UBC outlines what fall term will look like

Students will soon begin their fall term at University of B.C., but it won’t be like any other term in the school’s history, say UBC staff.

Courses begin next Tuesday and are primarily online to ensure health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, UBC said Wednesday in a news release.

UBC’s Vancouver provost, Andrew Szeri, says faculty and staff have been working for months to provide more than 3,000 courses taught in virtual classrooms.

Szeri says one remarkable development has been the collaboration between students and faculty in delivering the curriculum. They have created new internships, training programs and peer tutoring programs that will bring the learners and teachers together.

This fall, many students will be able to access their courses in their regular time slots, but with a mix of live and recorded classes.

UBC says this provides more flexibility for students to manage other demands on their time.

Faculty and staff are designing new models for student and faculty interaction. There are new platforms available for students to connect with each other, new online spaces where they can meet and talk about their courses, help each other and develop friendships, according to UBC. What about final exams? UBC says final exams will also be different in many cases. Many faculty members have shifted from traditional exams to project-based demonstrations of what students have learned or openbook exams.

The university says student services, such as advising, counselling, the Student Learning Hub, the Supplemental Learning program and the Centre for Scholarly Communication, have all gone online.

As for the social aspect, Ainsley Carry, vice-president of students at UBC, is encouraging students who aren’t on campus this fall to join some of UBC’s online clubs and societies or class groups.