I just learned I am teaching two f2f classes this fall. The classroom is small and not properly ventilated. I am not sure any distancing will help, especially given back-to-back classes. I am freaking out with anxiety. How to stay safe in a petri dish? Will wearing a mask really help?
School opens. How to survive?
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I just learned I am teaching two f2f classes this fall. The classroom is small and not properly ventilated. I am not sure any distancing will help, especially given back-to-back classes. I am freaking out with anxiety. How to stay safe in a petri dish? Will wearing a mask really help?
yes, wearing a mask helps, if everyone wears a mask it will reduce viral transmission by up to 75% relative to not wearing a mask. In other words, you might get exposed, but your viral intake will be 25%, which your immune system might be able to fight.
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You probably face grater risk of mortality commuting to campus.
false, of course. Lifetime odds are 1 in 106, but those are LIFETIME odds, not a single trip or a set of trips in the fall semester.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/
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You probably face grater risk of mortality commuting to campus.
false, of course. Lifetime odds are 1 in 106, but those are LIFETIME odds, not a single trip or a set of trips in the fall semester.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/What if OP works in Baltimore and commutes on foot?
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Easy to see that:
-total lockdown bad
-all the way back to normal bad
-masks good
-social distance good
-over 60 or so, be very, very carefulBut, we still don't know enough about long term consequences to know how lax to be with those under 60ish. There is reason to think the probability of long term complications in the young and otherwise healthy may not be trivially small. That does not justify lockdown forever. But I do think it justifies working remotely if it is easy to do until we know more, since the cost is not that high.
So, from a social point of view (not the individual school), is there really any way that face to face passes a benefit-cost test even for those under 60?
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There is reason to think the probability of long term complications in the young and otherwise healthy may not be trivially small. That does not justify lockdown forever. But I do think it justifies working remotely if it is easy to do until we know more, since the cost is not that high.
So, from a social point of view (not the individual school), is there really any way that face to face passes a benefit-cost test even for those under 60?Yes, working remotely is very lonely. F2f interactions are important to prevent depression and suicides.
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I just learned I am teaching two f2f classes this fall. The classroom is small and not properly ventilated. I am not sure any distancing will help, especially given back-to-back classes. I am freaking out with anxiety. How to stay safe in a petri dish? Will wearing a mask really help?
MOPP suit
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Then please do it. We are looking at revenue losses as high as 50% depending on if we are remote, what tuition we can charge, and how much attrition we see. So saving your salary and benefits works for all of us.
But drop the sanctimonious BS. Most of our faculty want the institution survive and want to find a way to re-open that minimizes the risk.
And what if one is 59. This is no time to set up an RDD design. No way on gawd's green earth am I doing f2f in the fall. I'll take a leave if I have to, but I'm not getting in a room with a bunch of irresponsible students.
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I don't understand why revenue has to fall by 50% if you are online. People act like students are elastic, but what else are they going to do in they don't go to school? Why not tap into the international market and enroll qualified students who would not otherwise travel to the US?
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My solution: Let the students come to class and let the professors zoom in to the classroom screen.
The students really care about the classroom dynamic driven by other students. Students see the same kids in many classes over 4 years. They see a prof once and are unlikely to remember them. On-campus experience is really about students mingling with students. The prof. is less important.