{"id":132927,"date":"2021-11-16T18:08:29","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T17:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=132927"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:59","slug":"lecturers-need-their-weekend-to-reschedule-classes-after-unexpected-covid-measures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/11\/16\/lecturers-need-their-weekend-to-reschedule-classes-after-unexpected-covid-measures\/","title":{"rendered":"Lecturers need their weekend to reschedule classes after unexpected Covid measures"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday evening, the cabinet announced that just 75 students will be allowed in a lecture hall from this week. This resulted in a hectic weekend for those lecturers who were scheduled to give a class on Monday, such as Jacco van Sterkenburg.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jacco van Sterkenburg<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichelle Muus<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

For many lecturers and students, the new coronavirus measures in higher education came as a huge surprise. Jacco van Sterkenburg was one of them. The \u2018Race\u2019, inclusion and communications professor had scheduled a large lecture for 320 Media & Communications master students. He found it \u2018quite annoying\u2019 when he heard the news on Friday evening that just 75 students would now be allowed in a lecture hall.<\/p>\n

Unsettling<\/h2>

\u201cI\u2019d not heard anything about this in the news in advance,\u201d he explained. \u201cI understand that the new measures are necessary, but this is unsettling. It would\u2019ve been good if we\u2019d had a working day to arrange everything, instead of having to do it all at the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

The professor\u2019s weekend was filled with e-mails and messages about potential solutions. \u201cI simply prefer giving lectures on campus as that always works best. I first wanted to split the group so that everyone could come to the campus at different times. But I only have two more opportunities to give lectures. 320 students spread over two lectures is still way over the 75 per time.\u201d The lecture for the Methods of Media Research II course eventually didn\u2019t go ahead on Monday morning, although students were able to watch a video recorded last year.<\/p>\n

Offline for those who prefer<\/h2>

Van Sterkenburg will be using enrolment for the next two lectures. \u201cThen motivated students can still come to campus and everyone who doesn\u2019t feel comfortable can watch the video recordings or livestreams.\u201d According to him, at the last lecture some students didn\u2019t feel entirely comfortable in a full lecture hall, so video is a good solution for them.<\/p>\n

And fortunately, the most important component of the course, the seminars, can continue as planned. \u201cWe do those in groups of twenty students, so for now that\u2019s no problem. If that also needs to move online\u2026 Well, let\u2019s just hope that doesn\u2019t happen!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t