Next month, it looks like I will be back in a classroom for the first time since March, and I cannot tell you just how excited I am for that. I am going to be reminded that my lecturers are not just an image on Microsoft Teams, and I'm going to be able to reconnect to my classmates who I've not seen for six months. I have not been on college campus since March, and I am so excited for when I get to return.
But I was told on my end-of-year video call, I'm unlikely to be back full-time; it will be a mix of online and on-site delivery. As disappointing as that may be for some, I think everyone would rather that than have to lock-down again and go back to the fully remote delivery model.
It was always likely that – as with anything new, and with something as big as a total change in delivery method – online learning would take a bit of tweaking to get right. So, it's only natural that my peers and I will need to work with our teachers to adapt the new, blended delivery model. With that in mind, I have thought about the three things that I think any blended-learning model is going to need to include.
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Time to recap
This is going to be especially important for the first few weeks. As I say, it has been six months since we were last in a classroom, using subject-specialist equipment and working in-person on group projects. My peers and I are going to need time to adjust to being back in the learning environment together, and we're going to need to rebuild our routine again; there are still some of my classmates who I've not seen since March. We're going to need to catch up. We are going to need to remind ourselves of policy and procedure, especially with all the new regulations that will no doubt be in place.
Face-to-face tutorials
Covid-19 has been a tough ride for everyone. Some people will have experienced grief and bereavement, potentially for the first time, and feelings of loneliness or anxiety. It's going to be critical over the next stage that everyone is mindful of this and the personal experiences people may have been through. When thinking about dividing up a timetable between what's deliverable online and what's suited for on-site, it would be easy to think that 1:1 Teams calls could work well for tutorial - but I urge you: hold tutorials face (mask) to face instead. My friend might have something that they really want to talk to you about but they may not feel comfortable talking about it online – or perhaps they cannot, out of fear of someone at home overhearing.
But do not be surprised if it feels like we are less open with you than we perhaps were in February: we may need to rebuild our trust in you, a little bit. That is nothing personal and is not a reflection on you as tutors – it is simply a product of time.
It's two different learning types
The way we learn online, and the way you teach online, is different to being in the classroom – which means that we need to cover different areas. It's far easier to cover PowerPoints and theory online than it is a practical skill. Our time in the classroom is going to be precious next year, so we cannot waste it; let's make sure that we truly value the time on-site by getting back to the hands-on, practical content.
It's going to be another unique year come September. But we will make it work – just like we did with remote learning. Collaborating, sharing ideas, and being fair. We've got this.
Alfie Payne is a media student from Hampshire
