Universities must respond | The Press

It kicks in the stretchers in the universities. Quebec had given them until January 31, today, to bring students back to their campuses. An excellent guideline.

But some students worried about the virus are against returning to class. Petitions circulate at the University of Montreal and the University of Sherbrooke, while at Concordia University, other students do not rule out a walkout if accommodations are not put in place¹.

Conversely, some students who are eager to return to campus are grieving over their faculty’s decision to continue distance learning.

This is particularly the case of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal, where students have denounced the decision to offer virtual lectures in small groups with clinical doctors, as well as practical training in hospital settings. who are pushed around by Omicron. We can understand. But the students who will be our doctors of tomorrow are worried about the delay in their training since the start of the pandemic, which is quite legitimate. After all, you don’t learn to auscultate a patient with Zoom.

If distance learning has saved the furniture during the pandemic, it has also shown its limits.

Academically, U.S. data shows that students who spent more time on school desks fared significantly better on standardized tests than those who studied remotely, according to a recent analysis. from the CD Howe Institute².

Do you want to know the saddest? The students whose results have declined the most come from disadvantaged backgrounds and cultural communities. This is further proof that the pandemic has accentuated social inequities.

Psychologically, isolation and online teaching have also had profound consequences for students. Demotivation, distress, suicidal thoughts… A survey carried out during the second wave shows that half of the students enrolled in one of the 17 Quebec universities felt the need to obtain psychological help.³.

Half ! And the worst is that the majority of them failed to consult.

Even for young people who keep their spirits up, distance learning has its set of drawbacks. Without an opportunity to socialize, the COVID-19 generation cannot make those friendships that are so important to building their social and professional network, which often lasts for life and career.

For all these reasons, universities must respond. They must learn to live with the virus and do everything possible to make their campuses come alive.

We do not deny the advantages of online courses, which remain a relevant educational innovation for some students. Those who live far from the university. Those who struggle to combine their courses and their work schedule.

It is clear that the formula pleases. At the Université de Montréal, one in five students has registered for at least one hybrid course (19%) and at least one distance course (22%). This flexibility has also facilitated the return to studies of students on the labor market. So much the better.

But this should not come at the expense of those who want a real teacher.

The return to class must be done under the sign of caution and kindness. For example, students shouldn’t have to fight to get a recording for a class they missed because of COVID-19. They shouldn’t have to present a medical certificate if they miss an exam because they are sick.

Some professors, some universities, already offer these accommodations. Well done ! But it should be systematic.

And why not deploy vaccination clinics on campus, like last fall? The third dose is essential to keep Omicron at bay.

After all, the fifth wave is still at its peak. And the last thing you want is for students to go back to Zoomwith a teacher who talks to himself in front of closed cameras.