I SAT IN a TippFM Roadcaster as information trickled in from the States where An Taoiseach laid out plan to self-isolate the Republic of Ireland. Some of his guidance was already in place on the Clonmel Digital campus in the form of warning signs and planning to cancel face-to-face meetings with students.
Schools, Further Education Centres and Higher Education Institutions closed for students from 6pm on Thursday March 12th. But as a staff member, I am "encouraged to work from home per the advice from Health officials". This is challenging for me because I have to concurrently supervise the spontaneously activated online and flexible learning programmes of my two primary school children. I'm using skills developed over the past 17 years while working with young teens. [1]
And the physical premises of the LIT-Clonmel campus remains open to staff "if they wish to access the facilities in order to provide online delivery, or essential services once this is in line with HSE advice on social distancing" (see chart at top of post).
I haven't found any staff member who feels empowered to turf out students from the labs because our high spec rendering machines are the only assets our digital animators and game art designers can use to complete essential facets of their final year projects.
I wonder how other front line lecturers teaching some of the most complex academic modules to the next generation of knowledge workers are balancing their professional responsibilities. I'm taking the advice of Nancy R. Gough, PhD. on social distancing [2] and offer it below to loyal readers who know it is important to avoid or limit face-to-face interactions.
- Stay home as much as practical and limit contact with people when outside the home by avoiding crowded spaces.
- Avoid hugging or kissing or shaking hands when greeting people who do not live with you or who do but returned from outside the house and have yet to wash their hands.
- Avoid gatherings where the space between people will be less than three feet.
- Avoid eating in restaurants, going to pubs, attending church services, commuting on public transportation during peak crowded hours.
- Wash hands after being outside of the house and before touching places in your home.
- Wash hand towels frequently or switch to disposable paper towels (if you can find them on the shelves of local shops).
- Try to avoid touching your face when outside of the home.
- Teleconference.
- Use the space in large meeting rooms for in-person meetings by sitting three or more feet apart. [3]
Don’t shake hands
- Avoid unnecessary travel.
- Bring your lunch to work and sit upwind from anyone else.
- Carry sanitizing wipes and clean the surface you will touch.
- Use hand sanitizer after touching a shared surface or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching a shared surface.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Goldbach, B.F. "Schoolworks learning from mobiles" on Inside View from Ireland, February 27, 2007.
- Gough, N.R. "Social distancing is key to slowing COVID-19 Spread", Medium, March 10, 2020.
3. On Closer Look, Seth Meyers spotlights a unique Italian method for effective social distancing.
[Bernie Goldbach teaches creative media for business on the Clonmel Digital Campus for the Limerick Institute of Technology.]
