Universities reveal online blueprint for fall classes
With the future of social distancing unknown, Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary on Thursday revealed to students and faculty their plans for alternative delivery of classes in the fall semester.
In a video announcement, MRU president Tim Rahilly said the fall semester at the university will be delivered through alternative means that eliminate or limit the need for face-to-face interaction. Though a final decision will not be made until June 30, Rahilly said it was important for the school to release its plans early so students and staff can prepare.
“We think it’s important to allow everyone the time to wrap their heads around what we anticipate to be the situation in the fall,” said Rahilly.
University of Calgary president Ed Mccauley announced plans to combine face-to-face and online or remote learning when students start school in the fall.
“We have arrived at this approach after review of public health guidelines, consultation with public health experts and consideration of our unique circumstances. To allow the maintenance of appropriate physical distancing, we are aiming to have approximately 30 per cent of our students on each of our campuses at any one time,” Mccauley said in a news release.
Priority for on-campus classes will be given to small classes and experiential learning opportunities such as labs, tutorials and seminars.
After having to quickly pivot to an online model when classes were cancelled in March, Rahilly said staff now have experience when brainstorming the best ways to maintain quality education through alternative models.
“People have been at this for a while and they continue to have high expectations. I think, perhaps, faculty will have higher expectations of themselves, and students will have higher expectations of universities, so that will be a challenge,” Rahilly said.
The Alberta government’s relaunch strategy says post-secondary institutions will continue to deliver courses, but course delivery will depend on what restrictions remain in effect at each relaunch phase.
Earlier this week, Red Deer College was one of the first post-secondary institutions in the province to announce that it would deliver courses online in September.
The college said the early decision would allow time for students to register for courses and find appropriate living arrangements.
A survey commissioned by the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Canadian Federation of Students found 30 per cent of students are rethinking their plans for college and university because of the financial effect of the pandemic and comparable quality of remote learning.
The University of Lethbridge announced Thursday it is temporarily laying off 66 employees, and 79 full-time employees will have reduced hours.
“Under normal circumstances, these staff help deliver many of the important programs and services upon which the university’s students and community members rely. The COVID-19 pandemic has, however, had a profound and broad impact,” the university said in a news release.