Page 13 - spaces4learning, Fall 2020

affecting a large percentage of students. One respondent described their ap- proach to adapting existing facilities to the needs of the pandemic: “We have limited in person classes — mainly those requiring hands-on instruction. We have established procedures for cleaning be- tween classes and have scheduled breaks between classes to allow additional clean- ing. We have deployed extensive hand sanitizing and mask stations and have marked public areas thoroughly for social distancing.” (See Figures 7 on page 11
and 8 on page 12.)
Takeaways, Lessons Learned &
Looking Forward
We asked our audience the following open-ended question: “What has been the biggest takeaway you’ve learned so far with regard to school reopening?” Respons- es to that question were, to say the least, scattered all over the board. A few trends emerged from their responses, however.
Among those who were strong on re- mote learning prior to the pandemic, the perception was that remote was working well for students and would continue to grow in the future. But among those who were primarily face-to-face prior to the pan- demic, remote learning was perceived as a poor substitute for in-person instruction.
There was widespread recognition of the need for flexibility and patience.
Technology proved to be a huge help to education professionals, although many reported that they needed more access to technology tools. In fact, when asked what were the most helpful tools used this fall semester, digital tools were by far the most frequently lauded. Among the most fre- quently cited helpful tools were:
• Zoom;
• Google Classroom;
• Microsoft Teams;
• Learning management systems such as
Blackboard and Canvas;
• Laptops and Chromebooks;
• WebEx; and
• Screencastify.
Of non-digital tools, general cleaning products, masks and electrostatic spray- ers were most frequently cited.
Figure 5
FACILITIES (K-12)
Are your school facilities currently adequate for teaching and learning in the context of the pandemic?
Yes No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Yes 69.83%
No 30.17%
Figure 6
TECHNOLOGY (K-12)
How much of a problem has home Internet access been for your students?
Not a problem at all
A minor problem...
A moderate problem...
A major problem...
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Not a problem at all 6.03%
A minor problem affecting a small amount of students 51.72%
A moderte problem affecting a small but substantial percentage of students 32.76%
A major problem affecting a large percentage of students 9.48%
Figure 7
FACILITIES (HIGHER ED)
Are your school facilities currently adequate for teaching and learning in the context of the pandemic?
Yes No
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES
Yes 79.21%
No 20.79%
Looking ahead to procedures for the
FALL 2020 11