Students education
Photo: Niklas Björling

 

Gustaf Sjöberg, Department of Law
Gustaf Sjöberg. Photo: Ingmarie Andersson

Gustaf Sjöberg, Head of Department at the Department of Law:

What will the autumn semester look like?
“We will have web-based teaching largely without exception during the semester’s A-period. We have not taken a position on the B period.”
What are the major challenges?
“That we have students that has been with us for a year and a half without being at campus physically.”
What have you learned from previous semesters during the pandemic?
“Teachers are now very skilled at conducting web-based teaching and taking advantage of it.”
What reactions have you received from students before the autumn?
“I have not received so many reactions, but most people probably long to return to physical education.”

 

Uno Fors, Department of Computer and Systems Science
Uno Fors. Photo: Eva Dalin

Uno Fors, Head of Department at the Department of Computer and Systems Science:

What will the autumn semester look like?
“We run all teaching and examination physically, unless otherwise stated by the President at Stockholm University or the Public Health Agency. The exception is lectures with more than 100 people. As usual, we record all lectures, but now also seminars where possible. To some extent, if the teacher wants and can, some activities are done in hybrid mode.”
What are the major challenges?
“To get all students involved in this, there are those who just want to attend physically and those who just want to continue online. Another challenge is to get all teachers to cope.”
What have you learned from previous semesters during the pandemic?
“To handle a lot online, including examinations.”

 

Åsa Larson, Department of Physics
Åsa Larson. Photo: Serena Nobili

Åsa Larson, Director of Studies at the Department of Physics:

What will the autumn semester look like?
“During the first half of the autumn term, teaching at the Department of Physics will be conducted both on campus and at a distance. Lectures and other teaching that works well at a distance will continue to take place in that way. The first-year students will have teaching in small groups on campus and for courses at the advanced level, some lesson teaching that is difficult to conduct at a distance will be given on campus. Laboratory work will largely be performed on campus and many of the courses will have hall-based exams. We are awaiting a decision on teaching during the second half of the autumn.”
What are the major challenges?
“To plan the format of the teaching with good foresight. It still feels like a big challenge, as well as distance examination, where it has been difficult to find the right level on the exams and to make the examination legally secure. It is also difficult to keep in touch with the students and help them get in touch with each other. We know that the group is important to keep the study motivation, and in recent years we have worked hard to make the new students feel a sense of belonging with the department and each other. We have not found any good ways to do this remotely. A more practical problem we work with now when teaching is conducted both on campus and at a distance is that schedules must be adapted so that it works practically for the students regardless of which course they choose to study. It’s a puzzle to put together. The administrative work with education has increased significantly during the pandemic and it is clear that the resources for it are limited.
What have you learned from the previous semesters during the pandemic?
“It is possible to quickly change and develop the format of the teaching. The teachers have had to rethink and in many cases they have developed the courses with regard to the entire teaching process and not with a focus only on lectures. A large part of the development work and changes that have taken place during the past year will have a positive impact on teaching even when we go back without restrictions. Many teachers have introduced more continuous examination through assignments, project work and the like. Oral examination has also increased and in some cases works well.”
What expectations have you received from students before the autumn?
“The students at the department are looking forward to a semester with more teaching on campus. There are many of our program students who have never been allowed to have real campus teaching and they have not met each other or the teachers.”

 

Ann-Kristin Östlund Farrants, Head of department at the Department of Biology Education:

What will the autumn semester look like?
“We will continue to closely follow the Public Health Agency’s and the government’s recommendations and current restrictions, which for our part means that there will be mixed teaching: online and on campus. Our largest courses with over 50 participants will have all lectures on Zoom as they are unable to keep sufficient distance in our halls, while the practical elements for these courses, such as field and laboratory work, will be carried out in several smaller groups.
What are the major challenges?
“The biggest challenge for the autumn will be to adapt to any rapid changes in the spread of infection and restrictions, especially if examinations are forced to return to distance forms.”
What have you learned from the previous semesters during the pandemic?
“That the in-hall exam is often difficult to replace and that digital examination in most cases is not desirable for practical reasons, as well as academic and individual integrity.
What expectations have you received from students before the autumn?
“Positive expectations about returning to campus. They look forward to meeting teachers and other students and entering the academic environment in a way that cannot be achieved remotely.”

