The Social Scientist Special Edition

Transcript

1. 1 With our campus shut down mid-way through the trimester and having to study and teach during a lockdown has been a significant challenge for all concerned. However, true to form, our fantastic Social Science community of students and staff have been rising to that challenge, supporting each other and keeping up morale. We wanted to share some of that with you in this special edition of the Social Scientist. Enjoy the read and above all, take care and stay safe. Welcome to our Special Edition of Social Science Community Newsletter! Trimester B 2019/20 Special Edition The Social Scientist; In Isolation! The Social Science Community Newsletter; a Glasgow Caledonian University student and staff collaboration for the Common Good. Hello Everybody, Just a quick message to let you know how much we value the support and patience of students and staff and we recognise the huge amount of work everyone is doing to help us manage remote learning and working. I also wanted to let you know that the university is currently working on ways in which we can mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on your Trimester B modules and therefore your overall performance this year. This is in addition to any extensions and is going to take a little bit of time to put in place. Keep checking the latest information here: https://www.gcu.ac.uk/ student/ coronavirusuptodateinform ation/ Please keep in touch with us and look after yourselves. Katy’s challenge to us for this edition of the Newsletter was to include a photo of our current ‘lockdown’ circumstances. I am currently in the middle of the back-of-beyond and this is the view from my ‘office' window. Inside this issue: Students Acting for the Common Good 2 Online Teaching? cont... 3 Homeschooling in Isolation 3 The Common Good Art Gallery 3 How to Survive a Lockdown 4 Virtual Coffee Breaks, Study Retreats and Netflix Parties 4 Quarant-easy Recipe! 4 We knew it was coming but there were so many unanswered questions, even some un- asked ones. We would gradually discover what needed to be formulated and answered – it was clear we didn’t immediately have the measure of what it meant to shift to 100% online teaching. Much of the material we deliver is already available online, including module guides, lecture notes, reading lists and a lot of the reading itself, seminar exercises, easy peasy? … I lead the third year Research Methods module. At this stage in the module I no longer am in charge of the syllabus. This is now in the hands of my colleagues Fiona, Lesley and Neil, who preside over History, Sociology/Criminology and Politics respectively. So what would be my role as module leader? I was keen for us to have a coherent strategy for learning and teaching across the disciplines to ensure equivalence of experience for all stu- dents despite the circumstances. So I signed up for training to find out more about Ultra Collaborate and Discussion Boards available on our GCU Software - Blackboard. It became clear that we’d have to make adjustments to what we could deliver. In any event there were a few other things to take in to consideration: although students were told they would follow their timetabled classes, we knew that schools were bound to close soon, so students and staff with kids would be multi-tasking. We couldn’t be certain all students would have access to a personal computer or laptop or even a stable internet connection, especially as it was clear that all internet providers would be dealing with a massive in- crease in usage. And of course we had not quite understood until a few days later that some students would see their work- ing hours increase to help (re)fill the shelves of supermarkets, but that is what happened. Thus there was no guarantee that all students would be able to log on at the exact seminar or lecture slot on their timetable. Continued on page 3. Online Teaching? Coming Right Up ... Professor Emmanuelle Tulle
2. 2 Page 2 The Social Scientist; in Isolation! The Social Scientist; In Isolation! Our Amazing Students Doing what they can for the common good even in the most difficult of circumstances! Nicole Amanda Sean Monica Kelsey Amy Kayleigh Ava and Elisa Petra Kailin Jasmine Aileen, rediscovering and sharing her love of baking! Kai Millie Moo (Honorary Professor) Angela and Liam Lou using the opportunity to teach her children about social activism! Shona, sharing advice on how to stay mentally well during isolation. Lucy
