remote learning
Student has life-altering epiphany in the complete silence of a Zoom breakout group
September 13, 2020By: Zedd Strangelove, SFU Student Quarantine was in full swing, and due to my own poor choices, my classes were, too. The beginning of online lectures were rough enough with my HBO subscription providing me a 34-minute attention span. Three hour online lectures were the perfect time to binge-watch my remaining brain cells away. About halfway through an episode, I flip the window on my laptop back to the Zoom meeting. To my unpleasant surprise, there lay the face of my scowling professor staring at me. I then notice I’m the only person left in the main meeting. Uh oh…
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SFU announces plans for partial opening in Spring 2021
September 5, 2020Written by: Michelle Young, News Editor SFU’s Vice-President Academic and Provost pro tem Dr. Jonathan Driver announced on September 3 via email that the university anticipates the continuous use of remote instruction for the upcoming spring semester. Select in-person components…
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Zoom pets are the best pets
August 2, 2020By: Gurpreet Kambo, Peak associate I’m not an animal person. Yes, I know this makes me sound like a monster. I don’t like dogs. I don’t like cats. I don’t like furry things, or things jumping all over me. I…
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It’s time that we rethink the necessity of exams in classrooms
July 18, 2020By: Madeleine Chan, Staff Writer SFU recently announced that the final exam schedule for all classes will be released in October, rather than at enrollment. The change hopes to reduce course conflicts, back-to-back exams, and same-day exams. However, it also adds…
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What Grinds Our Gears: I need more respect from my intrusive family
July 12, 2020By: Alex Masse, SFU Student I have a very specific study ritual, one that works with my painfully neurodivergent brain: I move all my distractions, set up my phone to play 30 minutes of rain noises, and essentially hyperfocus. It’s been…
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Just because we can’t see our professors, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hear from them
June 21, 2020By: Devana Petrovic, Staff Writer If you’re currently taking courses, chances are that you’ve experienced some of the newfound struggles that accompany remote learning. In particular, I’m referring to failures in student-instructor communication. Effective communication is the only way courses are…
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Students don’t have time for extra assigned readings
June 20, 2020By: Michelle Young, Staff Writer While weekly readings are a valuable resource that provide context, perspectives, and research material to students, they are also very time-consuming. Professors sometimes neglect to acknowledge that students take multiple classes in a semester — all…
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Students shouldn’t have to sacrifice security for credits
June 14, 2020Update (15/06/2020): This article has been updated to clarify Zoom's encryption and law enforcement cooperation policies. By: Michelle Young, Staff Writer Ever since classes scrambled to put their materials online, students have been attending courses via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Zoom, or…
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Proctor software is more risk than benefit for students
June 6, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor Students in MATH 155 were shaken up recently when they received an email informing them that their remote exams would be monitored via proctor software. The news came with alarming suddenness, and although the email stipulated…
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New students are going to miss out on a lot of moments that make first year memorable
May 31, 2020By: Nathan Tok, Peak Associate Do you remember your first day of classes? I vaguely recall a whirlwind of back-to-back classes as advised by my seniors, getting swamped outside C9001, and losing my beloved laptop mouse. Rest in peace. But despite…
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