Jennifer's factors and forces

Amelia (Lecturer)

Material

  • Requires additional licenses for programs they have not previously used

  • A server needs to be established to allow research to progress and provide an opportunity for research students to complete and/or start projects

  • The IT department is processing both of these requests at a relatively slow pace

  • However, Amelia is familiar with teaching software used for online teaching, e.g. Blackboard Collaborate

  • Their cat is a source of comfort and beneficial to their mental health


Social

  • Amelia uses social media frequently and is happy to keep in touch with friends and family remotely for the time being

  • They have a flatmate to engage with and share daily experiences, e.g. cooking or playing board games

  • Tutors on the course they co-ordinate frequently engage with Amelia to plan the next academic year or provide updates on the course

  • Similarly, talking to other module leaders during regular Zoom meetings means Amelia engages with people besides their flatmate almost daily

  • They particularly enjoy the department-wide weekly Zoom pub quiz


Intentional

  • Amelia cares about their students and wants to ensure that they are supported as best as possible

  • They worry about progressing in their own research as well as their students' research, e.g. in the case of undergraduate thesis students

  • Amelia is aware that students' mental health may struggle in the circumstances and tries to take this into account when planning lessons


Concerns

  • Software licences and access to a server needed to continue research may be delayed

  • Unsure how new students will react to using gender-neutral pronouns

  • Worries about how trans-students may react if online systems cannot offer to change the name displayed for them to their chosen name

Sarah (Student)

Material

  • Sarah has a good computer and webcam, which allows her to access study materials

  • As she works part-time for the library, she has been trained in using their system to find materials

  • However, some books are only available as a physical copy and she cannot access them at the moment


Social

  • Running the Classics Society has become a challenge, as students are less keen to engage online

  • She frequently talks to other students online as part of working in the library

  • As she lives with her girlfriend, she is not feeling too isolated


Intentional

  • Sarah wants to do well on her degree to go to postgraduate study

  • Wants to keep her scholarship and job at the library


Concerns

  • Difficulties accessing physical copies of books which she needs for her course work

  • Worries that she will lose her scholarship and/or job as a consequence of this

  • Concerned that she might have to extend her studies