Long road to recovery for students and teachers returning to campus in Lethbridge

When the University of Lethbridge announced the shutdown of campuses in early 2020, professors and students were anxious, left with only days to figure out how to carry on with courses in an online format. 

This fall, many colleges and universities have decided to have fully in-person courses.

The University of Lethbridge faculty say they are struggling to bring students back to campus and the engagement is low. 

"We were exhausted, some of us are still exhausted," chemistry instructor Susan Findlay said. 

She said faculty members were working more than 80 hours a week at times. 

"I temporarily lost my vision for a few hours because of how much screen time I had had. That was really wicked scary."

Findlay had her first migraine during online teaching. She says she is still recovering from health implications of a burnout.

Findlay said students coming in for labs lack practical skills and many lack confidence. 

Business instructor Michael Madore said making the switch from online instruction to in-person is proving difficult.

"In online classes, some of  them [students] told me they enjoyed it because they can roll into their beds five minutes into the class," he said.

Madore said the college has accommodations for students in need, but it's hard to engage other students and promote experiential learning. 

Some students struggled in isolation. Some are returning with newly developed social anxiety. 

"My grades were better than being in-person, because I studied more and the pressure wasn't too much — you study at your own pace," said fifth-year business student Ayomide Adejumo. 

She said returning in-person was stressful.