One year ago, students were in school attending classes and taking part in extracurricular activities, with little idea that within a matter of days the doors would shut and they would find themselves finishing the year at home studying on-line. For grade 12 students there was also the interruption to graduation celebrations and the realization that as they headed into new ventures, the pandemic would impact how they would pursue their dreams.
The valedictorians of the Class of 2020 from Outlook High School and LCBI High School are like all other students pursuing first-year postsecondary studies. Instead of arriving on bustling campuses and sitting amongst new students in lecture theatres, they are studying on-line and coming to terms with how different their initial university experience has been.
Nyah Hopkins, LCBI Class of 2020 valedictorian is studying Animal Bioscience in the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. She did consider moving to Saskatoon to access better Wi-Fi, but in the end decided to stay in Outlook. “All of my coursework is online this year, including labs,” she said, “so we decided I may as well stay home to save money.”
One of her classes each term has had live lectures, with the rest being pre-recorded, and some classes offer weekly question and answer sessions with the professor so students are able to clarify material. Her animal bioscience and agriculture prof has been one of her favorites. He began by posting pre-recorded lectures but changed that to live classes which he thought would be more beneficial. “I really enjoy his lectures,” she said. “He makes sure to involve the students as much as he can and encourages discussion. He’s also involved in student mental health on campus, so he understands what students go through and has been really supportive.”
Opportunities to interact with other students come during Q&A sessions, class discussions during live lectures, and in her lab work. “I’ve probably gotten the most interaction with other students through my labs, especially when we’re put in small groups to work together on lab reports and assignments.”
While she feels she is receiving the same information she would if students were on campus, she says it has been more difficult to get feedback or additional explanation from instructors at times, adding, “we also don’t get any hands-on experience, which I think would make my education much more meaningful.”
Instead of touring livestock facilities on campus which would have been part of her agriculture lab this term, students were given video tours. Nyah said they were informative, but not the same as seeing them in person, something she hopes will happen once students are allowed back on campus.
The biggest challenge with on-line classes has been trying to stay motivated. “My classes are interesting,” she remarked, “but sitting at the same desk every day makes it harder to stay motivated.” However, she enjoys what she is learning and is happy with her program choice. “There are lots of opportunities for animal science and agriculture-related research at the university and in Saskatchewan, and even if I don’t go into research there are still many other options out there,” she said.
While Nyah is disappointed to not be on campus she says there are some benefits to how this year has gone. “I’m at least grateful for the extra time to be with my family before I move to the city. It’s also let me get used to the workload of my classes without having to worry about moving for the first time too.”
Kendra Harrington, OHS 2020 valedictorian enrolled at the University of Alberta in General Science. She is spending her first year living on campus in Edmonton. “With rural internet my options were fairly limited,” she said, “and since I had already been accepted and offered a spot in residence it just made sense.” The other factor she considered was the money. “The cost of education, and residence as well, has gone up across Alberta, so that was a point of interest, but I didn’t want to wait a year, so I chose to start anyway.”
Her first term had one live class while the rest were recorded, but the winter term has had a better mix of both. The pre-recorded content is supplemented by regular Zoom calls for discussion and questions.
Kendra says most of her professors have been good at providing course material online. “I’ve had a couple profs who were pretty good at keeping the lectures entertaining even if they were recorded, by adding in some jokes, which is always nice,” she said. “I’m really enjoying my Earth Science and Biology classes this term.”
Kendra feels there are some benefits to the way her classes are being delivered. “It’s nice having all of the notes online and the lectures recorded. If I miss something, it’s easy to go back and check,” she remarked. “There’s also less distractions since the amount of things I can do on campus are limited, but on the bright side I can check out where my classes would be and see the buildings, without the pressure of needing to find classes on time.”
The pandemic has made the on-campus experience very different, but Kendra says there are still opportunities for interaction. “I don’t have a lot of contact with other students because in residence we are counted as single person households and are limited to two close contacts,” she explained. “However, the university has been pretty good at making sure there are online clubs and cohorts for students to join to help us meet people from the different residences across campus and stay engaged. There are also opportunities to talk with people at meals down in the cafeteria.”
She had looked forward to meeting new people and being in an environment very different from small town life. “I suppose I did get both of those, just not in any way I expected,” Kendra remarked.
Regardless of how different her first year was from what she thought it might be, she is learning a lot and is affirmed in the educational path she has chosen. She is hoping to get accepted into the Paleontology program and is excited to move into more specialized classes. “I can’t wait to see what kind of new things I’ll get to learn as I move farther in my degree,” she remarked. “I just hope that maybe next year things will be back in person and I’ll be able to learn through the normal tracks rather than through the internet.”
