Committee of Academic Vice-Rectors
One of the central themes of the plenary session of the Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities CRUCH, which took place on Monday, November 29 at the Alberto Hurtado University, was the return to in-person learning and how to think more boldly about teaching in the classroom.
The return to in-person learning for all students, professors, and administrative staff is one of the requirements set by the Undersecretary of Education for the institutions belonging to the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) for 2022. In response to this requirement, the rector of the UAH, Eduardo Silva SJ, along with the academic vice-rectors of CRUCH, stated that as authorities they are the main allies of in-person learning if health conditions allow: “We are very aware that university work must be in person because we have seen how learning is delayed due to a lack of student life and mental health problems, and we are making every effort to ensure that we can effectively have 100% in-person learning.”.
At the Academic Vice-Rectors Commission of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), the president of the body, the academic vice-rector of the Catholic University of Temuco, David Figueroa, valued meeting in person with the regional authorities because it was a request to listen to each other, evaluate each other and look at each other in order to face 2022 with everything learned during the pandemic and at the same time, he maintained that it has been the rectors of each institution who have requested diverse information about what has happened in 2020 and 2021 and that this overview has been achieved through surveys.
Regarding the Undersecretary's demand, he stated, "We agree with in-person learning and with the efforts our institutions have made, not only in adapting but also in developing the many protocols and technological investments required. We must strive to increase in-person learning as much as possible." He believes there are conditions that allow for a 2022 that is far better than 2021 and infinitely better than 2020. In this context, planning and a bolder approach to in-person teaching become crucial, he concluded.
First-year students, the most affected
According to the surveys presented, regarding in-person attendance trends in 2020 and 2021, 48% (first- and second-year students) were the most affected because they were unfamiliar with university campuses, their faculties, their professors, and their classmates. In 2021, in-person activities focused on those that could not be conducted virtually, specifically laboratory sessions and workshops, resulting in a total of 18% of in-person attendance.
Other issues that concern the authorities are related to university life. 561% of those surveyed reported that there were no in-person cultural or outreach programs, but rather a focus on student gatherings for young people to get to know each other. However, there is consensus that young people want to return.
At this point, the Academic Vice-Rector of the UAH, Lorena López, highlighted that students face a crucial contradiction: on the one hand, they want to return to in-person classes, but on the other, they are highly insecure about being evaluated. “What we need to do is allow them to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways. They can continue creating podcasts, videos, or collaborative projects, and this can be done in person. We would be delighted if they entertained us in the courtyards with diverse projects, and there would be an evaluation that doesn't require memorization.”.
The mission is always to maintain academic functioning
Universities have had to adapt to the reality of the pandemic and focus their efforts on ensuring the quality of education. Vice-rectors have taken these recommendations and implemented many educational innovations that have allowed them to cope with these two years of online teaching. However, students still need to confront the reality of the different disciplines taught at each institution, and this has generated much discussion about when and how to return to in-person classes. This committee reached a consensus that the mission is always to maintain academic operations, and this is always independent of the individual sensitivities of each institution.
In the second part of the meeting, the authorities met in groups divided into themes such as challenges of technological transformation, challenges of training or academic effectiveness, graduate profiles, integral development of professionals, Return to normality?, economic, social, political and technological transformation that is imposed on academic training processes.
Finally, the general secretary of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), María Elena González, whose appointment was not renewed by the Ministry of Education, said goodbye to the vice-rectors, thanking them for the support of the commission.
The Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors (COVRA) meets three times a year with specific work focuses and, after reaching agreements, supports and advises the rectors of the various campuses.
Source: Communications, Alberto Hurtado University
Photographs: Alejandra Venegas – CRUCH
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