Fall 2020 at SMU: A Review
Written by Nancy Maria Fernandez
@nancymfernz
Thumbnail Photo by Saint Mary’s University
It’s a new year once again and it feels so good to have finally left 2020 behind. The past year was nothing short of turbulent — a testament echoed by the most recent Fall semester. For most of us, the previous term had been the first entirely virtual semester that we attended at SMU. Undoubtedly, it came with its own set of ups and downs. While both the university administration and the students made a strong attempt to accommodate classes and adjust to the new virtual platform respectively, the Fall 2020 term was not without problems. In this article, I interviewed a couple of students to learn more about their experience with distance learning at SMU.
Photo by karima williams on Unsplash
For Andrea, a Psychology major at SMU, asynchronous classes have been exceedingly difficult to manage. These troubles were primarily due to the lack of structure and schedule that normal in-person classes afford. She prefers synchronous classes as “it was really hard to watch and read all the required material on time” during the Fall term when most of her classes were being offered asynchronously. Andrea also argued that online classes require a lot more self-teaching than traditional classes — a view that many other students likely share. Andrea also expressed strong disapproval of the university’s decision to hike the tuition fees. She recalls having a serious conversation with a few fellow students who collectively agreed that “the quality of education has dropped a little bit” ever since classes moved online. Andrea also claims that in some cases, professors and even some university services were not adequately accessible to students last Fall.
When asked about some of the advantages of distance learning, Andrea said that it saves students time spent commuting to campus. It also allowed international students like her to go back home for the Fall since classes could be attended from anywhere. Andrea says that SMU could improve by making certain university services more accessible as some of them were not adequately available to students during the previous term. She also mentioned that “there are a lot of variations” in how each course is conducted. So, if classes were each a little more similar to one another regarding format and assessment, it could reduce confusion among students, thereby improving stability.
Andrea also mentioned that SMU has allotted specific places for international students to self-isolate in upon arrival at Halifax. This policy is actually quite problematic since students have no freedom in choosing where to quarantine, and are also required to pay for these separate accommodations. This leaves international students with fewer options in being able to choose more reasonably priced quarantine facilities in and around Halifax. It is also important to note that many students live off-campus and already have their own accommodation to quarantine in, and yet are being denied the option to quarantine there. “[If] students already have a place that they [are renting], why would they be required to pay big amounts of money for extra accommodations?” Andrea commented.
Another student, who wishes to stay anonymous, found no academic advantage in attending online classes. She said that most of the ‘education’ she received during the Fall term was “self-acquired” as some of the professors have adopted a more student-driven approach (meaning they are relying on students to self-teach). This student also expressed frustration over being expected to pay for campus renewal fees, recreational facilities fees, lab fees, and other campus-related fees, despite not having access to the campus at all last term. As an international student, she prefers that all her classes be held asynchronously given that many students like her are attending classes from various parts of the world. “Not every student lives in the Americas, so the timing can be a real issue,” she added.
As a final year student at SMU, this student also found the course load to be excessively heavy during remote learning. “We were given additional quizzes, assignments, and papers as if there were suddenly more than 24 hours in a day just because we were working from home,” she stated. Ever since classes moved online, professors have taken an active step to break down large assignments into smaller chunks worth lesser portions of their final grade so as to not overwhelm students with major, more cumbersome assignments. This was also done to prevent academic cheating on big assignments and tests. However, this strategy seems to have left many students feeling more overwhelmed and stressed than before since they have had to put in more time and effort towards completing the coursework assigned to each class.
Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash
When asked about the ways in which the university could improve, the student explained that having open-book exams in place of closed-book ones would be more effective as “that is how real life works.” She also mentioned that by ensuring only a specified amount of work per course is assigned every week, the university can make sure that no student is academically overworked, which could prevent the experience of burnout. She also stated that by seriously considering students’ feedback from the course evaluations, the university can not only receive critical feedback on how to improve their services but also make students feel heard.
We acknowledge that although this article details the thoughts and experiences of just two SMUdents, their grievances are not unfounded since many students across campus echo similar sentiments. In conclusion, this review finds that while SMU has mostly done a fairly good job of helping students transition into the virtual classroom, it still has a long way to go in terms of making education more meaningful and accessible to them. We hope that the SMU administration hears these complaints and works to actively incorporate all the necessary interventions in subsequent semesters. Nonetheless, it is also important to acknowledge the fact that every semester comes with its own fair share of stress. If you are experiencing significant issues with your mental health, you can reach out to SMU Counselling at counselling@smu.ca. You can also write to Student Services at student.services@smu.ca if you have any queries or grievances. Good luck with the term ahead!
References
https://globalnews.ca/news/7557065/international-students-quarantine-hotels/