ISRRT_COVID-19_book

Do we need more or less lecturers due to online teaching?
During the course of the leadership and management program that we attended during this
COVID-19 era the discussion on whether we needed more teachers or not came up. Some
arguments were brought forward that since teaching and learning is done on-line, more
students can be accepted in the academic programs. There are no space challenges in terms
of lecture venues, library or even the skills laboratories. It was further mentioned that since
the students are doing most of the work themselves, the number of lecturers could also be
brought down.
Contrary to this, it was noted, by the lecturers that their workload tripled during full lockdown
as the manner of “in person” engagement was now replaced by both pre-and-post class
assessments. Lecturers also had to juggle working from home, family and other
responsibilities in the same environment, whilst allowing themselves time for self-care and
rest. For academic programs like radiography, teaching and learning as well as the associated
assessments, must be diverse to address the different learning styles and the expected
learning outcomes of the different subjects. Teaching on-line does not minimize the time that
lecturers must take marking essay types assessments and assignments. There is also clinical
training that demanded that more staff members be hired due to the need to maintain social
distancing in both the skills laboratories and clinical training environments. Students are
allocated into small groups, which means the lecturer or facilitator will need more sessions to
cover a particular section of the work.
The other controversial point around this, is that the higher education institutions receive
government subsidy according to the number of students enrolled in the program. One would
be tempted to say that, let the student intake be reduced to accommodate social distancing.
However, the university management would not welcome this as it means less income.
Conclusion
COVID-19 continues to bring about challenges to the teaching and learning environment as
well as opportunities for growth and development if one chooses to look at both aspects. Lack
of freedom to associate in person continues to be a challenge. Technology has however
opened doors to other opportunities that can also be cost saving if one looks at the
opportunities that came with COVID-19. Time, which is a rare commodity can be saved
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