With the exception of some lab and field courses that were carried out under strict infection control, all teaching was digitized during a few hectic days in March. This autumn semester has also been marked by the pandemic, but we have used our knowledge and experience from the spring semester when planning for the current semester.
Spring 2020
During the hectic days and weeks after March 12, technical and pedagogical guidelines and online resources for digital teaching and examinations were developed. Due to the abrupt reorganization of our teaching and the situation surrounding the pandemic, with closed auditoriums, learning centres and more, the framework conditions for learning were greatly changed. Some students struggled with access to the Internet, others did not get enough space or peace to study, group study rooms and other collaborative areas disappeared, and important personal contact was reduced. Most students have handled this well, but loneliness and lack of motivation have been common effects of the pandemic.
Although not everything worked smoothly, the general feedback from the students has been positive – that this spring's digital teaching worked well and in some areas very well. I would like to thank all our staff for their efforts in making this happen. I can also announce that the students have reported that they are impressed with the work that was put in when almost all teaching switched to digital teaching in such a short time.
This spring's examinations were mainly conducted as home exams with a duration of seven days with two days of stipulated work and all aids allowed, including cooperation. This was done to ensure that exams could be conducted for as many students as possible, help reduce uncertainty related to access to Internet, create peace of mind in the exam situation, deal with illness and other needs for facilitation, and last but not least, create predictability for our students. We used the grade scale pass/fail due to little experience with this form of examination and censorship.
We have received positive feedback from our students regarding examinations. Perhaps the most important feedback was that this type of examination provided an extra learning effect. The failure rate for the large basic courses was slightly lower in the spring of 2020 than in previous spring semesters.
Autumn 2020
Throughout the summer we planned for the autumn semester, and the autumn came with less infection and a relaxation of the corona related restrictions. Based on that the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences decided to opt for a mixture of digital and physical teaching. The classrooms were adapted for fewer people, lectures have been broadcast online, and many lectures have been recorded. For the vast majority of subjects, the students have been able to choose whether they would follow the teaching digitally (both live and recorded) or physically. With some necessary adjustments, lab and field teaching have also been carried out in accordance with established plans. When we are approaching the end of this autumn's teaching, we can conclude that the plan has worked well. The positive feedback from our students support that notion.
Many students have expressed great joy over being able to come back to the University and experience physical meetings again with other students and teachers. At the time of writing, there is no registered corona infection related to our faculty in general and to our teaching situations in particular. I would like to send a big thank you to our students for their exceptionally responsible behaviour in these pandemic times.
Due to challenges with space in our examination rooms and the probability that a new wave of infection would come during the autumn, we decided in early October that home examination once again had to be the main rule. This autumn we have had a little more time, and we are planning this autumn with exams based on our experiences from last semester. This applies both to how this type of examination should be conducted technically and how the pedagogical scheme should be designed. Students, with the exception of those who started this autumn, are also better prepared now than they were last spring. A number of webinars and digital meetings on how to create assignments for home examinations have been conducted this autumn. Last week we had a digital "exam boost" webinar for our students, with many participants. I am convinced that this autumn's home examinations will be even better than the ones we organized last spring.
Our entire organization has worked hard throughout this autumn to create excellent education and teaching and at the same time constantly complying with new rules and guidelines related to the pandemic. We have been challenged on interaction, decision-making ability and information flow. My assessment is that we have succeeded and that we are now well prepared for the autumn exam period. In addition to the great efforts of all employees, the student contributions have been very important. Our student association (MNSU) has been a particularly important partner in the work of finding the best solutions.
Spring 2021
Everyone knows that planning for the coming semesters starts early, and the focus has long been on spring 2021. It is difficult to predict the future, but plan A is to conduct teaching and examinations in spring 2021 the same way as in autumn 2020. This means that we plan for a mixture of digital and physical teaching, implementation of lab and field courses under strict infection control measures and home examinations.
Should the spread of the corona virus subside, plan B will be to move, as quickly as practicable, back to a new normal situation.