Bishop’s University endorses hybrid model for upcoming academic year

CMichael Boriero Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

ome fall semester, students will be allowed back on the Bishop’s University campus, albeit under strict rules, at a limited capacity, and barring any major setbacks regarding the COVID-19 pandemic over the summer.

After hosting several town hall meetings and conducting a survey for incoming and returning students, administration concluded that the university’s passionate community wanted to avoid remote delivery platforms as much as possible.

“They really do want to come back, they’re very connected to this university and they would like to do as much on our campus as safely as possible,” said Vice-principal Academic Miles Turnbull in reference to the student survey that received nearly 2,000 responses.

Principal and Vice-chancellor Michael Goldbloom released a statement to the student body on the evening of May 28, citing the lack of COVID-19 cases in Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships as one of the reasons why reopening could work under specific guidelines.

The University of Sherbrooke recently announced a gradual return to campus with the intention of facilitating as many face-to-face activities for students in the fall. Champlain College is still fleshing out a plan but they are working closely with Bishop’s given their shared campus.

If everything goes according to plan in the upcoming months, Bishop’s will adopt a hybrid learning model — a balance between online and inperson classes. The plan outlined in the principal’s statement lists 11 points.

“I think in terms of the SRC at least, we’re happy with what the university has chosen to do, specifically because the student voice was part of the process,” said Students’ Representative Council President Enzo Evangelisti.

Students will receive a portion of their classes online, regardless of whether they sign up to in-person classes or not. International students can still enrol at Bishop’s “as full-time students and take online courses.” And research activities will continue as scheduled.

The university will also provide at least 420 single-occupancy rooms in its residential units with semi-private bathrooms, pending approval from public health authorities. And while these are all positive steps forward, students are still required to follow health safety measures.

“All hands have to be on deck in our community to ensure that we are going to offer the richest experience possible to our students,” Turnbull said. “We’re not going to pretend that this is going to be easy.”

It is going to be a very different year for everybody, the Vice-principal added, and will likely persist throughout the entire school year. He understands the fragile situations many are facing right now, which is why Bishop’s isn’t forcing students to enrol in in-person classes.

Turnbull is also aware that not every student will want to return to campus in the fall. But even if they opt for a full online course load, the quality of education and attention remains the same, he said. Professors have all summer to figure out how to make every student feel heard.

“We’re cognizant that this is going to put extra demand on our professors and for sure to learn how to do this and teach this way, learn about new technologies, different ways they could interact with students,” said Turnbull.

In Montreal, students are bemoaning tuition costs, asking universities to lower their fees since most classes will only be offered online, which limits the experience. Bishop’s couldn’t lower its tuition even if it wanted to, he explained, it’s all regulated by the Quebec government.

And regardless, Turnbull continued, universities have offered online courses for years and the quality of the product has never been an issue. At the end of the day, it’s a delivery mode, not a teaching method; it has no bearing on a professor’s educational capabilities.

“The implication that courses being delivered using distance platforms are going to be inferior or different, they will be different, but the extension that they will be inferior, I don’t agree,” he said.