U of C student says her fall semester was sullied by bad communication and constant changes
CBC
A University of Calgary student says the fall semester has been nothing like what she thought or was promised last summer. Now, it has her worried about what to expect in January.
Like most U of C students, Kirsten Young was upset when all her classes moved online in late August, just days after she moved into residence, but she rolled with the punches.
"I was very disappointed, especially because I had moved before all that, and I did actually take a gap year the year before in order to hopefully ensure that I have at least one or two in-person classes," she said.
Young said one of her courses even went from being in-person to asynchronous — meaning classes are delivered as pre-recorded videos.
"Which I think personally is kind of a joke because we are paying thousands of dollars for these courses. And I have yet to see or hear my teachers or professors speak even over Zoom call because all they do is recorded lectures," she said.
In a statement, the university said asynchronous delivery enables students to review the lecture at a time and pace that suits them.
"This is a helpful option for students living in different time zones," read the statement. "In this learning model, students do have the opportunity to form study groups and interact with professors, instructors and teaching assistants during office hours and can ask questions through email."
The institution said prior to the spring of 2020, and the onset of the pandemic, University of Calgary did not ask faculties to document synchronous versus asynchronous course delivery.
"While we know asynchronous learning options have been offered for some time, we cannot accurately say for how long."
In October, halfway through the semester, Young and other students were dealt another blow when U of C took away their transit UPass.
"That's my only mode of transportation here. For me to get a student pass is only, I think, like $200 or $250 a semester versus for me to pay every trip, which is typically about $7 a day," she said.
The university said in order to be eligible for UPass, students must be registered full-time and have at least one class on campus.
"The UPass had already been issued electronically when many students were switched to online learning at the end of August 2021," said the university. "Students that were affected were only those who no longer had any in-person classes. Their UPass was marked for removal and the associated fee was removed from their student account."
It said impacted students were notified of the change by email, but Young said she was blindsided.
A suspended Moncton structural engineer faces more lawsuits alleging design flaws in buildings that require repair.
Sajjade Tugano has come a long way since he first set foot in Chibougamau, six hours north of Quebec City, in the depths of winter in November 2021.
A national mentor-based hockey organization that helps marginalized youth through the sport is paying tribute to one of its members and youngest coaches.
After months of asking the City of Saskatoon to do more to solve its homelessness crisis, advocate David Fineday took to the stand at city council Tuesday.
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Some Prince County residents are walking away with more answers after attending Tuesday night's public information session in Albany, P.E.I., on the Wejipek Wind Project.
After just a few months of using vape detectors in a couple of bathrooms, a B.C. high school principal says it's reduced vape use in those areas to basically zero.
Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race
A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.
Anold Mulaisho was born intersex and wonders where they fit in, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order for the United States to recognize only two sexes, male and female.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Subway service is down on Line 1 between Sheppard West and Lawrence West due to a broken power rail, the TTC said Wednesday morning.
A long-term care home in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood has cleared one more hurdle to add desperately needed beds to its property, a move that's been praised by housing advocates but opposed by locals concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood.
A Charlottetown resident is calling on the P.E.I. government to do more to protect homeowners after reading about a recent oil spill very similar to one on his Montague property 20 years ago, which he says ruined him financially.
WARNING: This story includes details of abuse.
Two years after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared she was taking the unprecedented step of moving to confiscate millions of dollars from a sanctioned Russian oligarch with assets in Canada, the government has not actually begun the court process to forfeit the money, let alone to hand it over to Ukrainian reconstruction — and it may never happen.
Alberta business and oilpatch leaders are returning home from Washington this week after the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities — and gritting their teeth after a roller-coaster of emotions.
Youth workers in Toronto's Jane and Finch area are flipping the script on negative stereotypes about their communities with a new fundraising campaign that offers anti-bias training in exchange for donations to bolster their programming.
In a sudden move that came late Tuesday evening, city officials rolled out cots and temporarily opened a warm building in east London as frigid temperatures continued.