Dear Members: May 14, 2021
Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to express to AUNBT your concerns relating to the planning process currently underway for course delivery in the Fall. In particular, many of you have identified concerns with regard to suggested delivery methods and related workload implications.
It has come to our attention that some of you are being asked to consider particular methods of course delivery for your Fall 2021 teaching assignments. We understand this request to be informed by administration’s strategic priorities for course delivery in Fall 2021; these priorities include maximizing in-person options for students within health and safety guidelines while also offering online components of those in-person courses to facilitate the enrolment of students who are not on campus.
Some of you have communicated that you feel pressure to agree to teach your course(s) using a particular method of delivery that aligns with the aforementioned strategic priorities. With respect to the selection of a delivery method for a course, AUNBT’s position is clear: you have a fundamental role in determining how your courses are delivered. We have communicated this position to senior administration and it is our understanding that while encouragement for members to adopt a particular delivery method is acceptable, we are in agreement that nobody should be pressuring you to adopt a particular method of delivery for your course(s). With that in mind, we encourage you to participate in your department’s and/or your faculty’s program planning around course delivery methods with a view to providing the best learning experiences to your students; however, if you are not being meaningfully consulted with respect to the selection of a delivery method for your course(s), or if you are feeling pressured to adopt a particular method of delivery, please reach out to AUNBT.
We also encourage you to contemplate workload implications when considering course delivery methods. Alternative Delivery Methods resulted in a significant workload increase for many of you, and we caution you to avoid over-extending yourself in your work. If you are being encouraged to add an online component to an in-person course (or vice-versa), we recommend contemplating whether and how this might affect your workload. If your workload would be unreasonable as a result of the method of delivery that is being encouraged, please make your concerns known at the planning stage. This is a valid consideration – AUNBT and UNB recognize the difficult circumstances that we are in and have agreed that you are entitled to a reasonable workload.
AUNBT is here to support you as you navigate the planning process for course delivery in Fall 2021. Please reach out to AUNBT should there be something you wish to discuss or some way we can be of assistance
In solidarity,
Melissa White, Ph.D. – President, AUNBT
(PDF version of original message)