Lethbridge College. (Supplied by Lethbridge College)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge College students share priorities for studies during pandemic

Sep 3, 2020 | 11:22 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge College is taking action to ensure students are able to learn effectively and safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back in mid-March, classes shifted exclusively to online delivery in response to the global health crisis.

At the end of the school year, students were surveyed on what went well and what needed to be improved, with questions spanning their ability to learn, relationships with faculty and classmates, and mental and physical health, among other topics.

899 students completed the survey with their main priorities boiling down to four key areas: academic success, engagement and interaction, motivation, and health and wellbeing.

“Our students showed tremendous resilience to finish last year strongly given the drastic and sudden change to their educational delivery,” says President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns. “Now moving into the new semester, we have really taken a holistic look at our classes and services to ensure we are doing everything we can to set our students up for success.”

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In response, Lethbridge College has taken the following actions:

• New prep courses for students
• Extra communications to students over the summer from college leadership, their deans, Student Affairs, and others
• The creation of a faculty liaison – an instructor from each program who becomes a go-to resource for any questions or concerns
• Investing in a resource to help instructors support student motivation
• Enhanced Career and Academic Advising services for students who want to explore options for their program
• Planning an online database to connect students with opportunities for extracurricular, volunteer, networking, or work-related unpaid experiences
• Crisis help, counselling, and a student support specialist
• Development of online training on reliance and mental health

Some trades programs started classes this week, but the majority of programs kick off Tuesday, September 9.

More details from the college’s student survey can be found in the images below.

From the college’s COVID-19 student survey. (Supplied by Lethbridge College)

From the college’s COVID-19 student survey. (Supplied by Lethbridge College)

From the college’s COVID-19 student survey. (Supplied by Lethbridge College)