'Last-minute pivot' to online learning irks U of C students' union

The president of the University of Calgary Students' Union says the decision to move some classes online a couple of weeks before fall classes began was done without proper consultation, and as a result student complaints are off the charts.

"The students' union was not consulted in any way by the university ahead of this decision," Nicole Schmidt told Alberta@Noon on Wednesday.

"The number of complaints from students has been unprecedented."

The University of Calgary said 10 per cent of course components (lectures, labs, seminars or tutorials) were shifted online in August, and that 80 per cent of students are learning either entirely in-person or partially in-person. 

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But Schmidt said she feels the writing was on the wall and the school didn't need to wait so long to make its most recent changes.

"Students have been busy planning their schedules and their lives for the fall semester. They registered for classes in good faith expecting the university to honour the original intended delivery format but instead we have seen the university pull the rug out from under students with less than two weeks until classes begin."

The university has known since March that classes would return to campus in the fall and offered in person, Schmidt said.

"It is just disappointing that the university has offered flexibility to professors and not to students."

Decision not made lightly, school says

The school declined an interview but offered a statement on its decision to CBC News.

"The University of Calgary's top priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. The environment continues to change rapidly," the statement reads.

"The pandemic has forced many post-secondary institutions, including the U of C, to make difficult decisions on a short time frame in order to ensure our campus is safe for students, faculty, and staff. These are not decisions we make lightly."

MacEwan not doing last-minute pivot, provost says

At MacEwan University in Edmonton, the school has tried to be responsive to a moving target, said provost and vice president academic, Craig Monk. 

"While instructors do have the ability to increase the online component as conditions allow, two-thirds of our programming was always designed to combine an online and face-to-face experience," he said.

Eighteen months ago, the school had fully moved to online delivery as the pandemic roared. Six months after that, 10 to 20 per cent of programming had returned to face-to-face.

Earlier this year, MacEwan had committed to a "meaningful face-to-face component" with two-thirds of programming designed as an on-campus and online hybrid, Monk said.

Many things impact the final delivery decision.

"There is a lot of instructor discretion. They have learned from feedback from students, they work with department chairs and deans, to see what works," he said.