ROAD TO HIGHER LEARNING
After one year of online education, what lessons have been learned?
Nicole Kerbs had her first anxiety attack when COVID-19 hit. A fourthyear geology student at the University of Regina (U of R), she feared her academic track could suddenly slide off the rails. March 2020 marked a critical juncture in her studies. “We were starting to study for lab finals and finish our last lab assignments,” she said.
Like the rest of the planet, the University pivoted to a new reality in the midst of a pandemic. More than 1.5 billion students and youth around the globe have been affected by COVID-19, according to UNESCO.
The University began its pandemic response by launching the Emergency Management Committee and a series of communications to the University community. Protecting the health of students, faculty, and staff, while enabling students to continue their academic programs, was the top priority.
When contact restrictions became necessary, and in response to legal protocols, the University temporarily suspended classes in order to transition face-to-face classes to remote delivery.
Hundreds of virtual classrooms were created to parallel each face-to-face course. “As you can imagine this was a Herculean effort, the magnitude of which the University had never before experienced or expected!” said david Gregory, Interim Provost and Vice-president (Academic).
The University developed necessary supports to ensure all remote-learning students and staff could familiarize themselves with Zoom technology, the much-utilized cloud videoconferencing platform. Some computers were also made available to students who required them, and the University launched a website offering online supports and resources.
“As a result of this tremendous effort, academic continuity was maintained and students completed their Winter 2020 term,” Gregory says.
The use of various technologies enabled instructors to deliver courses synchronously (in real-time) as well as a-synchronously (the material can be learned by the student on their own). Some are using a blend of both.
Materials were provided to allow students to have a hands-on study experience while isolating. In the Faculty of Science, biology laboratory instructor Dr. Maria Davis equipped her plant physiology students with materials for their own “at-home labs.”
The Department of Geology developed, assembled, and distributed hundreds of lab kits to students in various courses. At the same time, in Geology 240, students participated in a drone-based virtual field trip.
“We're getting creative in how we engage with students—offering experiences that benefit our students— and it's great to see,” said Gregory.
The flexibility of online learning has also allowed the University to welcome a greater number of notables to remote classrooms, including former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who made an appearance in an online Canadian history course.
Initially, in pandemicmode, there was little change to student enrolment at the University. The dropout rate actually fell a bit in Fall 2020 to 1.8 per cent from two per cent in the previous year. Last year's Spring/summer term saw a 10 per cent enrolment increase over the previous year while the Fall 2020 term saw overall enrolment increase of one per cent. Additionally, the University has seen a 20 per cent increase in Indigenous student enrolment. But, international enrolment dropped 6.5 per cent, which is considered a temporary situation related to current travel restrictions. Currently, in the Winter 2021 term, 211 international students are studying from their home countries.
Six hundred students attended in person in the Fall of 2020 (meeting lowdensity conditions) and in the current term, 1,500 students attend campus for face-to-face learning. The University plans to continue to offer limited on-campus learning experiences in the Spring/summer 2021 term.
Initially, a range of unknowns—changes in course syllabi and material, grading methods, lab requirements, and exam delivery—made the transition to online learning stressful for students. University students have been identified as a vulnerable population, and the pandemic elevated their stressors.
“In March it was too stressful. There was too much going on and too much moving things around,” Kerbs said. The University anticipated student stress and launched an online Mental Wellness Hub, allowing students to access virtual counselling.
The loss of social life at the University compounded the stress, presenting fewer outlets to decompress. Kerbs is on the executive for the Geology Club. In a typical year, they would plan five or six events where professors, industry professionals and students could intermingle and form networking connections. “We couldn't do that this year and as a fourthyear student, that's when I need those connections the most,” Kerbs said. She continues to miss the opportunity to meet with fellow students, grab a coffee and do homework together or
chat with lab buddies.
Kerbs is now nearing the end of her program. “I will graduate with the skills I need for my degree,” she said, but notes that she would benefit from in person schooling. Despite a challenging transition, she gives props to the faculty. “The professors have done an amazing job of moving to online learning and trying to deliver the same quality of instruction.”
Looking ahead, the University is committed to establishing a working group to identify pandemic practices which will likely be retained going forward. “At a minimum, I think you will see the University of Regina, and likely other universities, move towards a hybrid educational model of remote and in-person classes,” Gregory said.