Paige Desmond
There’s no denying the benefits of technology.
Where classrooms might have typically employed projectors and other forgotten gadgets, the use of computers in schools is now the norm.
And the Confederation College campus here is no exception.
The college employs two-way video, which allows instructors to be in one place and students in another, as well as Centra—a computer teaching system which also allows instructors and students to interact from different locations.
“It allows us to offer a greater variety of programs, with fewer students required in each campus,” explained campus director and instructor Anne Renaud.
“The instructors are able to show PowerPoints, web pages, computer programs such as Excel or Word, divide the students up in groups, have a whiteboard,” she noted. “Students can put their hand up, ask a question in text chat, etc.
“It’s very interactive.”
Renaud said the only difference from a “traditional” class is that you don’t see the instructor or the students at the other sites.
The college has been using this technology for about four years to teach everything from English and math to biology and social service work.
Fort Frances resident Nathan Bedard is in his first year of the Social Service Worker program. His Centra classes include Families and Parenting, and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
For him, the advantages of the technology are many. “The benefits of using Centra is that you do not have to travel outside of your home in order to learn new things,” he enthused.
He credited the innovation for its reach, enabling students better access to the classes they need.
“It is nice that this is being offered because for some people travelling to college is very difficult,” he noted. “Some people have children and their own families to watch for and financial struggles, or just [need] the comfort of being in [their] hometown.”
“Benefits include the possibility of studying in your own community, with the supports of home, both financial and otherwise,” agreed Renaud.
Pre-Health Sciences student Theresia Bedard is reaping the benefits of Centra courses.
“Some of the benefits are that I am able to stay in town while I figure out what I want to do for a career,” she remarked. “It is easier for me to save my money and have the support I need from home.
“I am able to take many different courses at home, which is really nice,” she added. “I can still see my friends and family.”
Still, Nathan Bedard also admitted there can be challenges to this type of teaching, particularly when it comes to the technology itself. Bad connections can cause complications when using Centra.
To Renaud, the drawbacks are different.
“Challenges include getting used to this mode of learning, depending on the type of learner,” she explained. “It sometimes is more difficult not having an instructor in the room. Some people talk or allow other things to distract them.”
Theresia Bedard said the adjustment to Centra has been a little more difficult.
“The experience was kind of difficult at first because I just came out of high school,” she noted. “Learning just by ear was difficult because I was used to having someone write things on the board and being able to see them.”
Nathan Bedard agreed there are some key differences between using Centra and attending traditional face-to-face classes. He said the biggest difference is the lack of interaction—or the different mode of interaction—between instructor and student.
“You get to hear from so many different people, but at the same time you don’t really know them,” he remarked. “Also, because the teacher is not in front of you and is replaced by a screen, it is much harder to interact or even stay focused for that matter.”
But despite its challenges, Bedard said the experience is an enjoyable one which makes it easier to connect outside of the community.
“You can connect with people from other places outside of Fort Frances and see what their views are on certain things,” he explained. “It kind of gives you the feeling that we do live in a small world because to find out that the views of people from further out really are not as different from your own.”
Indeed, the key to the use of Centra is the connections it allows. The technology means classes, which otherwise would be unable to run due to low enrolment, are taught—giving district students the advantage of taking courses as they need them.
And for isolated locations such as Fort Frances, it means residents are not losing out on opportunities to learn.
