Online lessons lead to a decline in the quality of education in MBO and higher education
The quality of education in MBO and higher education has declined since the switch to distance learning. This is what teachers and managers indicate in a survey by the AOb. In addition, the education staff has to contend with a considerably higher workload since the corona crisis.
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The closure of MBO institutions, colleges and universities affects the quality of education. It is declining, according to three quarters of teachers in secondary vocational education and higher vocational education. Their colleagues at universities see the same decline: 69 percent say so. 'Online education is a disaster', one teacher summarized it in an open comment. Managers from the various education sectors generally have a slightly more positive opinion about the quality of education.
Worrying
"This is alarming," says AObdriver Tamar van Gelder. “These results confirm the noises we have heard before and show that it is certainly not easy. At the moment the workload is already too high, while priorities have been set in, for example, only guiding students who need extra guidance. There is work that cannot be made up anymore and the lack of perspective is worrying. We will continue to raise this politics."
AObdirector Tamar van Gelder: 'These results confirm the sounds we heard before and show that it is certainly not easy'
Last week sent the AOb to all members in MBO, HBO and universities a survey to find out what experiences they have with distance learning. A total of 1639 members completed the questionnaire. Slightly more than half of these work in secondary vocational education (55 percent), while a third is affiliated with a university of applied sciences, 13 percent at a university. This week, the House of Representatives will be debating MBO, HBO and WO.
Demolished
The increased workload is a clear signal from the respondents. Teachers report that they have been mentally and physically demolished. 'The education of the past period is not sustainable for both teachers and students', writes one respondent. Three quarters of the teachers are faced with a higher or even much higher workload than they were used to during a normal working week. The current workload is also almost half (46 percent) higher compared to the start of distance learning. The culprits are mainly online meetings, concerns about the learning process of students, lack of separation between work and private life and the different types of interactions via telephone and e-mail.
Respondent: 'The education of the past period is unsustainable for both teachers and students'
Time lock off
The time slots in public transport up to the summer holidays are incorrectly mentioned by half of all members in MBO, HBO and WO. To keep students out of rush hour, institutions are only allowed to provide education between eleven and three and after eight in the evening. The respondents do not see anything in extending this measure after the summer holidays and do not understand why working people are given priority over students. They are afraid of an extension of the working days. Van Gelder: “We have informed politicians that the time lock must be removed. In addition, the one and a half meter rule already limits physical presence at institutions to approximately 20 percent.”
We have informed the politicians that the time lock must be removed
Evening hours and Saturday
The teaching in the evenings and on Saturdays *Read also this article about teaching outside regular working hours with a response from AObsector manager Roelf van der Ploeg. also encounters major objections. 80 percent of teachers in MBO and WO do not consider providing education on Saturdays with private lessons. Three quarters think that in higher professional education. Weekday evenings can be better combined with the private situation than Saturdays, but even then about six out of ten teachers indicate that it cannot be combined. Many are not willing to work on Saturdays with or without extra allowance.
We firmly reject teaching on Saturdays
“In academic education we often hear that teachers use the weekend to 'update'. If they also have to provide compulsory education, there will be little free time left, ”says Van Gelder. "We firmly reject teaching on Saturdays."
Last week Thursday responded Education Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven said that MBO teachers cannot be forced to work outside regular working hours or on Saturdays. However, she also said that she will not stop it if teachers and employers want to.
Changeover
In recent times, the education sectors have undergone enormous changes, the survey shows. The vast majority of the lessons were given physically (MBO 87 percent, HBO 82 percent and WO 78 percent). Only in higher professional education and university education was physical education more often supplemented with video lessons.
Also go to the frequently asked questions about the corona crisis and teaching in MBO, HBO and WO on our website.
