COVID-19 struck back just as we were starting to relax: The start of the semester coincided with a surge in the number of infected people, leading to justified worries and frustration. The order from the faculty was clear: teaching and learning activities were to be carried through in line with what was planned as far as possible, including clinical teaching. Samarbeidsutvalget for UoB and the hospitals agree that education must be prioritized, we cannot afford to lose a generation of students!
For those of us who engage in teaching or organizing of teaching and learning activities, the challenges have been plenty – but luckily so have the victories! Once again numerous lecturers and administrative staff have rolled up their sleeves and solved the task.
Julie has got hold of UoB laptops to lend out and upgrading of more rooms for zoom lectures is ongoing. We have managed to transform quite a lot of auditorium lectures to digital ones – often interactive and in real time using zoom, which is the preferred alternative. A substantial part of the group learning activities has been provided following adjustment of rooms and group sizes. Not least, we have been able to offer our students the clinical learning activities which is essential in order to turn them into good clinicians, despite all the worries springing from an ongoing pandemic.
In particular, I would like to thank the heads of teaching groups, UGLE, the heads of semester boards and semester coordinators, who are putting down a lot of work in evaluations regarding infectious control and adjustments, changes to the organizing of teaching and learning activities, and in answering a considerable amount of questions from students and staff. I would also like to thank all of the lecturers and clinicinans who read the information which is sent out and manage to implement the necessary adjustments and perhaps also find some good solutions. Some have even managed to produce research based on this – K2’s Geriatrics Group by Marit Stordal Bakken and Katinka Alme will present two posters on teaching in a European geriatrics congress: «The show must go on: Teaching Geriatric Medicine during Covid-19 lock-down».
From several angels, there is intense, ongoing activity to secure that exams, OSCE 12 in particular, can be carried through if at all possible given the state of the pandemic at the given time. OSCE general Rune Nielsen is making a tremendous effort in preparing solutions that are feasible given the need for infectious control – a difficult but important task. The show must go on!
