://theconversation.com/casual-academics-arent-going-anywhere-so-what-can-universities-do-to-ensure-learning-isnt-affected-113567">has been estimated at 70%</a> of teaching staff in some universities. At the <a href="https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/6688113/uow-fails-to-provide-for-staff-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/">University of Wollongong</a>, for instance, around 75% of staff are in insecure work – a figure that includes both teaching and administrative workers. </p>
<p>And yet in March, the university had failed to ensure wage support for casual staff needing to self-isolate for any reason.</p>
<p>In April, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">one-third of casuals</a> at the University of NSW had reported they’d lost work. This reportedly cost them an average A$626 a week, and 42% were working unpaid hours.</p>
<p>Casual academics are not eligible for the government’s <a href="https://community.ato.gov.au/t5/COVID-19-response/Jobkeeper-Casual-employee/td-p/39655">JobKeeper</a> payments due to rules that require more than 12 months continuous employment with an organisation that has lost between 30-50% of its revenue – effectively ruling universities out. Casual academics are often on short-term contracts, such as a semester-by-semester basis.</p>
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<p>Under the NTEU agreement, displaced casual and fixed-term contract staff will be prioritised for new work. This approach leaves many staff in a position of increased precarity. The likelihood of new work emerging over the next few months is low, given the downturn in international student enrolments and uncertainties around conducting fieldwork research given social distancing policies. </p>
<p>This highly skilled yet vulnerable group need greater support from our government.</p>
<h2>A vulnerable workforce</h2>
<p>Some estimates place revenue losses at Australian universities at around <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251">A$19 billion over the next three years</a> due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The university sector estimates this puts more than <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/uni-viability-crucial-to-national-recovery/">21,000 jobs at risk</a> over coming months, and countless more in the future. </p>
<p>The loss of international students is potentially <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/14/a-downward-spiral-coronavirus-spins-australian-universities-into-economic-crisis">catastrophic</a> for the sector. An <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/opinion/conversation-covid-19-university-funding/">estimated A$2 billion</a> in fees could be lost mid-year as international students are unable to arrive in Australia to start semester two studies. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-universities-could-lose-19-billion-in-the-next-3-years-our-economy-will-suffer-with-them-136251">Australian universities could lose $19 billion in the next 3 years. Our economy will suffer with them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Some universities, such as the University of Tasmania, have had to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-10/university-of-tasmania-cuts-degree-number-in-cost-cutting/12043294">reduce the number of courses offered in 2021</a> to recoup funding. And universities have had to scale back spending, for example, on <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=202004221408487">major construction works</a>.</p>
<p>This week, <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/vc-warns-hundreds-of-la-trobe-u-jobs-at-risk/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email">Vice Chancellor of La Trobe University</a>, John Dewar, said revenues could be A$150 millon under budget this year and up to A$200 million next year. </p>
<p>If this year’s required savings were to be made solely from staff cuts, this would require 200-400 job losses, he said. The 2021 budget gap could equate to 600-800 jobs.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1247096369686278144"}"></div></p>
<p>In April, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/very-big-hit-indeed-rmit-and-la-trobe-cut-hundreds-of-casual-staff-20200417-p54kvl.html">La Trobe and RMIT university</a> had let go of hundreds of casual “non-essential” staff. Western Sydney University <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">warned staff</a> in April it would cut casual workloads as it faced mounting financial shortfalls over the next three years. </p>
<p>Despite these realities, both tenured and untenured academic staff are being asked to do more in teaching and research to support the country in the face of this pandemic. They are doing this with fewer resources.</p>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>Even before the NTEU agreement, <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/covid-19/scorecards">many universities</a> responded with clear policies and support in response to COVID-19. For example, executive staff at some universities – such as <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/mylatrobe/la-trobes-senior-leadership-team-takes-a-voluntary-20-salary-reduction/">La Trobe</a> and the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/this-is-not-a-one-off-hit-sydney-universities-cut-courses-and-casual-staff-20200423-p54mmy.html">The University of Wollongong</a> – took a 20% pay cut, and froze any non-essential travel.</p>
