This text is part of the special section Higher Education
After several weeks of uncertainty, the government is staying the course: the winter 2022 semester will take place in the classroom at post-secondary institutions. The middle heaves a sigh of relief.
We were bathed in confusion, but the government’s game plan is now clearer,” confided Caroline Quesnel, president of the FNEEQ-CSN, at the end of a meeting with the Ministry of Education on January 12. It is indeed confirmed: since January 17, face-to-face classes at CEGEP and university are back.
Institutions also have a certain flexibility and have until January 31 to resume face-to-face classes. The research laboratories have been functional since the start of the pandemic (in addition to a few weeks in the spring of 2020), but many adaptations have been made: timetables to allow distancing, N95 masks. “Laboratory experiments must continue, otherwise master’s and doctoral projects could be in jeopardy,” explains Hélène Belleau, director of the UCS Center at INRS.
Living with risk
While distance education would have been the most stable and predictable solution, it was not the wish of the education community, despite the fact that some would have preferred to remain remote. “For us, the ideal is in the presence, or if not completely at a distance, but not to be in between”, explains Mme Belleau. The majority of its staff also want a return to classroom lessons, with masks: “It’s easier, more human. The risk is worth it,” she believes.
We are torn, but the presence is what is most desirable for the success of the students and the psychological health
“There is no zero risk”, also notes Mme quesnel. Several factors favor the return to class, in particular the very high vaccination rate in the area (93%) and accessibility to the third dose for all, even if there are “still many questions about the safety of the premises”, according to union president. “We are torn, but the presence is what is most desirable for student success and psychological health,” she says.
Heaviness of the virtual
“The consequences of switching to non-face-to-face mode, because it is different from distance training, thought and designed as such, are not insignificant”, remarks Mme quesnel. High psychological distress among teachers, extra time and work to adapt lessons, blurring of the boundaries between private life and work, not to mention isolation and demotivation for students.
Delon Konan, doctoral student at the INRS ETE Center and president of the INRS Student Federation, has chosen not to take classes this semester, too demotivated by online teaching. “In the first weeks, it’s interesting, you can get up and start working right away. But over time, concentration becomes difficult. It’s tiring, and you lack motivation,” he says. The isolation of graduate students is accentuated. “There is a social side to coming to university, beyond the courses,” recalls Hélène Belleau.
Although the professors have given everything to make their classes interesting and to help their students to keep their spirits up, the return to class last fall has helped to inject energy into students and professors, and to reconnect educational, advances Caroline Quesnel. “One of the hard things for teachers is talking to black screens,” she adds. Delon Konan supports this idea: “Present feedback is really important. »
Manage uncertainty
Despite a return to class in the coming weeks, everyone is holding their breath: it is indeed impossible to predict what the future holds, and whether the fifth wave will indeed slow down. “The fall went well, there are few outbreaks in higher education, but we are facing a phenomenon of unprecedented magnitude at the moment,” recalls Ms.me quesnel. How to manage absences, both for students and teachers? The union president wants effective communication channels with the government to be put in place to better plan things, in consultation with the field. “We must provide the safest possible conditions, with screening tools, vaccination clinics, and be flexible,” said Ms.me quesnel.
Last-minute confirmations and multiple changes are grueling for everyone, and the worst-case scenario would be a yoyo. “It is anxiety-provoking for everyone. But we must not sacrifice a generation of students,” concludes Ms.me quesnel. “The ideal is to follow the courses face-to-face, but if the health situation requires distance courses, we will comply, knowing that we are thus contributing to the fight against the pandemic”, summarizes Mr. Konan. .