Greetings all! In the hopes that this community grows, let me suggest some possible topics for discussion around higher education and the COVID-19 crisis. First, it will be interesting to see how various universities and colleges are responding to COVID as we anticipate teaching online or in hybrid fashion this summer and into the fall. I suspect here will be some differences between public institutions and private ones, particularly well-funded private sector ones, as well as between Canadian universities (where I am employed) and US ones. I am especially interested in how faculty are moving to retain ownership and control of online pedagogical materials, as well as what sorts of techniques colleagues are finding to be effective in online classrooms. Obviously we can have a software discussion, but this is likely to be a tech rabbit hole, so I'd urge a but of caution here. Another important issue is graduate student research and progress through programs at a time when libraries and archives are closed. Graduate student funding is an area of concern, particularly when this is tied to teaching assistantships that are shrinking as curricular offerings are trimmed down. Faculty mental health is worthy of discussion, as it seems that most institutions are operating as if all faculty are somehow "OK," even as they are balancing work in a strange new environment with intensified family responsibilities and, especially for younger colleagues with small children, at home schooling. Finally, how can/should our professional organizations, like the OAH, respond to COVD and the needs -- both immediate and long term -- of their members. I look forward to hearing your thoughts...
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Rick Halpern
Toronto ON
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