Zooming In: Education in 2021

The purpose of Zooming In

Our event adopted a forward-thinking mindset that fits with SFU’s expectation to return to in-person learning in fall 2021. We focused on our attendees’ current concerns about education and their suggestions about improving the student experience. Through this, we wanted our participants to consider what could be done to make sure education will work for everyone in a post-pandemic world.

At the same time, we recognized that SFU’s announcement about its plans for the fall was anxiety-inducing for many in the SFU community. Especially for students, our health and our educational experiences are highly interconnected. Acknowledging this, we also wanted to provide students with information about resources and health supports available to them during this time of uncertainty and change.

Highlights from the speakers' presentations

Martin Laba

To start off the night, our first presenter was Martin Laba, an associate professor in SFU's School of Communication. During his presentation, Laba delivered a passionate soliloquy, reminding us of the role of the university and its students, and how remote learning has impacted our routine learning habits. Laba emphasized that students work for their education and the university has a mandate to help its students apply their skills to the real world. Keeping this in mind, Laba was clear to state that this will not be a return to "normal," but an opportunity to improve the delivery and experience of higher education.

To quote Laba, he believes that “our educational experiences need to set students into action.” By taking this view and looking at the remote experience as an "experiment," Laba found that there seems to be a belief that students are not self-directed. From a conversation with other teaching professors, it may even seem like the truth, but Laba pointed out that this is not the case. At least in his experience, students are self-directed, but “if that’s the case [that students are not self-directed], whose fault is that? Certainly not the students’.” Moving from remote education, this experience should “inform and direct our educational priorities now and in the future” to change the “normal” transmission of knowledge at the university. We have the opportunity to re-evaluate and transform the student experience. To sum it up, we leave you with this quote:

“Our models of education must move from knowledge in the abstract to knowledge in action. From knowledge that is not abstract, actually, but rather derived from lived experience and active social engagement.”

Laba gives us much more insight into the potential to transform education in the recording of the event.

Health Peers

Our second speaker presentation was given by two of SFU’s Health Peers, Aleisha Fernandes and Mariel Olaguer. They shared some of the resources that SFU Health & Counselling has been offering to students, including the initiatives that the Health Peers have been working on to support students’ health and wellbeing. In particular, they shared some of the suggestions they put together from a survey conducted last summer on what students most wanted their professors to know about their remote learning experiences.

Some of the recommendations were to:

• Increase office hour availabilities
• Reduce workload (e.g., changing large exams to several smaller quizzes)
• Take regular breaks during lectures
• Provide alternatives to live participation
• Implement flexible deadlines
• Encourage social interactions (e.g., by using discussion boards on Canvas)
• Acknowledge students’ input
• Be yourself (teach authentically!)

Breakout room highlights

In the breakout rooms, attendees had the opportunity to share their thoughts on the current education system and give suggestions for the future. Here are the main highlights from the breakout room discussions.

Concerns

Both students and faculty/staff are struggling with the lack of energy and social interaction. This struggle negatively affects the engagement level in the classes. There needs to be an effective plan for preventing the spread of COVID-19 on SFU’s campuses and maintaining cleanliness.

Some remote exams are structured in ways that are more challenging for students.

For example, there may not be enough time allocated to complete the exam, or it may be difficult to ask for clarification on questions.

When questions are shown one at a time, students cannot determine how to use their time effectively to answer them (e.g., spending too much time on easier questions).

The return to in-person education will create some anxiety, especially for current first-year students whose initial university experience was remote education.

Suggestions

On a positive note, the switch to remote education has had various benefits, including accessibility, flexibility and the option of working at one’s own pace. Thus, SFU could consider offering a hybrid model of education: a combination of in-person and remote education systems.

For example, live-streamed classes could be recorded. Attending in-person lectures would not be mandatory.
This model also benefits international students who cannot enter/return to Canada due to travel restrictions.

Since SFU is raising tuition fees for students, they can use the increased revenue to improve the quality of online education and resources. Education is not a one-way transaction; students can help professors in developing and managing their online and in-person classes. Building social connections is important: being gentle, considerate and empathetic with one another will be crucial as we return back to campus.

Reflections from the Peer Ambassadors

All of us Peer Ambassadors greatly enjoyed the process of designing, planning and running this event. In addition to working as a team to make this event happen, we each found different aspects of our work that stood out to us:

Christina Lam: The event felt like an open and productive space where attendees, speakers and volunteers had come together to discuss ideas and share their opinions. It was particularly heartwarming to hear many of the participants acknowledge the importance of remaining flexible and compassionate as we move forward into the future of education.

Gabrielle Wong: The discussions at this event were both productive and insightful. What we heard from attendees may not have been exactly what we expected, but their ideas and concerns are all valuable. Thank you, everyone!

Haebin Pan: I’m grateful to be part of a project that helped to bring members of the school community together. It was great to listen to the meaningful discussions on the future of education at SFU. I was touched to see compassion and insight from the attendees and speakers during the event. I look forward to seeing SFU implementing suggestions from its community members as it moves forward to the fall semester.

Kary Ka Yiu Cheng: The event made me feel that I'm not alone in this whole remote learning situation. I love how the majority of us came to a conclusion that hybrid learning can provide flexibility in the future post-secondary education system.

Alyanna Thornton: In addition to being able to experience this journey with all the Peers, it was heartwarming to see the passion and care from all the attendees that joined us. Overall, I think it’s important for every student to remember that this is a moment to pivot from the old “normal” and create a new way to learn moving forward.

Conclusion

Overall, here are a few key takeaways from the valuable discussions and insight that we heard at Zooming In: Education in 2021.

• Many members of the SFU community are anxious about the return to in-person education.
• There is high interest in exploring alternative options, such as hybrid learning (with some students learning remotely, and others in person).
• When COVID-19 eventually is not a public health concern anymore, some aspects of the flexibility of remote education could be worth carrying forward.