<p>Many universities, such as Deakin, are providing paid leave for staff with caring responsibilities and paid isolation leave for those exposed to coronavirus. And others, like <a href="https://www.nteu.org.au/covid-19/scorecards">ANU and ACU</a>, have extended benefits to their casual and contract staff. These include honouring existing contracts, paying sessional tutors despite reductions in teaching hours and paying casual staff to attend online professional development. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dependent-and-vulnerable-the-experiences-of-academics-on-casual-and-insecure-contracts-118608">Dependent and vulnerable: the experiences of academics on casual and insecure contracts</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>All workers need transparency around expectations and pay. But this is particularly important for casual staff, whose immediate and long-term work prospects are under threat despite having often spent years in universities building expertise. Although casual academics are on temporary contracts, some have been working for universities <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545749">longer than their colleagues on continuing contracts</a>. </p>
<p>In the United States a <a href="https://www.academicsolidaritystatement.com/">statement of solidarity</a> started by <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/Prominent-Scholars-Threaten-to/248651">70 prominent academics</a> has so far received more than 2,000 signatures. The signatories have refused to work with any university that does not support its staff. </p>
<p>Some might argue such declarations are performative. But <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Making-It-as-a-Contract-Researcher-A-Pragmatic-Look-at-Precarious-Work/Spina-Harris-Bailey-Goff/p/book/9781138362598">our research interviews</a> with precariously employed academics highlight how support from ongoing academic staff is critical to their experiences in academia. This includes their mental health, job prospects and future career paths. </p>
<p>Casual staff members already experience isolation and anxiety. Missing out on benefits such as special leave provisions extended to tenured staff while working from home may exacerbate this.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1244749502113665024"}"></div></p>
<p>Breaks in an academic career or a lack of visibility – which could result from working from home, not holding a current contract or a lack of recent publications – can irrevocably damage future job prospects for any academic. </p>
<p>Tenured academics and leaders <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Making-It-as-a-Contract-Researcher-A-Pragmatic-Look-at-Precarious-Work/Spina-Harris-Bailey-Goff/p/book/9781138362598">can make an enormous difference to non-tenured</a> staff by being proactive in maintaining networks, ensuring transparent communication, providing mentoring and offering paid opportunities to co-author research publications. </p>
<p>The government has pledged to support employees from many other industries impacted by COVID, through policies like JobKeeper. As our <a href="https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/Research-Snapshots/Documents/Export%20Income%20CY%202017.pdf">third largest national export</a>, higher education is crucial for building new knowledge and preparing our future workforce. </p>
<p>While the NTEU framework offers a starting point, further government funding is required to provide appropriate security to those who work on casual or fixed-term contracts in higher education. </p>
<p>Recognition of their work and clarity about prospects and pay can make a massive difference to the lives and careers of our non-tenured colleagues.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137778/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Hundreds of casual academics have lost work in the COVID-19 crisis. They make up the majority of the teaching workforce at universities but they don’t quality for any government assistance.Jess Harris, Associate Professor in Education, University of NewcastleKathleen Smithers, PhD Candidate, University of NewcastleNerida Spina, Senior Lecturer in Education, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1386002020-05-14T06:47:01Z2020-05-14T06:47:01Z‘We had no sanitiser, no soap and minimal toilet paper’: here’s how teachers feel about going back to the classroom<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334840/original/file-20200513-167731-1gyhqyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-student-watching-lesson-online-studying-1676998306">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After weeks of remote learning due to COVID-19, many school students in New South Wales <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-11/sydney-morning-briefing-monday-may-11/12232616">began a staggered return to classrooms</a> this week. Students in other states, such as some in <a href="https://qed.qld.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/novel-coronavirus/frequently-asked-questions-for-parents">Queensland</a>, were also back in the classroom from Monday.</p>
<p>Others like Victoria are weeks away from returning. Premier Daniel Andrews <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-12/coronavirus-victorian-school-students-back-to-classroom-learning/12235616">said</a> some students (in prep, years 1 and 2, and years 11 and 12) will go back to school on May 26. And Western Australia’s Premier Mark McGowan <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-14/all-wa-students-to-return-to-school-as-coronavirus-absences-end/12245712">announced</a> all school students in the state must return to the classroom from May 18.</p>
