(Image Credit: Chad Klassen / CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

ONLINE UNIVERSITY

Professors, students navigating start of online learning at TRU

Sep 9, 2020 | 4:43 PM

KAMLOOPS — Tom Friedman’s dining room has turned into his classroom. The TRU English professor is adjusting to life teaching online.

“I did a couple weeks of online at the end of the winter semester, but this is really different,” he said. “A lot of the preparation was not just about learning the new technology but thinking about how do we deliver a course to students who are not in front of us.”

Professors at TRU are using technology called Big Blue Button. It’s similar to Zoom, but more secure. Friedman says the biggest factor for students will be additional support. Professors will have to let students know they can reach out just as much for the help they need.

“There’s an onus on the instructors to do more proactively in engaging those students,” noted Friedman. “We won’t have students come on their own and say, ‘I want to meet you,’ unlike in a face-to-face environment where sometimes we’ll have students stay after class.”

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Meantime, on TRU’s campus, students are able to drop by the bookstore to collect their materials for the semester at home. While the majority of learning is happening online for the fall and winter semesters, the university is open for supports on campus.

“We’re opening our doors from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for on-campus student questions, so students can pop in. Most areas will be open,” said Acting Dean of Students Sara Wolfe. “The Faculty of Student Development has academic supports such as The Writing Centre and Early Alert, the accessibility services as well as the assessment centre, so testing. Then, we also have health and wellness.”

Many students will likely lean on those supports as much as they can while navigating the online learning world. Tavongo Masheka is a computer science student, and while he took summer course online, he’s still not any further ahead.

“We don’t have that person to show your work to as quickly as you would in class,” he said. “You’ve got to wait for a response time now from the teacher or TA (teaching assistant). It’s a difficult thing to do.”

Friedman fears that with or without supports, students, particularly first-years, may end up dropping out until in-person classes return. He feels it’s his job and others’ role to ensure that doesn’t happen.