Teaching in the 'new normal' requires a lot from us. It is directing us to towards a hybrid model of simultaneous realities - virtual AND corporeal. In June 2020, the re-opening of the Lancaster University Leipzig start up campus gave us the real-life experience needed to create a new multi-dimensional state of teaching.
In Germany, the lock-down period was much shorter than in other countries. We went into lock-down overnight in the middle of March (a week before the UK), but from May onwards we were able to hold face-to-face assessments on campus. We followed the practices of local public and private A-Level colleges and schools, which returned to operations in April. All our students remained in Leipzig, so our focus centered on managing student mental health in lock-down rather than worrying about time zone differences for online teaching.
Interestingly, concerns around the students experiencing ‘cabin fever’ soon outweighed the risks of them returning to campus and catching COVID-19 - in a region with very low overall infection rates. Thus, we opened up for face-to-face teaching, following strict hygiene measures. This is what we learnt.
Teaching in the time of COVID
By Dr Elisabeth Grindel-Denby (Campus Director) and Anne Grob (Student Support Officer) from Lancaster University Leipzig
27