<p>We surveyed more than 10,000 public school teachers in NSW to find out how they felt about being at school at the end of term one, their thoughts on remote learning and feelings about returning to school.</p>
<p>Our survey – with responses from April 17 to May 10 – showed fewer than one in four teachers felt safe working on the school site at the end of term one. But nearly 95% felt safe working from home. </p>
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<p>During the school holidays, when the survey began, only 13% of teachers reported feeling happy to continue working in direct contact with children and colleagues.</p>
<p>So, has the flattening of the curve has been enough to reassure teachers it is now safe to work with students and colleagues in schools?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-have-never-felt-so-frightened-australias-coronavirus-schools-messaging-must-address-teacher-concerns-135934">'I have never felt so frightened': Australia's coronavirus schools messaging must address teacher concerns</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Anxiety about being in the classroom</h2>
<p>At the end of term one and the beginning of term two in NSW, many teachers were delivering online lessons from their classrooms to students at home, as well as to smaller numbers of students who continued to attend school.</p>
<p>Almost all these teachers felt pressured to continue working on the school site. </p>
<p>One teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As an older teacher with an older husband at home who has compromised lungs, I feel very anxious about being at school. I do not appreciate, after teaching in the public system for 40 years, being treated as a guinea pig and a political scapegoat.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1240211877323370497"}"></div></p>
<p>Although teachers found remote learning difficult, more than 95% agreed it was needed to control the outbreak. More than 60% felt it would have been beneficial to introduce remote learning earlier.</p>
<p>More than 60% of teachers reported high levels of anxiety due to risks posed by the virus. One teacher said about returning to school:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I worry about teacher health if we return to face-to-face learning. My health condition has changed recently, and my anxiety about potentially having to return to school is increasing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Much of the argument for reopening schools has focused on children being less likely to fall ill from the virus than adults. But many teachers argue that belies the fact children can be infected and transmit the virus.</p>
<p>As one teacher told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Students have contact with adults, and students can be carriers. It is ludicrous to expect teachers to return to work and put themselves and their families at risk. It is also ludicrous to ask teachers to be teaching effectively on site, when their stress levels will be going through the roof with fear of exposure to the virus.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Many said schools needed better protective equipment. In the lead-up to remote learning, schools had not been provided with masks or gloves. Many schools said they didn’t have enough soap or hand sanitiser.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We had no sanitiser, no soap and minimal toilet paper. We were not provided masks, gloves or any protective gear. Teachers had to buy their own hand soap for staff rooms. As time went on we had less and less. With the shopping centres emptying while we were working, we were not even able to buy supplies ourselves. The conditions are disgraceful.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1241943243970842632"}"></div></p>
<p>One teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If protective equipment [masks and gloves] and regular cleaning by an external service were provided as well as sanitiser and soap, I feel it would be safe to have students back on a reduced timetable if needed.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Teachers’ concerns for their students</h2>
<p>More than 80% of teachers felt unprepared for remote learning and faced a steep learning curve. But more than 80% reported being well supported by colleagues and school executives.</p>
<p>Overall, around 70% felt the arrangements were an adequate substitute given the circumstances, but only 25% were confident their students were learning well. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-are-moving-online-but-not-all-children-start-out-digitally-equal-134650">Schools are moving online, but not all children start out digitally equal</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To support families with limited online resources, more than one-third of public school teachers printed and delivered pen and paper packages to students.</p>
<p>More than 80% were particularly worried about students with special needs, many of whom are at higher risk from the disease and also vulnerable to educational disruption. </p>
<p>One teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Most of my students have very limited access to internet […] most rarely make contact and are clearly struggling to engage in work.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Most teachers (80%) felt they were well resourced to teach remotely. But only about one-third felt their students were well resourced at home. Some 40% were clear many students were not properly resourced, and about 25% were unsure.</p>
