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This past spring, all our partners schools in Orange County closed in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Overnight, our student teachers, their mentor teachers and UCI instructors made the change to distance learning. Many of my student teachers felt short-changed because they did not have a chance to complete their student teaching experience in person. They are, instead, gaining extremely valuable skills teaching their students online. We have learned that this is not an ideal situation and many issues of equity have emerged. Many of our schools have families with little to no access to technology and internet to participate in distance learning. Our students in these schools are learning about ways to reduce some of this inequity.
At UCI, your first Summer Session 1 (SS1) will be online. We are planning to hold Summer Session 2 (SS2) in person, and the UC system is planning a return to in-person instruction starting fall 2021. http://education.uci.edu/bilingual-authorization-program.html
During SS1, your courses will follow the schedule that was sent to you. While our instructors will provide a combination of synchronous and asynchronous experiences, be prepared for quite a bit of time in front of your computer. Part of the reason for trying to stick with synchronous instruction is to attempt to build community and collaboration - a key part of our program. The other side to distance learning is that you will have to be very organized and an independent learner.
If you have any questions or concerns about this way of teaching and learning, that is completely understandable. I wanted to be transparent with you before you commit your time and money. If you would like to discuss a possible deferral to the 2022-2023 school year, send me an email and we can discuss your options.
Susan, tomas@uci.edu
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