The pandemic, an opportunity to review higher education

The effect of the pandemic is being greatly felt on students: dropping out, poor grades, etc. Many are dropping out of higher education because they are discouraged by online education. Starting tomorrow, universities and CEGEPs will partially reopen. But while waiting for a full reopening, is it time to review the way we teach at CEGEP and at the university?

Beyond PowerPoint education

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“If you're not well prepared online, it doesn't work, while in the classroom, it's easier to improvise and adapt. Being online taught me not to cheat anymore,” says Professor Karoline Truchon. Professor Karoline Truchon, who has been teaching communication in social sciences at the University of Quebec en Outaouais for two years, will have spent almost the majority of her career as an online professor. “For me, online is another form of presence,” she explains. She explains. What she rejects is the traditional course accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation. “Online, for me, is another form of presence,” she explains.

“It's about teaching, not giving a talk,” says the professor. “Already, in the classroom, it doesn't happen, and it's even less so online,” laments Ms. Truchon, who points out that, if there is no interaction, students drop out, don't feel motivated and don't feel like they belong to a group. “It's difficult for students, but professors have a part of responsibility”, she concludes. Karoline Truchon, who has a doctorate in anthropology, applies this transparency on all levels with her class. “In everyday life, you can hide a lot of things, but on the screen, it doesn't lie,” she believes. Before each class, she therefore begins a routine that allows her to be present and available to her students: take several deep breaths, place her screen in a certain way, drink tea, etc.

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If she feels bad, she doesn't hesitate to cancel her class and let her students know. They seem to greatly appreciate this honesty, which leads them themselves to share their feelings with their teacher. In the classroom, everything involves technology, with dynamic courses where every detail is planned in advance. The course of the virtual classroom is entirely scripted — each course and each activity —, which allows it to deal with the unexpected. To achieve such a result, Ms. Truchon uses several tools to fuel reflection and discussion: custom microsites, interactive whiteboards, highlighted readings, audio comments, analysis grids and visual diagrams, webinars, virtual guests and pre-recorded videos, etc. The professor also applies the principles of participatory design and does not hesitate to break the pace to keep students alert and interested.

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“Every week, I reinvent myself to see how I am going to pass the content, but in a way that will connect them through this screen.” For the teacher, the effort is worth it, and it is part of the teacher's responsibility, especially in preparing for his course. “It's true that I put a lot of time into it, and I like that. I see the effect in the classroom, it feeds me and I like to see them thrive. And I see that they are learning.” While her virtual approach is giving excellent results, Ms. Truchon believes that each professor must go their own way to engage students. “I have a colleague who talks for several hours, and that's going very well. His tool is speech; it requires another form of preparation. The students love both of us because we give our all,” she explains.

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The commitment to more conscious classes

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Like most professors, Karine Deshayes, a lecturer in intercultural management at HEC Montréal, has been teaching virtually for almost a year. The professor, who teaches relational skills, was concerned that she would not be able to adequately recreate the course experience online. She said she was happy to note that very few dropouts were to be deplored under the program.

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Her students are on average 18 years old. “The pandemic has allowed us to see that the caring and supportive approach within the program has been quite beneficial,” she observes. While we often believe that motivation is more the responsibility of the student, Ms. Deshayes believes that the professor is very important in the retention of students when courses are given online. “For years, we were not used to doing Map, to take the time to connect with students, she says. And we discover it. It takes coaches, more than traditional teachers.”

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Empathy, flexibility, support — this way of teaching requires effort and will on the part of professors. “We need to move away from the traditional way of teaching, by innovating from our traditional ways of teaching, to reach out to students,” she believes. To get her students involved, she asks them a lot of questions. “I start my class every day by asking them how they are doing. It's not just for fitness,” says the professor, who believes that building a relationship of trust is essential.

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She also asks students to send her a video presentation. “It allowed me to see everyone's personality, to take notes, to take the pulse of my class.” In the classroom, the experiential is also important, with staging and scenarios that sharpen the creativity of students. Ms. Deshayes also favors the flipped classroom, a pedagogical approach in which students prepare their courses at home by doing reading and research, before the material is seen in class through activities that allow students to review and deepen the topics covered.

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The evaluations have also been revised, leaving the traditional model of mid-term and final exams. Like Professor Karoline Truchon, Karine Deshayes collaborates with other experts who are invited to class. “I will look for people who are more specialized than me in certain areas to offer the best,” she says. Virtual teaching requires no travel for guests, which professors say makes things easier.

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Pedagogy in higher education: criteria to be reviewed?

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The teaching methods of Karoline Truchon and Karine Deshayes are disrupting traditional university education. So is it time to review who teaches at the university and how? “I don't know if my colleagues see their jobs the same way I do,” says Ms. Deshayes. For her part, Ms. Truchon believes that you must, above all, “love teaching and love the subject you are teaching and, above all, want to teach.”