<p>About half of the teachers felt frustrated by insufficient resources and daily technical difficulties.</p>
<h2>An upside to this education disruption?</h2>
<p>Although teachers faced many challenges, the majority agreed the pandemic response had also had some positive outcomes.</p>
<p>Nearly 90% agreed there was an up-skilling in digital and online education. Large proportions also agreed the pandemic had created more time for families to connect, communicate and work together, more teacher collaboration and greater community respect for teachers.</p>
<p>Finally, perhaps surprisingly, more than 60% agreed the epidemic had created a positive disruption to the current school system. It seems a majority of teachers have been waiting for a dramatic shift to their work. COVID-19 might not have been what they were expecting but many were glad something had changed.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think this whole situation is an excellent opportunity […] to highlight the reasons behind the inequities that are coming to light. My own experience has been made more positive due to extremely supportive and amazing school executive staff.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138600/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A survey of 10,000 public school teachers in NSW looked at how they felt about being at school at the end of term one, their thoughts on remote learning and their feelings about returning to school.Rachel Wilson, Associate Professor in Education, University of SydneyWilliam Mude, Public Health Lecturer, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1378772020-05-05T19:50:49Z2020-05-05T19:50:49ZUniversities have gone from being a place of privilege to a competitive market. What will they be after coronavirus?<p><em>This essay is based on the first episode of the new UTS podcast series “<a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/impact-studios/projects/new-social-contract-podcast">The New Social Contract</a>” that examines how the relationship between universities, the state and the public might be reshaped as we live through this global pandemic.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Younger Australians will bear the economic, social and environmental costs that come from the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re making sacrifices in the name of public health and to protect the old and vulnerable. The heavy lifting of rebuilding will also fall disproportionately to them. </p>
<p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison referred to these sacrifices as “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/coronavirus-australia-risks-of-splitting-community-into-under-50-over-50/news-story/cefee875b5f7ebc6c5a73368f521e046">a social contract</a>”.</p>
<p>A social contract in this sense is not something that gets recorded in legislation, but more of an unstated agreement that comes from practice, policy and circumstance. It is a reciprocal relationship, in which obligation and benefits rest on all parties – though these aren’t always evenly distributed.</p>
<p>How Australia will fare in a post-pandemic world depends on this relationship between institutions, society and the state. And universities have a crucial role to play, by providing public goods such as understanding, training and research. </p>
<p>The social contract for universities has changed several times. Its different versions can be seen in the decisions students have had to make on entering university at different points across the 20th century.</p>
<p>These decisions tell us a lot about how the social contract for universities in Australia has changed, and what might be possible as it changes again.</p>
<h2>Early 1900s – the family</h2>
<p>In 1910 a student, let’s call him Frederick, had his family at the centre of decision-making. </p>
<p>Frederick is from Bendigo where his father is a shopkeeper. He is eager to study Medicine at the University of Melbourne. But before he even sets foot on campus, he has to sort out his finances. </p>
<p>That he can even attend university is thanks to his uncle Jim, a successful doctor. His uncle is paying for Fred’s textbooks, microscope, accommodation, living expenses and tuition fees – though the latter are only a minor component of the costs. </p>
<p>Fred and his uncle both expect the university will provide an education on par with that offered in British universities – training that will enable Fred to attain the cultural capital necessary for middle-class society and the technical knowledge to practise as a doctor. </p>
<p>On graduation, he knows he is expected to make his uncle proud by returning to Bendigo and joining the family practice.</p>
<p>Frederick’s story reflects the broad terms of a social contract under which universities, which received about <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/Higher_Education/Report/c02#c02f8">half of their funding</a> from state governments, trained a relatively small cohort of professionals. In return for social status, these professionals provided expert services to a rapidly growing society. </p>
