Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT • SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020 9 EDUCATION GUIDE UNIVERSITÉ DE SAINT-BONIFACE PHOTO By Jennifer McFee Université de Saint-Boniface students will be saying "merci" for all the online learning oppor- tunities this fall. E rika Morin-Nett, language program co-ordinator, said the post-secondary institu- tion is already entering its third session of distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We found out around March 20 that the campus was going to be closed and we had approximate- ly three to four weeks to put our spring session in place online," she said. "That was really a big challenge but our instructors are super. Most of them were on board right away to learn how to use Zoom since we did everything by video conferencing. Our students were also really patient and great for the first session." The summer program proved to be more popular than expected, with stu- dents registering from across Manito- ba, as well as from other provinces and even the U.S. "We were surprised that, for our summer session, we had as many registrations as we usually had. We were expecting to have fewer be- cause we thought everybody would be dealing with everyday life, which was the case in the spring," Morin- Nett said. "For the fall, I'm hoping we will have registrations from people who have extra time or are now unem- ployed and are maybe looking to brush up on some skills that will be useful for getting a job. Of course, it's always useful to be able to speak a second language." After diving into the virtual realm for spring and summer sessions, dis- tance learning has already become familiar territory for the fall session. Fall courses will include Conver- sational French (Français Oral), as well as specialized French classes for civil servants (Programme de français pour les fonctionnaires) and French classes for those who already know the language but want to brush up on their skills (Perfectionnement du français). The post-secondary institution also offers Spanish language courses at various levels. Most courses run once per week for three hours, mainly in the eve- nings and on Saturday mornings to accommodate work schedules. In addition, a new online self-di- rected course called Introduction to French will be offered this fall for stu- dents who are complete beginners to the language. "Most people who grew up in Canada aren't actually real begin- ners. They know some things like colours and how to count to 10. But now and then, we get some people who don't know any French at all," Morin-Nett said. "This course has been in the works for about a year, even before COVID. It's completely online and it shows students things like the alphabet and a bit of pronunciation you might know if you'd taken French in school. I'm excited because it's something people have been asking about for a long time. It's continuous intake so you can take it any time, and you could probably do it in a couple of weeks if you did it regularly." For fall session courses, work- books will be available for curb- side pickup at the school, which is an improvement over the spring session when materials were only available by PDF due to the abrupt change in format. Materials can also be mailed to students. Students can still expect interac- tive lessons in the video-conferenc- ing format, which is also a safe form of socializing during the pandemic. "One reason we chose Zoom for the class is because the instructors can put the learners into subgroups so they can still have a conversation with another person or a very small group," she said. "At this time, a lot of people are feeling cut off and this is a way you can get together with people." For more information, visit ustboniface.ca UNIVERSITÉ DE SAINT-BONIFACE Language learning continues online e summer program proved to be more popular than expected, with students registering from across Manitoba, as well as from other provinces and even the U.S. By Todd Lewys When the coronavirus hit Mani- toba in mid-March, Herzing College wasn't caught entirely off-guard. 'A ctually, we were very lucky," says the college's national director of academics, Rob- in Day. "We started online training a few years ago. Thankfully, the government of Manitoba em- braced online learning early on. That proved to be a great move." However, online learning can only go so far. While it's perfect for delivering theory, it falls short in the area of providing students with hands-on experience. Consequently, students will need to venture into classrooms to get essential training. "Students can watch only so many videos — they need to get practical experience," he says. "A good example is bed-making (in health care). Anyone can make a bed without someone in it. When someone is in it, it's a different mat- ter. You need hands-on training to learn how to do it." Day stressed that appropriate safety protocols will be in place when students venture into class- rooms for practical experience. "There will be temperature checks, physical distancing will be enforced, masks will have to be worn and there will be a limited number of people in a room. Only one person will be permitted to go in and out at one time," he says. "Fortunately, we have a good facil- ity with large classrooms." In the case of programs such as the Medical Lab Assistant program, hands-on labs will focus on plac- ing safe limits on person-to-person contact. "In this case, close contact is re- quired to take blood. A short duration of person-to-person contact is ac- ceptable. But once the task is carried out (students will be wearing masks) they must return to a safe distance." Only so much learning can be done online. "For example, with our Broadcast and Media Communications course, we initially tried logging into comput- ers at a distance, but that didn't work very well," Day says. "Now, classes will have a staggered schedule and be half their normal size with only four students in class at one time, all with masks on." In short, the administrative staff at Herzing is taking the coronavirus very seriously. "We're looking forward to open- ing up, but, at the same time, we're being cautious. We can't have a stu- dent or staff member get sick be- cause we didn't take the proper pre- cautions," he says. "We'll follow the rules and will bring students in only if we have to." Finding the proper balance be- tween online and in-class program- ming will continue to be a chal- lenge, notes Day. "Part of the learning experience — the interaction of students with stu- dents and students with professors — has been greatly reduced. Now, staff jump on Zoom to have staff meetings, and students jump on to get course content," says Day, adding that intake into programs is constant. "You want to provide the best learn- ing experience possible, but you also want to keep everyone safe." While it's been a challenge, there have been some positives to in- creased virtual learning. "We've found more things can be done from home, limiting the need to commute to class," he says. "And many people are spreading work out through the day, leading to greater productivity. One of our staff members even chose not to re- tire because online learning made teaching easier for them." With an uncertain fall in the off- ing — no one can predict if the pan- demic will get worse or remain at its present level in Manitoba — safety is top of mind at Herzing College. "We want to make things as com- fortable as possible for students. We're going to do all we can to cover all the bases so they'll be comfort- able and ready to learn," says Day. For more information, visit herzing.ca/winnipeg HERZING COLLEGE WINNIPEG Balancing online, in-class programming HERZING COLLEGE PHOTO Herzing College Winnipeg Health Care Aide program instructor Nancy Scott teaches a virtual class recently. — Robin Day, national director of academics, Herzing College " Now, classes will have a staggered schedule and be half their normal size with only four students in class at one time, all with masks on.

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