I am just getting underway with a new WordPress site via OpenEd in BC. As is the case with most instructors in higher education across Canada, I am trying to think carefully through issues around quality learning as a university experience. My few students are madly scrambling to survive and organize their work and families safely while attempting to restart their learning programs.
Needless to say, there is plenty of information and advice out there from many sources about how to transition to remote delivery of courses that began in classrooms. Many people who are trying to be heard in the clamour and confusion are reliable and experienced. They have very good advice.
While all this is going on, university support teams are rushing to help instructors get their courses redesigned (we had a week at TRU; others had as little as three hours!). Many thanks to the fine people around the world in many countries helping with this mammoth task. I especially thank the fine folks at TRU’s Moodle Support, as well as CELT (the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching), but I’m quite sure many universities and colleges have support staff that are shining in service during these hard times.
In the days ahead, I hope to use this space to reflect on our lived experience as educators, how we are building important things with our students that will help them improve the world they are emerging into and remember the world they are emerging from, and how we are (or are not?) understanding the nature of education better.