Teach and practice computing with limited conditions (Original Content)

      Hello friends, I am going to describe to you a particular situation that I had to solve in order to try to teach 66 students the programmatic content of the subject computer or information and communication technologies, in a normal academic period.

     Well, in the university where I work as a teacher, education is given to groups of students whose academic span lasts approximately 24 weeks, it is worth noting that this is a new and experimental planning since it had been working in the quarters mode. (12 weeks). Weekly the students will attend class with this subject a total of 135 minutes, that is 2.25 Hours. Particularly the subject requires in its 24 weeks 80% of hours dedicated to practices in laboratory or computer workshop and that's where what I call "the challenge" begins.

     The laboratory or computer room available at the university is distributed in an area of approximately 18 square meters, it has enough space only to distribute 16 computer tables.

     However, the possible benefits of being a university teacher are always defined in the collective contracts discussed by the union representatives and the employer, and one of those benefits refers to the number of students that a teacher can attend per group (section) of students. Normally each student group must be comprised of a maximum of 40 students and in the case of subjects that require the use of laboratories or workshops, the maximum number of participants is 20 students, I imagine that they are already understanding what I call the challenge.

     To explain a little better, in the case of a group of students (section) of approximately 40 students, in a lapse in which they have to attend laboratory or workshop practices, this section will have an allocation of 2.25 hours only for one group of 20 students and 2.25 hours for the other group, that is, when a normal theory teacher has assigned 6 class sections of 40 students, the internship teacher will also have 6 sections, but of 20 students, which corresponds to 3 sections normal theory.

Ideal distribution of groups of students - Source: The Author

     Everything discussed so far are the ideal considerations to adequately impart knowledge to students, however, situations that have to do with poor planning and permissible political attitudes, can alter the academic parameters to which I am referring.

     Such is the case that in the last period of students New Entrance, in which the authorities in an effort to please different groups and organizations, committed the imprudence of enrolling groups of up to 66 students per section in the different careers taught at the university . This, according to the directive, they did assuming that the number of students would decrease for the next academic period that is when they enter as regular students to the race. However, specifically for the bachelor's degree in accounting, 100% of New Entrance students managed to move to the new period where they already have to take courses in laboratory or computer workshop.

     As shown in the previous image that would be an ideal planning, however there are a series of situations that limit the teacher / student interaction, reducing the required learning. Below the obstacles to overcome:

• The sections assigned to the teachers of workshops or computer labs have the same distribution of the theory sections, that is, they are the same groups as the teachers who teach classes in normal classrooms with the same number of students, therefore they are 2.25 weekly hours to attend each group of approximately 40 students.
• In the workshop or computer lab there are 16 computer tables, in which there are only 14 computers and only 10 are operative. This is to attend the full class group in 2.25 hours.
• Additionally and to complicate it further, the sections for this period are 66 students instead of 40.

     You can already give an idea of the challenge to overcome. The labor responsibility can be considered many times different, according to the area in which the activities must be performed. As a university professor, I believe that the responsibility for our actions goes beyond what is established in any regulations, contracts or facilities that benefit us as workers.

     However, there are other interesting parameters that as teachers we can not stop meditating if we are really committed to education and teaching. Such is the case of a group of classes that starts at 7:00 am, where the group of 66 students is made up of citizens with different socio-economic aspects who additionally live at different distances from the university (distances of up to 50 km). which limits them to arrive at the start time of classes.

     Teachers are not machines, robots or something like that. Assuming 100% the responsibility of teaching with the conviction of achieving the academic objective as the challenge is posed, implies considerable wear and tear. That is why first for the fulfillment of 20% of theoretical material, I managed to be assigned for five weeks one of the largest classrooms (as a loan) and to achieve compliance with the objectives was divided the section of 66 students in two groups of 33 each, assigning them the first class shift that starts at 7:00 a.m. for the students whose place of residence allowed them to arrive at that time without inconvenience, and the rest at 8:10 a.m.

One of the divided groups - Source: The Author

     For the beginning of the practices, it was getting harder. Therefore I proposed to the students to collaborate for the practices. The idea was that everyone would have the opportunity to be instructors at least once and that they would be responsible for instructing between 4 and 5 students approximately, the idea seemed good to them and they agreed.

     Then, taking into account the limitations of space and time, unfortunately the classes for all would not be received every week, however they could attend practices every two weeks. The total of objectives required to practice and know are six and proceeded as follows:

• For the first objective the same students put themselves to the order and chose the first twelve participants who were going to be considered the next instructors. They saw classes with me during the 2.25 hours that corresponded. We used the ten operating computers and additionally I got two borrowed laptops. That day they were instructed taking into consideration the aspects or details that they had to reinforce in order to carry out the internship with their classmates in the following weeks.
• The second week, of the twelve students prepared as instructors, only 6 had to attend the practice, for which two instructors would use the laboratory for each of the following shifts; from 7:00 to 7:42, from 7:45 to 8:32 and from 8:35 to 9:20. In each shift of approximately 42 minutes, 9 students were going to be instructed, which left a computer available as backup. As in the theoretical classes, students with transport problems were considered for the later shifts.
• The third week, had the same distribution of shifts and equal number of participants, with the difference that the instructors were the other six that were prepared the first week of classes.

Source: The Author

     At the end of these first three weeks the 12 instructors plus the 27 students of the second week plus the 27 students of the third week complete the total of 66 students of the respective section and could know and practice the first objective required for their training.

     Now, leaving 5 goals to be taught, we simply proceed to apply the same strategy that was used in the first three weeks, with the difference that the instructors are other participants.

     In this way, the total of 66 students became involved as instructors, allowing them to receive knowledge about information and communication technologies, and obtain an additional experience that consisted of being protagonists of their own teaching.

     Among this strategy of course, like many others, not everything is perfect, for example some complications occurred with students who could not attend the class shifts, to recover the lost class the computer that was available to train them was used, in this way The activities of the rest of the shifts weren't affected.

     In this way the 66 students were able to know and practice the six objectives foreseen for their respective training, the contact with the participants was maintained and a special bond was formed because not only was teaching the class and already, it consisted in that as a teacher I also I needed them for their proper training and they felt recognized when they were taken into consideration in their own preparation.