<p>State government annual grants supported universities as institutions that would build the society and economy of the new Australian nation. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332613/original/file-20200505-83757-17s26t2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 1910 student has family at the forefront of his decision-making. (Students Ormond College, Melbourne University 1896/1902)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/images?keyword=university%20students&smt=1">James Fox Barnard/State Library Victoria</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Research played a minor role, <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-lessons-from-past-crises-how-wwi-and-wwii-spurred-scientific-innovation-in-australia-136859">with some funding from private companies and state governments</a>. As far as the student was concerned, the cost (or risk) of attending university was borne by the family (or other patron) and it was to the family obligations were owed.</p>
<h2>Mid-20th century – employers</h2>
<p>Forty years later, Margaret is one of a growing number of women entering university. </p>
<p>On her first day in a teaching degree at the University of Queensland, she meets chemistry student Eric. They find they have a lot in common. They have both joined UQ’s chapter of the Student Christian Movement, and have already signed contracts with their future employers who will financially support them during their studies. </p>
<p>The Queensland education department has awarded Margaret a bonded scholarship based on her high school matriculation results. Eric has taken a cadetship with the CSIRO. </p>
<p>After they graduate, both will have to work on their employers’ terms for three to five years.</p>
<p>Margaret’s and Eric’s stories reflect the terms of a social contract that emerged in the middle of the 20th century. Under this model, the costs of higher education could be borne by a student’s future employer such as government departments like the Postmaster-General or the railways, or private entities such as manufacturers and mining companies. </p>
<p>Connected to an expanding network of state secondary schools, this new pathway delivered benefits to students who would not otherwise have been able to go to university. This enabled them to join the ranks of the expanding white collar, salaried middle class, in return for a commitment to work. </p>
<p>The same logic underpinned the creation of two postwar <a href="http://guides.naa.gov.au/land-of-opportunity/chapter24/">Commonwealth programs</a>: the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, which enabled 21,000 ex-servicemen and women to receive a free tertiary education, and Commonwealth Scholarships, which covered fees and in some cases living expenses on the basis of secondary-school results. </p>
<p>Employers benefited, but so did the state, which saw this as a more directed way of providing funding to universities to produce skilled graduates in needed areas. </p>
<p>Eager to boost post-war development and in the strategic context of the Cold War, universities expanded research, helped by new direct grants from the Commonwealth.</p>
<hr>
<iframe src="https://webplayer.whooshkaa.com/episode/644732?theme=light&visual=true&enable-volume=true" height="190" width="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay"></iframe>
<p><em>Subscribe to the New Social Contract podcast on your favourite podcast app: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-new-social-contract/id1510173684">Apple Podcast</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2ltBYx6bVMrpqGAWlSpMV5">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=527571&refid=stpr">Stitcher</a></em></p>
<hr>
<h2>1970s – society</h2>
<p>It’s 1975 and Daryl, having passed his high school matriculation exam, enrols in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macquarie_University#History">recently opened Macquarie University</a> without having to worry about finances at all.</p>
<p>Since 1974, <a href="https://www.whitlam.org/whitlam-legacy-education">fees have been abolished</a> and, once Daryl fills out the right form, he can get student assistance for living expenses based on a means test rather than a competitive exam. </p>
<p>Like increasing numbers of his generation, Daryl decides to study science. But he can switch degrees if he finds he is better suited to another program. </p>
<p>He lives in a share-house with other students. With less pressure to pass every subject to keep his place, he enjoys his social life in an inner suburb. He forms a punk rock band with some university friends and, for a few years after graduation, tours pubs around Australia. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=773&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332617/original/file-20200505-83751-vau426.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In the mid-20th century, the costs of higher education were often borne by the student’s employer. (First Students at Macquarie University, Sydney. 1967)</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_students_Macquarie.JPG">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eventually Daryl settles into a job at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He feels lucky to find employment in an expanding public sector during a period of economic stagnation.</p>
<p>The agreement Daryl made on entering university was not with his family or future employer, but with the state itself, when he applied for student assistance.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s government abolished fees and <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/saa1973217/">reduced financial barriers to study</a>. This reallocated the cost of higher education from state governments to the Commonwealth, and the benefit to society. </p>
<p>Daryl benefited because he got a secure job in the public service. And society benefited through his skilled employment and active participation in the cultural and social life of the nation. </p>
