Aug. 19, 2021

Gionni Blas may have been in Brazil when his studio class began at Seneca@York Campus this summer, but the Broadcasting – Television student was right there in class — on screen and in real time — with his professor and classmates who were in class in Toronto.

“I could see the professor,” Mr. Blas said. “And I could interact with the other students. They could see me, too.”

Welcome to flexible learning — one of four program and course delivery options offered at Seneca this fall. The other three options are online (exclusive remote learning), hybrid (a mix of online and in person) and in person (all activities on campus).

If a course is in flexible format, students can choose to attend the class on campus in person or remotely online, with everyone having the same access to the recorded class at any time.

For Mr. Blas, flexible learning gave him the time he needed to get his study permit in Brazil ­— one of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic — without having to delay his studies.

“I wanted to use this time during the lockdown to study,” he said.

After arriving in Canada recently, Mr. Blas continued to join his class remotely while under quarantine.

“Once I got out of quarantine, I got vaccinated,” he said. “After that, I went to my first in-person class on campus. It was very different to be actually touching the equipment, but it helped a lot to already have the theory in place.”

As part of the Seneca Au Large objective to create the more virtual Seneca by having more programs and courses delivered in a flexible format, Information Technology Services (ITS) has been busy reconfiguring more than 100 classrooms at King, Newnham and Seneca@York campuses.

In addition to installing auto-tracking cameras that will follow professors when they move, ITS is providing a wireless microphone to each professor teaching in flexible format. Those teaching lab or studio courses will also get cameras set up on a mobile cart.

“For people who need or want to teach in this mode, it’s a popular option,” said Alvin Shum, ITS’s Director of Enterprise Service Delivery. “The pandemic has accelerated this initiative, and we are seeing the adaptation of flexible learning technology.”

To prepare faculty who will be teaching in the flexible format, Seneca’s Teaching & Learning Centre developed FunFlex (Fundamentals of HyFlex Course Design and Delivery). This session will help professors rethink traditional online and classroom-based learning that is engaging and meets Seneca’s Quality Framework. In July, about 170 faculty took part.

Brooke Jacobs, a professor in the School of Media, says flexible learning allowed him to switch from teaching students how to use learning software remotely — a pivot needed during the pandemic — to teaching them how to use actual equipment regardless of where they are.

With the help of ITS, Mr. Jacobs piloted the technology in his television studio class with a handful of students attending in person, two remotely from India and two from Brazil.

“It helped the students who couldn’t be here in person feel as though they were part of the class,” he said. “They were getting the same lecture and the same experience. The only thing missing was they couldn’t put their hands on the equipment.”

Scott Pugsley, a professor in the School of Fire Protection Engineering Technology, also worked with ITS to test the technology in his sprinkler lab at Newnham Campus.

One of the cameras he used has a 180-degree pan and tilt and a 30x optical zoom that captures distant objects with crystal clarity.

“I can walk through the space and talk about the tiniest details from 30 feet away,” Mr. Pugsley said. “Students can ask questions on the fly, and I can answer them live. I can go back to organic teaching with questions and answers that might be outside of the planned lesson.”

While those teaching and learning hands-on courses have a lot to gain from flexible learning, others with more theory-based courses are also welcoming the new delivery format with open arms.

Diep Le is a professor who will be teaching opticianry theory courses in the flexible format with the Faculty of Continuing Education & Training.

Mr. Le’s classes run in the evenings. Most of his students work full time with some having to drive, pre-pandemic, two to three hours to get to Newnham Campus.

“A lot of them used to come straight from work just to be in class by 7 p.m.,” he said. “Now that we are offering flexible learning, more students will opt to learn from home.”

Mr. Le explains that his students also took advantage of having their course materials uploaded online during the pandemic.

“Now, they are able to review the recorded sessions after class,” he said. “The level of energy and knowledge retention has increased noticeably compared to pre-pandemic in-person format.”