ASET CEO Barry Cavanaugh. (Photo provided by ASET)

By Justin Goulet

Engineering tech programs adapting to COVID changes at Alberta’s colleges, including Lethbridge

Dec 11, 2020 | 8:25 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift on how classes are taught at every educational level, including post-secondary.

For schools whose education of engineering technology students usually relies on hands-on courses, the pandemic has forced a change in how programs are delivered.

Engineering technology is, in most cases, three years of learning compressed into a two-year program at any four of Alberta’s technology institutes and colleges: Lethbridge College, NAIT, SAIT and Red Deer College.

The Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) says Lethbridge College was ahead of the curve when it comes to COVID-19 preparedness, due in part to its mandatory laptop requirement for students in all engineering technology programs.

Those programs are civil engineering technology, engineering design technology, and geomatics engineering technology. Students had to purchase laptops from the college that are equipped with the latest software needed for their courses, which ASET says has made the transition to online learning much easier.

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All theory classes moved to the video conferencing platform ZOOM, which helped students join their classes from wherever they were located, whether it be in Lethbridge or outside of the city.

Online classes were filmed so students could review any notes once the day was completed.

HANDS-ON COURSES

For classes that involved more hands-on work, like labs, the fall schedule was adjusted so that all on-campus courses happened on the same day for the same group of students.

Face masks and social distancing were mandatory and students not able to come to campus were able to defer their experiential learning to a later term.

Cameras installed in classrooms at Lethbridge College allowed for the filming of close-ups, various angles and details of equipment in labs so students could clearly see the technical resources necessary for different engineering technology applications.

Faculty liaison contacts were also established so students could ask for help with any aspect of their college experience.

“The goal has been to create an as real as possible classroom experience for students without them actually gathering in the classroom,” said Edith Olson in an ASET-issued release.

Olson is the chair of the school of engineering technologies at Lethbridge College.

NEW YEAR

In the new year, the college will offer some classes with the required face masks and social distancing, but most theory and lab classes will continue online.

ASET noted that in the case of some labs, only subsets of students will join an instructor in the lab and take part in the exercise while the remainder of the class participates via ZOOM.

“It’s no surprise to ASET that Alberta technology institutes and colleges like Lethbridge College have applied the innovation that is the hallmark of the engineering technology profession to finding safe and effective ways to continue that education for students in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis,” stated ASET CEO Barry Cavanaugh, in the release.

ASET is the professional self-regulatory organization for engineering technologists and technicians in Alberta. ASET currently represents over 16,000 members, including full-time technology students, recent graduates and fully certified members in 21 disciplines and more than 120 occupations across various industries.