For example, on the master’s course in ‘Human Resource Management’ extended guidance has been provided on how to conduct research without the possibility of field research which has otherwise been a part of the course structure. Head of Department, Peter Kragelund, emphasizes that it has been a top priority to be able to not postpone any exams for the sake of the student’s opportunities in their future studies:
»We will not be pushing any exams or courses for the sake of the student’s opportunity to apply for external courses at other universities and master’s applications in both Denmark and abroad,« says Peter Kragelund.
This stand is also exemplified by the exam in ‘Quantitative Methods’ which is typically an exam with physical attendance. This has been changed to a four-hour exam at home:
»We obviously cannot conduct the large exams with 300 students sitting in front of their computer in one room. We have changed these exams to be either written online or individual oral exams via Teams,« says Peter Kragelund.
It is, however, not only the master’s and bachelor’s degrees that faces the department with issues. They have been forced to retract scientists and PhD students from field work and are now working to solve the puzzle of giving them the opportunity to finish their studies:
»We are trying to solve the challenge of when the retracted scientists are going to complete their field research since they have been prevented from doing so this semester. Many have taught classes in order to travel this semester, and we have to figure out when they are going to resume their studies, since they were originally supposed to return to teaching next semester,« says Peter Kragelund.
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At the department of Communication and Arts they have, as the other departments, attempted to make minimal changes in the exams; however, they have also tried to investigate into how to implement the online teaching in the future – for example by foreseeing how this can be used to engage students in-between classes.
In spite of trying to keep the exams as they were some changes has been made. This concerns for example the 4th semester-projects in Performance Design where students originally are supposed to produce or arrange a concrete product or event. This requirement has been waivered and replaced by the requirement that the students must argue why and how this product or event could proceed or function.
Some exams have been changed from oral to written home-assignments. Deputy Head of Department, Sune Lægaard, explains that this step is taken partly in order to prevent cheating:
»Some exams with preparation time have been changed to written exams because we had no way of knowing via Teams, if the student was actually alone in his or her preparation time,« says Sune Lægaard.
This semester’s corona lock-down has especially brought big changes to the students on the 3rd semester course ‘Journalistic Productions’. Traditionally, the students are to touch base with TV – and Radio production, but this has been moved to supplementary courses to be attended later on in training, since it is not possible to exert this part of the course through distance learning. The exam is usually a test with physical attendance and the department faculty have decided that they will not be able to conduct this as a written online exam. The students therefore face the possibility of taking this exam as late as in August.
Despite challenges and changes, the administration at the Department of Communications and Arts are set on finding a silver lining in the lock down. They were already experimenting with partially online courses before covid-19 and sees the potential of implementing this way of teaching in the semesters to come:
»We have discussed what it really entails to be a full-time student because it is not just showing up at classes and reading in between. We have seen professors who give the students home-assignments between classes and use the time in Teams to discuss these assignments. We are considering this as a model to implement in the future in order to change what it means to be a full-time student,« says Sune Lægaard, and continues:
»A well-planned course is one that also activates students in between classes.«
