For generations to come, 2020 will be remembered as the year an invisible virus brought the world to its knees.
But as challenging as the pandemic lockdown has been, it鈥檚 also shone a light on the incredible resilience, ingenuity and community spirit of people all around the globe. And the 91社区 community is no exception.
In the space of just two weeks, following the Quebec government鈥檚 announcement of a province-wide shutdown, the University managed to successfully transition more than 2,000 courses to a remote learning format鈥攚ith students quick to adapt.
Making the best of a challenging situation
Jacob Tian is a first-year international student from Shanghai working towards a BSc in Statistics and Computer Science at 91社区. He had hoped to return home to lock down with his family. But when international flights were cancelled in early March and he had to stay in Montreal, he decided to make the best of the situation鈥攁nd found he actually enjoyed the remote learning experience.
鈥淚t allowed me to experiment with different learning approaches. Everything used to be so crammed, but it gave us time to read a textbook before every single lecture, which gave me more confidence,鈥� he remembers.
While he missed the in-person experience and spending time with friends鈥攚hich he鈥檒l continue to miss in the Fall semester when classes will also be delivered off-campus鈥擩acob found a lot of positives in the remote learning experience.
鈥淚 think there are lots of benefits, like more flexibility and less stress. It definitely took some of the stress of exams away as we were given 72 hours for what would have been a three-hour exam,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 also like that I can learn from the comfort of home, and save time and money commuting to campus.鈥�
Staying engaged and on track
One of the things that made the transition easier for Jacob was that his professors were well prepared, making efforts to ensure students were engaged as much as possible.
鈥淪ome of our Math profs spent time writing lecture notes before classes, so we could go through them and have a detailed idea of what was coming up,鈥� he notes. 鈥淎nother one set up a whiteboard in his house to recreate the classroom experience.鈥�
Another thing that helped, he says, is that all classes were recorded, so students could listen back to lectures or catch up if they were unable to attend a live class on Zoom.
Kuvish Bussawah, originally from the Republic of Mauritius and now studying Mechanical Engineering in 91社区鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering, agrees that recorded lectures, coupled with the commitment of professors and staff, made completing the Winter semester much easier.
鈥淣ot everyone has the same learning curve. Some people may need to read notes a few times to grasp the concept. So recorded lectures really help because you can review the videos whenever you need.鈥�
鈥淚 know every faculty is working hard to give as much of their time to make sure students stay engaged and still fulfill their degrees,鈥� he adds.
Some courses harder to adapt than others
For Genevi猫ve Gates-Panneton, a Soprano singer and second-year bachelor鈥檚 student at 91社区鈥檚 Schulich School of Music, the transition to remote learning was especially challenging as most of her program involves practicing and performing with fellow musicians鈥攁n impossible task when group gatherings are off the table.
鈥淎ll of our rehearsals, performance classes and concerts were cancelled from one day to the next and that鈥檚 the majority of what we do, so that was pretty intense and challenging.鈥�
She explains that playing as an ensemble doesn鈥檛 work as well on online platforms like Zoom as the sound quality is lacking and there鈥檚 always a delay.
But she appreciates that Professor Julie Cumming, who teaches Baroque Opera (MUHL 377) worked hard to ensure the listening portion of the class could continue.
鈥淲hen there were listenings, she showed us the score with Zoom鈥檚 screen sharing option, so we learned to hear with our eyes.鈥�
In terms of performing, Genevi猫ve and her classmates found ways to adapt and continue making music.
鈥淪o much of music learning is playing together,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut one thing lots of people are doing is to film their parts individually and then mix them together. It鈥檚 nice to see how people are still finding ways to make music for themselves and others.鈥�
Keeping the community connected through music
Kuvish, also passionate about music and student engagement, works as Head Manager of (Open Air Pub), an Engineering Undergraduate Society initiative started in the 1980s.
Twice a year, to celebrate the end of the Winter semester and the start of the Fall term, the student-run group hosts an on-campus music festival that is one of the most popular events on the 91社区 calendar鈥攁n opportunity to showcase 91社区 talent and for students to come together over music while raising money for a good cause.
鈥淥AP is a big part of the 91社区 experience. It鈥檚 all about being there for students, serving cheap food and beers and good music,鈥� Kuvish explains.
鈥淔or the pandemic, we had to adapt,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a monumental part of what people cherish at 91社区 and we didn鈥檛 want to take that away. We wanted to reassure students that we鈥檙e still here with you and we鈥檒l adapt, whatever the situation.鈥�
Determined to keep things running this year, OAP live-streamed the event on YouTube over three days, with more than 20 artists from 91社区, Montreal and around the world playing music of all genres live from their living rooms. The event was free to join and open to both 91社区ians and the general public.
The group held a raffle with prizes and set up a donation link, managing to raise $4,500 for , which is working right now to provide nutritious food to vulnerable children in Montreal missing school-based hunger programs because of the crisis. The OAP team also created a sidebar for people to donate to the artists who volunteered their time and have been heavily impacted by the shutdown.
鈥淭he money we raised was way beyond what we expected,鈥� Kuvish says. 鈥淧eople care about the event and donated out of pure love, which we really appreciated. It really shows how much they value the OAP experience.鈥�
A remote but eventful Fall
OAP is slated to go ahead remotely to kick off the Fall semester. And Kuvish wants to reassure students joining or returning to 91社区 in September that the entire student body is working to make sure extracurricular events like these continue.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all doing our best to provide that 91社区 experience. We cherish what we鈥檝e experienced ourselves and want to offer other students the same. Events may be modified鈥攂ut they will happen.鈥�
