Special Board meeting about impact of COVID-19
On Monday, March 30, the Board of Governors held a special meeting to address one topic: the College’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of the meeting was to pass a motion to allow the Director General and Academic Dean to make timely decisions in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The Ministry of Education is issuing new guidelines as the emergency evolves,” Director General Richard Filion said in remarks during the meeting. “We are not near the end of the crisis and we need the flexibility to act quickly.”
Motion
It was moved, and adopted that:
“That the Academic Dean may set academic orientations that adapt the provisions of the Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement and other academic policies and procedures to the context of the health crisis associated with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, while attempting to respect the spirit and intent of the provisions that cannot be strictly followed;
“That the Director General may set operational orientations that adapt the provisions of College by-laws, policies and procedures to the context of the health crisis associated with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, while attempting to respect the spirit and intent of the provisions that cannot be strictly followed; and
“That any significant exceptions made by the Academic Dean and/or the Director General as per above will be presented to the Board of Governors at a subsequent meeting.”
Here is some of the context outlined in the motion:
- the College needs to respect the ministerial directive requiring the College to complete the Winter 2020 semester;
- the Board wishes to do all it can to support students’ academic progress in these exceptional circumstances;
- the Board recognizes the challenges this poses for College operations and for respecting academic policies and procedures as well as course outlines;
- the Board wishes to ensure timely decisions can be taken for College operations and courses to proceed in an orderly fashion.
Only for COVID-19 period
The Chair of the Board of Governors, Michael Goldwax, made it clear that the special authority vested in the Director General and the Academic Dean is only for the period of the COVID-19 emergency. The Board will be kept abreast of important, temporary changes made to the College’s policies and by-laws.
“It is unlikely that we will get back to normal operations by May 1. This motion will give us the capacity to react to new information with agility.” said Richard Filion.”
Challenges facing Faculty
The Academic Dean, Diane Gauvin, reported on the challenges facing the College as it rapidly shifts as much instruction as possible online. For most of the pedagogical innovations that have been introduced in recent years, the College has favoured a faculty-driven, voluntary approach. What is happening now is sudden and affects the entire college. “Our intention was not, and is not, to transform Dawson into an online campus. But here we are.”
She explained to the Board that the IST department has tried to ensure that all teachers have the necessary computer equipment, but some faculty members may have a poor internet connection and family responsibilities that are not conducive to teaching. To assist faculty members in making the transition to online teaching, the Faculty Hub is providing extensive pedagogical support through webinars, teaching resources and peer mentoring.
Unprecedented situation
The College is also working to provide computer equipment to students, but resources are limited. Given the unprecedented situation created by the pandemic, some students are anxious and uncertain about their ability to continue their studies this semester.
Diane informed the Board that the Minister has approved an easing of the application of some of the articles of the College Education Regulations to address this exceptional teaching and learning environment.
These changes will permit Dawson to do the following:
- The College is allowed to shorten the semester but, for now, it intends to maintain an 82-day semester to not add more pressure on students and teachers.
- Teachers may modify course outlines to allow the deployment of alternative teaching methods and ways in which to calculate contact hours with students.
- In exceptional circumstances, when it is not possible to assess the level of attainment of a competency, the College may resort to a pass/fail grading system instead of using a numerical grade.
- The College will act with flexibility and understanding when granting authorized absences to students who do not feel able to complete their studies this semester.
Program competencies covered
Diane emphasized that, despite this exceptional situation, the College will ensure that all program competencies are covered and that appropriate measures are taken to preserve academic integrity in the online environment.
“We have received excellent collaboration from teachers, and every step of the way we are consulting with the Dawson Teachers’ Union” she concluded.
Student Services update
Monique Magnan, Director of Student Services, also gave an update: “We are working to set up online access for most services, such as counselling, AccessAbility and Health Services.
“The library has many resources available online now and the librarians are working very hard to make more e-books available. Video streaming has also been arranged. The librarians are available to support students by appointment.
“Following the shutdown of the college on March 13, students were not allowed access to their lockers to retrieve academic materials. Beginning on Saturday, we started to allow students access to their lockers and about 150 took advantage of the opportunity,” Monique reported.
Mandated to continue classes
“We have been mandated to continue offering classes online and the students need access to their textbooks,” the Director General explained to Dawson Communications. “Getting textbooks to finish the semester is essential for our students, particularly for students who don’t have the option of using an online textbook.”
