remote learning
Student has life-altering epiphany in the complete silence of a Zoom breakout group
September 13, 2020Quarantine 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 . . . “Where have…
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SFU announces plans for partial opening in Spring 2021
September 5, 2020SFU’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 for courses that require “research and…
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Zoom pets are the best pets
August 2, 2020I’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 do like rocks though. They’re…
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It’s time that we rethink the necessity of exams in classrooms
July 18, 2020SFU 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 to student stress about…
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What Grinds Our Gears: I need more respect from my intrusive family
July 12, 2020I 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 lifesaving for university. I…
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Just because we can’t see our professors, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hear from them
June 21, 2020If 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 able to run smoothly…
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Students don’t have time for extra assigned readings
June 20, 2020While 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 of which require the…
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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. Ever since classes scrambled to put their materials online, students have been attending courses via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Zoom, or other video conferencing software.…
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Proctor software is more risk than benefit for students
June 6, 2020Students 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 that they could drop…
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New students are going to miss out on a lot of moments that make first year memorable
May 31, 2020Do 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 all that, there were…
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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.
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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.
For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]