Written by Jenny
It’s the last week of formal classes for the year! Congratulations on making it this far with us! Your commitment and hard work in your studies should be commended.
With only one last push before the home run for the year, we want to make sure that you have the support and tools you need to prepare for your exams because we believe in you.
This blog is a collation of responses from prominent lecturers and staff from around
the Monash Science Faculty. To begin we would like to thank Ulrik Egede, Martin
Burd, Scott Findlay, Daniel Mathews, Nicholas Price and 2 other staff members for
making this article possible.
How their typical work day changed since the pandemic?
Majority of the respondents have moved to working from home and their face to face
interactions have now been replaced by zoom calls. Also laboratory activities have
stopped.
How has teaching remotely been different from ‘usual’ teaching?
There are both advantages and disadvantages to remote teaching. Teaching
remotely requires a lot more preparation and is a lot more time consuming than
regular face to face classes. One of the biggest challenges is trying to find a virtual
substitute for hands on learning. Learning science through virtual means is a lot less
interactive, which in most cases limits students’ learning ability. However, some
students are finding it easier to ask questions via the zoom chat function than they
would in a large lecture theatre.
Modifications that have been made to research and their impacts.
For most academics conducting laboratory-based research, the pandemic meant a
complete halt of on-campus research. Some have changed to a different part of their
research that is more theory-based. A major drawback to research has been the lack
of discussions with fellow researchers and collaborators, or at least their decreased
frequency.
Overall, the impacts to the research and respective fields of academics has not been
positive. It did, however, demonstrate that although lab-based research will always
need to be done on campus, some aspects of theoretical research can be done at
home with the same efficiency. Additionally, they are able to ‘attend’ international
seminars that were not previously accessible.
Will changes made to science during this time continue into the future?
Overall, the pandemic has proved that a large number of scientific tasks can be
conducted online – including teaching videos and even conferences. These may be
seen more frequently in the future. Additionally, flexibility in working hours was also
shown to be possible. However, face to face collaboration – whether in research or
applied classes – is overall more preferred in person.
In lab-based research however, being on campus is crucial and cannot be replaced.
It may take many years and considerable resources before such research can be
done remotely.
Advice for science students currently undertaking laboratories and general studies
Composed by Stacey Barbagallo, Israa Hameed and Matthew Wanford in
collaboration with Monash University’s Science Future Leaders Program 2020.
Written by Jenny
Sometimes, studying can be overwhelming for me. I write down the things I want to achieve today and achieve this week and realised there was quite a bit to do since it’s week 12.
These are 12 things I tell myself when I feel a little demotivated and a little overwhelmed. These are my own things and they may not apply to you. I am sharing this in hope you can find some of it hopeful.
Restless nights, followed by tiring mornings and always feeling like you can never catch enough sleep?
Like how we have habits to keep our teeth clean and our studies done, we have habits that affect our sleep.
Sleep hygiene describes good sleep habits. Here are some advice to help you get a good night’s sleep from a student. Most of these are common sense but the hustle and bustle of the modern and uni life makes most of us neglect some of our common senses and self-care.
Manoeuvring through the dense fog,
Its perpetual nothingness eats away at the fabric of existence.
Devoid, drained, derailed, life loses meaning.
Is all lost?
