Thread by @__michaelmurphy

1/13. Is #EmergencyeLearning a case of securitization?

My #WIISTOTC presentation has 4 sections: key justifications for emergency eLearning, content analysis of 90 E-eL declarations, application of securitization theory, and concluding thoughts on post-pandemic pedagogy.

2/13 Without a vaccine available, only “Old-Style” public health measures (doi.org/10.1093/jtm/ta…) of isolation, quarantine, distancing, and containment are available to #flattenthecurve of #COVID-19. #WIISTOTC

3/13 Face-to-face (F2F) classes are presented as public health threats b/c of the possibility of transmission among asymptomatic/mildly-symptomatic & devastating effects of cluster transmission (from Shincheonji Church to Spring Break) among other reasons. #WIISTOTC

4/13 In the sample, 82% of American and 62% of Canadian declarations explicitly frame the suspension of F2F classes and transition to E-eL measures as protecting the community, with other common frames including managing uncertainty/risk and defending against a threat. #WIISTOTC

5/13 When @Yale moved to extend E-eL through the end of the semester (bit.ly/34q80RX), @SaloveyPeter frames the dec’n as responding to extraordinary times. In suspending F2F, he hoped “that we might see a return to normalcy before the end of the semester” #WIISTOTC

6/13 “Pandemics are defeated by bold measures,” and this leads to the President making “important decisions.” There is a clear threat presented (F2F classes), a clear deciding actor (the President), and extraordinary measures that require community cooperation (E-eL). #WIISTOTC

7/13 I argue that the reason F2F classes can now only be discussed in terms of security and threat is because schooling has been SECURITIZED.
Emergency eLearning is the policy-form of securitized schooling in response to #COVID19. But what does that mean for the future? #WIISTOTC

8/13 Theorists of securitization and exceptional politics have pointed to the momentum that emergency measures can lead to a “new normal” – and pressures from multiple directions are already emerging for Emergency eLearning to be normalized. #WIISTOTC

9/13 For-profit eLearning corporations are seizing the moment to expand their profile, and some have called for an end to the distinction between F2F and online courses (bit.ly/2RgP02E). #WIISTOTC

10/13 Beyond #highered, we have seen political pundits advocating for eLearning as a measure of public austerity jump on the example of Harvard adopting emergency eLearning as proof-of-concept. #WIISTOTC

11/13 So what can securitization teach us?
We are in a crisis where securitizing F2F classes through emergency eLearning seems warranted. But contrary to forces of private profit & public austerity, when the emergency is over we must DESECURITIZE face-to-face learning. #WIISTOTC

12/13 Opt-in, asynchronous eLearning can make #highered accessible to part-time learners with other responsibilities. Hybrid models can move content delivery online to maximize meaningful, personal, and active use of F2F class time. #WIISTOTC

13/13 Our existing education systems are imperfect, but only by undoing the securitization of schooling can we open up a space for discussions about improvements. We must all be prepared to exercise a concerted effort to DESECURITIZE schooling post-COVID.
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