– It is very difficult when we have applied for full-time studies on a campus, says Mari Starheim Nese. She is a student teacher at Høgskulen på Vestlandet (HVL). She chose Bergen because the campus could offer several subjects and a larger student environment. But in September, she and her fellow students were informed that the fifth term will be carried out digitally. It is a stick in the wheel for both the social and academic aspects, the students think. – The learning outcome is much worse than when we turn up at school and meet classmates and teachers and get to discuss the subject. In addition, we miss out on a lot of social activities when we sit at home on a computer screen each to ourselves. She fears that more people will drop out of their studies. – KJIPT: Mari Starheim Nese is not very happy with having to take a digital semester this autumn. Photo: private Betting digitally – We want to give all students in primary school teacher training the widest possible choice of subjects. Therefore, it has been decided that all subjects in the fifth semester are what we call “Westland class”. Anne Grethe Naustdal says so. She is vice-chancellor for education at the University of Western Norway. The Vestland classes are a study offer where the teaching is wholly or partly online or assembly-based. In this way, HVL can offer several electives on the various campuses in Stord, Sogndal and Bergen. Vice-rector for education at HVL, Anne-Grethe Naustdal, believes that digital teaching offers a wider range of subjects. Photo: Vestlandet University Naustdal believes that a digital fifth semester strengthens the education and evens out the differences between the university’s various campuses. – Even though some of the teaching is digital, the students have the opportunity to be on campus, they can sit in teams and watch the teaching, discuss and work. Important to get students back on campus Maika Marie Godal Dam, head of the Norwegian Student Organization, believes that it is important to get students back into physical education. – The educational institution must facilitate a good learning environment, and we know that students thrive and learn best when they are together. Head of NSO, Maika Maria Godal Dam, is concerned that the students must return to campus. Photo: William Jobling / news According to her, students have the right to high quality education. Digital teaching should therefore not be a replacement, but a supplement, Dam believes. At the same time, digital teaching can also have positive aspects. – One of the very positive things about the digital solutions and the digital expertise we have gained in higher education is that teaching can be accessible to more students. Most physical teaching At UiT – Norway’s Arctic University, they have, like HVL, teacher training at campuses in Alta, Tromsø and Harstad. Most of the teaching is physical on the campuses. Nevertheless, the two electives in Tromsø where the students from the campus in Alta can participate partly digitally, to give a wider choice of subjects. At the University of Agder (UiA) and NTNU, all planned teaching on teacher training is physical. At UiS, there is also very little digital teaching on the course. OsloMet also has mostly physical teaching, but with some digital elements. Pro-rector for education at OsloMet, Silje Fekjær, nevertheless points out that digital teaching can be useful to ensure a good range of subjects across campuses. Despite a greater choice of subjects, student teacher Mari Starheim Nese at HVL would prefer that the teaching be physical. – It might get bigger, but it won’t get better. Having the teaching digitally is much worse than having it physically on campus.
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Students despair that Høgskulen på Vestlandet (HVL) runs an entire semester digitally – news Vestland
