U of C student says her fall semester was sullied by bad communication and constant changes

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.