3. 3 Page 3 The Social Scientist; in Isolation! The Social Scientist; In Isolation! … And of course we lost a whole week of teaching so the syllabus would have to be adjusted some- how without overly compromising the module’s learning outcomes. As a team we had virtual group discussions and made some decisions: we agreed that good way to proceed would be to use written Discussion Groups for seminar classes. We would keep the groups open for 24 hours from the start of the timetabled seminar. This would allow those who would join later to contribute to the discus- sion threads and tutors to log back in episodically to moderate discussions and eventually wrap up. For lectures, we could afford to be a bit more flexi- ble – whether with narration or annotations, we could augment Powerpoint slides and if need be, meet up with students in ‘Ultra Collaborate’. But the latter immediately excluded students who couldn’t attend their timetabled lecture. So the race was on to adapt our ambi- tions for seminars and workshops to our new mode of delivery. We needed to tell students what our new strategy was, do short recordings or send emails in which we outlined the new rules of engagement with the syllabus, upload the revised timetable of each discipline to GCULearn, control the flow of email so that we wouldn’t crumble under the weight of requests, etc… and teach! On Day 1, of course we experienced prob- lems! Two discussion boards had mysteriously disappeared and had to be recreated on the wire, and one set of students did not log on. So our time was spent monitoring what was going, evaluating our approach, making adjustments and sending emails to students to remind them to join their seminar group! We’ll keep monitoring as we go along, adjusting where we need to. But one is for sure: it’s been a steep learning curve but we think we’ve got all bases covered. People ask whether things will be the same after this pandemic is brought under control. At the very least, I think we’ll have picked up some nice new tips to improve how accessible our material! All the same, human interaction is an important aspect of the learning and teaching ex- perience and I look forward to resuming normal service as soon as we can. Online Teaching? Coming Right Up … con- tinued from page 1 Home schooling a teenager as well as being a student with my own workload was a daunting thought for me, especially when it comes to Maths! Although my son, Liam, is in secondary school and used to doing his own homework, home schooling is quite a different experience especially under such strange circumstances. His school were prepared before its closure and issued all pu- pils with access to an online app where they can find their work but also email teachers with any questions (much to my relief!). With such uncertainty going on in the world I know that Liam understands what’s happening and that may cause him some anxiety so we have decided to take a more relaxed ap- proach to his learning. The school are uploading work on a weekly ba- sis and at a steady pace which he is finding that 2-3 hours per day is manageable. I think it’s important to keep a daily routine as much as possible whilst giving him some ex- tra free time for exercise and learn- ing something different. It’s been difficult trying to juggle my own studies and having a family so taking some time out to teach him some life skills has been good for both of us. So far we have taught him to cook a meal, do some ironing and he has spent some time fixing his motorbike with his dad. I know how much he is missing his friends and football but we are trying to remain positive and hopefully it will teach us all to appreciate the smaller things in life! I also think it’s a good opportunity for him to experience studying from home and time management for when he goes to college or university. Home Schooling in Isolation Our Extended Social Science Family Members were set an Isolation Challenge; Draw us a pic- ture of what happens at University! The results were phenome- nonal ... Charlotte, age 9, reflects on what her Mum, Kayleigh, does at Uni. Ava, age 9, depicts her Mum, Elisa, in a lecture eating snacks and being confused. Also featured is, Dr Annette Robertson. Harley, age 6, tells us his Mum, Jen, spends all her time in the University gardens, not in class. Owen, age 5, skillfully portrays his Aunt Nicole at University with her trou- sers on back- wards. The love hearts depict the snap-chats they send before school, and Nicole takes them to Uni to make sure she’s brainy. Theo, age 2, has interpreted a chaotic day in the office for his Mum, Dr Nancy Lombard. Jason, age 8, depicts his sister Starr at her laptop, with a coffee and a bin. Stanley, age 4, demonstrating his trademark flair for the abstract presents a conceptual piece of a cross between mummy (Dr Nancy Lombard), and a dinosaur with a big bitey mouth. Aisha, age 13, recreates a typical scene of her brother Kai, in a lecture. Aisha’s talent for detail captures Kai in the front row, a couple at the back holding hands, a student with love hearts in his eyes, another student going crazy and an alien.
