18 Feb 2023

Coming Together to Manage the "Pause"

Here's a Google Sheet database for all UCU members to share teaching materials with others so as to make the "pause" in action next week more manageable.

Photograph of two students sharing a bottle of Coca-Cola at Shimer College in 1941-1942, from the 1942 yearbook of Shimer College. Captioned "Marj of Paree, Senorita Laura: Drink Coca-Cola and Keep Talking!" Now a liberal arts college in Chicago with a Great Books curriculum, Shimer was then a four-year women's junior college in Mount Carroll, Illinois. Published in the school's 1942 yearbook, which does not contain a copyright notice. Additionally in the public domain due to the terms of dedication of the Shimer College Collection (which includes a copy of this yearbook) to NIU in 1979, which vested literary rights in the collection in the public.

Yesterday's UCU announcement that industrial action would be paused for a period of two weeks came as a shock to a great many members - and it comes with significant practical consequences for everyone who thought they would be out next week.

A number of Commoners and likeminded colleagues have gone on Twitter to offer to share teaching materials on their specialist subjects to anyone who suddenly finds they have an hour to fill they weren't expecting to. Given that we are still on ASOS, and that for some of us, next week will be half-term, there will be limited time to produce 'the goods' - but they will be easier to whip up if we help each other out where we can.

Below is a Google Sheet where anyone can add their details on materials they have and are happy to forward to another colleague impacted by the strikes. For those who do not find any materials that can help them, we also recommend the approach that James Sumner has set out on Twitter: do not panic! We cannot be expected to produce our normal work under these conditions, and students will understand that completely. But hopefully, there will be something here to help bridge the gap between "standing in front of the room silently" and "the lecture you've had 20-odd hours to prepare".

(Link to the sheet to see it in full and add your details is HERE.)

[googleapps domain="docs" dir="spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRmDbbDNpAwoyDwTjOYnTGjawy6F7q1i4INhhh0ndIQ-N4KhVNFtRwNdkwsUgMz8Q-g7bsKXVM9Zqip/pubhtml" query="widget=true&headers=false" /]

Subscribe to UCU Commons