Classes return to MHC in virtual mode
By JEREMY APPEL on March 24, 2020.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel Monday marked the return of classes at Medicine Hat College after a week of uncertainty due to the coronavirus outbreak. Teachers are using various online methods, including Blackboard, YouTube and Skype to assist their students in finishing the semester. “As a community and a college, we’re taking a step that would have seemed incredible just two weeks ago,” said MHC president Kevin Shufflebotham in a video message. “Today we’re launching a new, almost-virtual Medicine Hat College. There are no students on campus, there are no faculty in classrooms, but learning and the quest for the future goes on.” Dennis Beaudoin, MHC’s dean of trades and technology, was hard at work alongside faculty and other administrators last week to ensure as smooth a transition to online learning as possible. “Our emergency response team has been planning, making sure that students have the ability to get online and have the technology at home, so that we could transition to an online format,” Beaudoin tells the News. Preparing faculty was another side of the equation, he says. “Another thing that’s keeping me busy is making sure that instructors are supported by our teams and helping them to get their instruction online, so that they can help the students,” Beaudoin said. He specifically credits the “incredible faculty,” as well as the IT and SITE teams, for getting courses up and running in such short order. “Our faculty is extremely dedicated to our students,” said Beaudoin. “They’ve been through the post-secondary sector, they know what marks and graduation mean. They’re looking for any way possible to get the objectives met for our students, so that they can assign the grades.” He says one major challenge over the past week was to ensure administration offered its full support to every faculty member, providing them with adequate resources to work from home and ensuring they know how to use the necessary software. “We can do this. We know it’s not going to be perfect, but we’ll get there. We’re here to support you,” is the mentality, Beaudoin said. “There’s been a few minor hiccups here and there, but for the most part we’re doing OK.” 14-13