 

Jon Nyhlén, Department of Political Science
Jon Nyhlén.

Jon Nyhlén, Director of Studies, and Maria-Therese Gustafsson, Deputy Director of Studies, at the Department of Political Science:

What will the autumn semester look like?
“During the autumn, most of our teaching will still take place digitally, which has to do with our large student groups at both undergraduate and advanced level. For smaller groups, however, we will be able to carry out certain parts of the teaching on campus. We have noticed an increasing zoom fatigue among both students and teachers and we believe that certain elements on campus can help to increase motivation.”

Maria-Therese Gustafsson, Department of Political Science
Maria-Therese Gustafsson. Photo: Sofie Trosell

What are the major challenges?
“A challenge is the uncertainty surrounding the development of the infection situation. Although we are keen to return to campus, we are at the same time concerned that the transition is slow and gradual in order to avoid having to return to distance education later.”
What have you learned from previous semesters during the pandemic?
“Many lessons can be learned from the transition to distance education. Our teachers have found many new creative pedagogical strategies adapted to the digital format, such as discussion forums in Athena, recording lectures and the use of digital tools. Some of these elements are likely to continue to be used after the transition to campus teaching. Although our teachers’ efforts have made the teaching work relatively well, it is ultimately difficult to replace the human encounter in the classroom.
What expectations have you received from students before the autumn?
“Our students are keen on clear information to be able to plan their studies and where they will be during the autumn. Students’ expectations differ greatly depending on their life situation. While some groups have expressed a strong desire to return to campus, other students who live in other locations or work at the same time have highlighted the benefits of continuing distance education during the fall. Most important, however, is the demand for clear information.”

 

Jerker Jarsjö, Department of Physical Geography
Jerker Jarsjö. Photo: Private

Jerker Jarsjö, Director of Studies, Department of Physical Geography:

What will the autumn semester look like?
“We will have teaching partly on campus and partly at a distance. With regard to campus teaching, we give priority to new program students who have not previously met their teachers and classmates. We also need to prioritize labs, hall exams, and certain exercises that simply do not work to perform from home.
What are the major challenges?
“With the remaining social distancing, we will not physically have room for all our students in the classrooms. Although we expect to be able to gradually offer campus tuition to more and more students, we may still need to prioritize certain student groups. At the start of the semester, the end of the semester and during exam periods, the puzzle can be challenging. Of course, we must also take into account that it can be crowded in public transport, and then avoid campus teaching at certain times. In addition, we have foreign students who, at least initially, may have difficulty entering the country, as well as students who, for other pandemic-related reasons, will not be able to participate in all campus teaching. We then need to offer digital alternatives. Such mixed teaching is challenging in itself, not least pedagogically. Several courses contain excursions that can still be difficult to carry out, especially when involving remote field stations – in wilderness areas or in other countries. For example, space at field stations is limited when you cannot share a room in the same way as usual.
What have you learned from the previous semesters during the pandemic? Some tips?
“Increased experience of what works very well digitally, and what does not. For example, some degree project presentations have gained a relatively large audience when you can easily click on a link instead of being physically present. Teaching materials have been developed, for example in the course Tellus III, where teachers themselves went to field locations and recorded replacement videos for missed excursions. Such material may come in handy in the future, in pure distance courses or for students who are absent due to illness or the like.
What expectations have you received from students before the autumn?
“Mixed! Many of the students who have studied with us in the past are really looking forward to returning to campus to a greater extent. At the same time, distance education has worked well for a lot of students, who are then happy to continue like this. Overall, it can be said that clear course-specific information about how the teaching is to be carried out and what limitations can be expected is greatly appreciated.