<p>The Commonwealth also funded research to support economic development, productivity and defence.</p>
<h2>1990s – the individual</h2>
<p>No one in Ashley’s family has ever been to university before. But the introduction of the new <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_library/publications_archive/archive/hecs">Higher Education Contribution Scheme</a> (which means she doesn’t have to pay fees until she begins earning money) has opened places for people like her. </p>
<p>Conscious HECS is just a loan, Ashley wants a degree that gets her a job. That’s why she picks Communications. And because she’s interested in video production, she gets involved in the film society. </p>
<p>Ashley hopes this might give her an advantage in a very competitive industry. She doesn’t have much time for socialising, because she also has a part-time job to help pay her living expenses.</p>
<p>Ashley’s experience reflects a social contract ushered in during the late 1980s and early 1990s. With the reintroduction of student fees and creation of HECS, students knew they were paying a much larger contribution to their higher education.</p>
<p>They expected direct benefits in terms of future employment options and income. An emphasis on “human capital” came to the fore and universities were told to equip students with skills they could can take into the job market. </p>
<p>They also competed for a reduced amount of research dollars which were now distributed on the basis of competitive application through a newly created entity, <a href="https://www.arc.gov.au/about-arc/arc-profile">the Australian Research Council</a>. </p>
<p>And they competed for high paying international students whose <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20110305121304874">numbers grew by 2,000%</a> between 1986 and 2006, providing an extra non-government source of income. </p>
<p>Competition created national and global university rankings and research metrics as a way of measuring value. This social contract worked within the terms of the market economy.</p>
<h2>2020 – a new social contract?</h2>
<p>While on average, <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/907-Mapping-Australian-higher-education-2018.pdf">graduates earn more than non-graduates</a>, a degree no longer guarantees employment. Going to university is more expensive than before, and its returns are less guaranteed to convert into personal benefits.</p>
<p>COVID-19 has pulled on the threads of the already worn fabric of higher education policy. </p>
<p>The deferred nature of the HECS payment, use of market mechanisms to allocate value, and the enormous supplement that comes from international student fees, has pushed the idea of the social contract for higher education out of view.</p>
<p>After a summer of devastating fire, <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/social-justice-uts/news/climate-change-demands-crisis-response.-uts-board">universities</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-05/australia-attitudes-climate-change-action-morrison-government/11878510">society</a> and <a href="https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/55254/DELWPClimateChange_Framework.pdf">even some Australian states</a> have recognised the country needs a social and economic framework dedicated to the conditions of habitability. </p>
<p>To achieve that, care for the planet, and each other, must be at the heart of all we do.</p>
<p>COVID-19 has also revealed people’s willingness to participate in collective action is just as crucial to effecting transformation as is expertise.</p>
<p>What does that mean for universities? What is their purpose in the 21st century? What new set of obligations and expectations will students face? What should we ask of them? What role should government play?</p>
<p>These are the questions our sector should be asking as we face lengthening months and years in which the world of higher education in Australia, and the lives of all those who rely on it, is likely to grow even more precarious.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Read the next essay, on how universities came to rely on international students, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-universities-came-to-rely-on-international-students-138796">here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=644732">Universities and the public in the 20th Century</a> was made by <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/initiatives/impact-studios/about-us">Impact Studios</a> at the University of Technology, Sydney - an audio production house combining academic research and audio storytelling.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137877/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tamson Pietsch receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is the host of The New Social Contract podcast which is produced by UTS Impact Studios.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Waghorne receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gwilym Croucher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This essay explores the way the social contract between universities, society and the state has changed over the course of the 20th century. And how generations of students paid and benefited.Tamson Pietsch, Associate Professor, Social & Political Sciences, University of Technology SydneyGwilym Croucher, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneJames Waghorne, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.