Flex Hybrid

 As you know, I'm on sabbatical. I don't think I've gotten as much work done as I hoped, but then anyone who knows me would tell you that's my world everyday. The reality is that I've written every day since the end of last semester, and that includes Christmas and New Year's Day. Still, one can always write more hours in a day, and that one is definitely me. I was supposed to be in Palestine this semester, teaching at Bethlehem University and helping them out with some curricular redesign (sort of what I did at Zayed University during the last sabbatical). So, an obvious question is: why didn't I just postpone my sabbatical until next fall, when there was at least the possibility of travel? There are several possible answers. First off, even in the fall there is no guarantee that travel will be possible. Secondly, considering the financial challenges that Champlain (and all small colleges) is facing, who is to say that sabbatical will even be a thing in the fall? So, I might as well take it while it exists. Finally, teaching in the Flex Hybrid model was such a joyless experience - and no one loves teaching more than me - that teaching in this model for the spring just seemed too painful, especially when I had this option. There were students onsite - initially they made up two-thirds of the number - and online; I designed the class based on those numbers. During class I would talk to the onsite students while carrying on a parallel discussion with the online students streaming on my laptop - it ended up being much like an episode of Fleabag where I stole glances at the screen. This also required running the same Powerpoint, simultaneously, on the overhead and in Google Meet format. The students began to dwindle away until by the end the two-thirds onsite were more like about a quarter onsite - and one or two - or even none.

Yes, American university education in the 21st century, and the inherent lie therein. Here is one of the days towards the end of the semester when no students shows up, keeping in mind that at the beginning over two-thirds of the students in every class were supposed to be onsite. I didn't have enough time to walk back to my office (especially with my physical ailments) so I sat at one of the desks and talked to the students online - wearing a mask because I was in a public space - or at least I talked to the rectangles as none of the students had their cameras on, and we were forbidden to require them to turn them on. Education as an incredibly stationary game of Tetras.