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For the anthropologist, a good university professor must above all be a good teacher. The problem lies in the fact that many university professors favor academic research over teaching. “You have to carry out teaching as you carry out your research,” she says. At CEGEP, the educational environment seems to be better adapted to needs, with smaller classes and professors more dedicated to teaching and student success. Gisela Frias, who teaches geography at Dawson College, is also the coordinator of North South Studies, an applied social science program that moves away from the traditional pre-university curriculum and instead focuses on the Map.

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The professor raises a larger question: that of completely revising teaching by adapting programs and pedagogy to meet the circumstances. “I think that it is not enough for teachers to adapt their course. We did not change the whole pedagogy knowing that education is now delivered online,” she says.

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Aboriginal education, a precursor to Map

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Johanna Okker, a professor of humanities at John Abbott College, is drawing on decolonial practices to improve the student experience. “I recognize that the things I do to care for my students are practices that have existed in Indigenous communities for centuries.

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It's an essential part of the community's support and learning network,” she explains. Ms. Okker adds that taking stock with students by forming a circle at the beginning of the session where everyone can express themselves is a fundamental value of Indigenous education. “Due to lack of time, this is not necessarily possible with 40 students, but I adapt this approach,” says the professor. So, by listening to the students, Ms. Okker was able to review her course plan and adapt it accordingly.

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“It wasn't much, though. It was a topic, to change a due date,” she says. “A student told me that if more professors did this kind of thing, the student burnout rate would drop dramatically. These small interventions that we make as teachers can have a big impact,” she says.

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At the First Nations Regional Adult Education Center in Kahnawake, Fran Beauvais works as an educational consultant. Here, the teaching is almost tailor-made, with staff particularly attentive to students and their needs. “Students come with a purpose, and part of their success is based on the support we provide. The responsibility is not only with them,” she explains.

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“I think we need to really understand how we can help them, so that they can succeed,” says Ms. Beauvais about the challenges created by the pandemic.

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In the eyes of students

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For students, the best way to avoid dropping out is the support of a community. Gabrielle Allard is grateful for her friendship with Elisa-Maria Lutic, her mentor. The two students met through the HEC mentoring program. This year, to meet relational needs, each preparatory year student, a one-year program for students who do not have a college degree or who have an atypical background, is paired with a senior student. Arriving in Quebec last July, Gabrielle, who is beginning her first year at the baccalaureate, has a fairly small social circle.

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Her relationship with Elisa-Maria, who is graduating and who knows student life very well, helped her integrate enormously. “I ask her all my questions — for example, how do I register for a course,” says Gabrielle. As she has already been there, Elisa-Maria also knows the workload, courses and projects and can offer advice. “It's useful, both academically and socially,” explains Gabrielle. We talk to each other, we wonder how things are going. It's good to have someone to talk to, to have at least one friend.” Elisa-Maria says she benefits so much from this relationship. “It's really a pleasure for us to share our experience,” she says. The 21-year-old student loves meeting new people and getting involved in student life, something that online education makes difficult. She misses the bustling life on campus, and she especially regrets not being able to participate in the graduation ceremony with her classmates and her family, who live in France. “Sometimes, it's hard on your morale,” she says. However, she remains optimistic in the midst of this atypical period. Despite the absence of student parties and events, there are still plenty of distractions.

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“Yes, you procrastinate anyway if you are at home, and you go to bed late! ” says Elisa-Maria laughing. To stay motivated, she maintains a rhythm and a routine that makes her want to work. “Before, if I didn't have class the next day, I didn't get up early,” says the one who went morning in order to be more productive. However, she believes that it is important to be lenient and not feel bad about not studying or spending time on the phone. “Don't hesitate to do something else outside of class. It's also important to change your mind,” says Elisa-Maria, who enjoys learning new choreography on TikTok and cooking. Gabrielle, who has not experienced university life as it existed before the pandemic, suggests making contact with a few people, and getting to know one or two other students from the same course, or from the same program.

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“Sometimes it's hard to find information, or just to know what's going on. It's not like you could run into someone in the hall who could tell you that, she said. I was very embarrassed at first, and I didn't want to write in groups where there are 200 students, but through group work, I had a few teammates with whom I kept in touch, and we developed an online friendship.” This proximity with your classmates makes it possible to break the isolation, but also to help each other in class.

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“To help us if we can't find the link, for example,” she says with a laugh. While the educators we spoke to have adapted to online teaching, all agree that students want to come back to campus.

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One dares to hope that, by then, their experience will be improved, and that by the time they return, impersonal courtship will be a thing of the past.

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