Shrodinger, 9 Certainties, and the Fall: Eduvation Insider May 15
It’s been a really long week, during which I’ve spent some 60 hours doing nothing but tracking college and university plans for this Fall. The result is a meticulous analysis of ambiguous pronouncements, and an article for UA in which I outline 9 things I think are certainties.
In today’s campus updates, more announcements of blended or online delivery this fall, budget challenges at GPRC, uncertainty at MRU and Queen’s, and Concordia’s residences will be completely shut down for the entire 2020-21 academic year.
On a lighter note (heading into the weekend), I’ve collected a dozen or so exemplary higher ed commercials in my latest blog!
Certainty in Uncertainty
Schrodinger’s Semester?
I write today in University Affairs that the protracted uncertainty about the fall semester is excruciating for students, faculty, and researchers. Institutions want to maintain the ambiguity as long as possible, but stakeholders “want to know if Schrodinger’s cat is alive or dead, if the campus will be open or not.” I summarize 9 certainties we have to accept for the fall, in these “uncertain times.” University Affairs
#cdnPSE this Fall, in Detail
If you would rather draw your own conclusions, check out Eduvation Bulletin #3, in which I thoroughly document the announcements about fall term thus far, from 87 colleges and universities coast to coast. As of press time, 55% remain undecided, either conducting extensive consultations or ducking the question altogether. Just 6% have optimistically asserted that classes will be back on campus. At the other extreme, 26% have decided to be entirely or largely online, while 13% have explicitly announced a form of blended delivery. In the end, though, any announcement other than going entirely online is a hypothetical exercise that can be overruled by the health authorities at any time… Eduvation
Campus Updates
Grande Prairie Regional College, facing a 13% budget cut from the province of Alberta, has finalized next year’s budget and eliminated 85 positions, 46 affecting current employees. The budget includes the launch of a new Centre for Teaching and Learning. Everything GP
King’s University at Western confirmed that it will also be proceeding with a “blended approach of online and in-person methods, with physical distancing” this fall, informed by PHO guidelines. King’s
Cape Breton U has announced a move to fully online learning this fall. “Online delivery, when done with adequate planning, can be a very robust and engaging learning experience. That is our goal and that is how we will spend the next three months.” (CBU is one of Canada’s most international institutions, with more than 50% of its students from outside the country last year.) CBU
Mount St Vincent U announced yesterday that it will shift to online delivery this fall. “We have a strong and pioneering history in remote program delivery, dating back almost 40 years.” The president also cautions, “We will continue to work… on measures like cost containment – to balance the unprecedented financial challenges ahead with the need to ensure continued delivery of the best possible learning experience for our students.” MSVU
York U announced yesterday a blended approach to the fall term: “larger classes will be offered through remote/online instruction and your instructors are planning innovative ways to engage you actively through digital platforms. To the extent possible and with physical distancing measures in place, we are also planning to offer selected in-person smaller classes and tutorials, experiential activities such as studio and labs, and re-establish access to our research facilities… We understand that not everyone will be able to make it to campus in the fall. Course delivery is being planned with enough flexibility to provide access for all students, considering your different geographic locations and time zones, as well as considerations for health, family status and accommodations for students with disabilities.” YorkU
Queen’s has yet to decide about fall delivery, but president Patrick Deane told 1,300 employees on Wednesday that “The university is planning for a number of scenarios, and our primary concern remains the health and safety of our community. Our hope, of course, is that operations will resume as normal, but this is not realistic. We will most likely see a phased-in approach to our return to campus, with many, if not most courses being delivered remotely.” Queen’s
Mount Royal U president Tim Rahilly wrote yesterday that “there is no clear answer right now” about the fall, but “it’s highly likely PSE institutions will continue to provide alternative delivery formats… We’re proceeding with plans that the entire Fall 2020 semester will be delivered primarily using alternative formats, not in person. We will make a final decision by June 30th.” MRU
OCAD U’s Academic & Emergency Response Committee “is currently planning for high quality remote learning this fall, building on the spring and summer terms. We are also assessing the feasibility of holding some in-person classes while respecting public health guidelines.” More details will come next week. OCAD
Concordia U announced yesterday that their fall term “will be delivered almost entirely online, accessible anytime, from anywhere in the world. The vast majority of our faculty and staff will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future.” They will be suspending all residence operations for the 2020-21 academic year. “We need to make responsible choices both for the Concordia community and for the region of Greater Montreal of which we are such an integral part.” Concordia
Student Engagement this Summer
Engaging Frosh Early
Although it won’t announce plans for Fall until July 1, Saint Mary’s University (Halifax) has implemented virtual consultations and webinars for prospective students, and added a LiveChat function to the SMU website. Welcome Weeks will launch much earlier this summer, and many departments have added first-year and prep courses to the Summer term. SMU
Engaging Online Students
For its newly-announced online fall term, Concordia is amping up pre-arrival communications to students, adding virtual orientation and welcome-back events, and adding a new virtual space called “HomeRoom.” Concordia will also be providing more online student advising, mental health counselling, peer mentoring, and more. Concordia
TGIF
Messages of Optimism & Solidarity
Higher education advertising is gradually returning, despite the challenging times. Check out my selection of a dozen or so noteworthy examples, from early “stay home” messages to “We’re All In,” “We’re Better Together,” “Bring on the Spring Term,” and the “Long-Distance Relationship that Works,” in my latest blog: COVID Campaigns! Eduvation
Give Yourself a (Micro)Break!
When you still worked in an office, you didn’t just take your scheduled lunch hour and coffee breaks: you took unconscious breaks to walk between meetings, grab coffee or a printout, or for a serendipitous conversation with co-workers. These “microbreaks” are important when you WFH too, says a uCalgary postdoc, to enhance productivity, accuracy, and mental health. Take more time for exercise, a breath of fresh air, and to practice mindfulness. uCalgary
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Ken Steele is Canada's leading higher ed futurist and strategic consultant, through his company Eduvation. He delivers virtual presentations and facilitates virtual retreats or workshops centred on emerging trends, enrolment management, pedagogical innovation, and strategic planning. [email protected]