4. 4 socialsciencesgcu.wordpress.com @GCUSocialScience @SocialSciences_GSBS Glasgow Caledonian University Social Science Community Need some suggestions to keep you occupied? There are 13 ‘University Related’ words to find. How quickly can you find them? If you need some hints you can find the words you are looking at the bottom of this page. Amy Cowan Gives Us Some Tips On How to Survive Lockdown!  Plan your uni work – the last thing you want is to feel behind in your studies.  Engage with the social science community group – some community spirit can’t go a miss right now.  Discover your creative side – whether you sing, dance, draw or cross stitch - the world is your oyster.  Find a new hobby - this can be a great way to relax or wind down.  Listen to music – why not make an upbeat lockdown playlist?  Look after your mental health – have you tried mindfulness or yoga? The Uni have great resources to help you stay positive: https:// www.gcu.ac.uk/student/support/wellbeing/selfhelpresources/  Stay connected – talk to your friends and family regularly, and be sure to look out for those who might need it at this time. If you want to follow us in between newsletters please like/ follow our social media pages. Sean Davies tells us what it’s been like, taking part in our virtual groups. Coffee breaks have been vital for my mental health, for a vari- ety of reasons. One being that they allow me to socialise in the morning. Thus, they allow me to get into the right frame of mind for studying. This has been really effective, as I have noticed a clear increase on my productivity after these breaks. Also taking part has allowed me to meet new people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise and to socialise to a much greater degree than I thought I could during a period of social dis- tancing. Most of all, they have provided a break from thinking about the pressures of University and studying, even if it is only for half an hour. Though, I have yet to actually have coffee during the breaks! When I first heard about the Netflix party, I was hesitant. I don’t usually watch Netflix and to think academically! However, it’s really more of an excuse for individuals to come together and watch a film. At the first party, we watched ‘13th’. I thought I wouldn’t like it however, I definitely enjoyed it. It allowed me to socialise, chat, and learn about Social Sci- ence issues at the same time. Our conference call after was particularly fun as we were able to discuss the film and all the bits we found inter- esting. Also, who doesn’t like watching Netflix? Personally, I think that during this period of enforced isolation, writing retreats have provided me with a sense of unification because it means I can study along with other students. Reflecting on my experience, I find it to be very beneficial. Because of the isolation, I struggle to stay fo- cused for long periods of time. However, the writing retreats provide me with a sense of being back at University and I can concentrate on my work for much longer periods of time. However, the writing retreats aren’t just constant studying. There are also breaks in between studying sessions which provide a much needed reprieve. They are usually filled with laughter, from both lecturers and students alike and allows both groups to come together within isolation. The retreats also provide a much needed sense of structure. I have lost any sense of structure, due to the closure of the University which I have been able to rebuild my studying structure. This has been extremely beneficial for my mental health, as I am no longer a worrying mess! Quarant-Easy Recipe; quick and cheap recipes with minimal ingredients … For the Chocoholic; Easy Fudge Recipe … as recommended by Shannon McNulty Ingredients 400g Cadbury chocolate (2 big bars) 1 can Condensed Milk 15g Unsalted Butter 4 Bars of Chocolate (flavour of your choice) e.g. oreo/crunchie Method 1.Melt all the ingredients together except the 4 bars of your choice. (Can be done in a pan OR a slow cooker for 45 mins, high setting for 45 mins, stirring every 15 mins.) 2. Break 3 of the remaining bars into pieces and stir. 3. Pour mix in to lined tin (Shannon recommends baking paper) 4. Sprinkle broken pieces of remaining chocolate bar on top. 5. Put in fridge until set (approx. 5 hours) 6. Cut and serve (sharing optional!) Word-search answers; Research, Textbook, Seminar, Lecture, Essay, Revision, Exam, Campus, Student, Module, Learn, Citation, Deadline. Virtual Coffee Breaks, Study Retreats and Netflix Parties … putting the social back in to social distancing …