‘Hybrid’ learning is double the work for same pay – Staff

Staff at Australian universities say plans to ‘ramp up’ in-person learning next semester while continuing to offer the majority of online classes means they will do twice the amount of work for the same pay, write Naaman Zhou and Soofia Tariq for The Guardian Australia.

While staff and students have both welcomed the gradual return to face-to-face classes, teachers say that job cuts and pay cuts, combined with new demands for online classes, are “not sustainable”.

This month, Australia’s federal education minister, Alan Tudge, called on universities to bring their students back to pre-pandemic levels of in-person learning in the second semester, when COVID restrictions allow it. The chief executive of Universities Australia, Catriona Jackson, and multiple universities confirmed to Guardian Australia that they planned to ‘ramp up’ in-person learning in the second semester, but most subjects would still be taught in ‘hybrid’ or ‘dual delivery’ modes, where students can choose between in-person or online options. While staff have welcomed the return to campuses, they have raised concerns this will double their workload.
Full report on The Guardian Australia site