An All New Learning Experience, For Everyone
Date Posted: Aug 13, 2020
Like all CBU faculty, Microbiology lab instructor, Lyndsay Best, has been working hard to provide interesting and engaging ways to reach students from anywhere in the world this fall. “I have been at CBU for just about a year now and I’m so excited to share my creativity with students in September,” shares Lyndsay. “I can’t wait to deliver my lab in a fun and interactive way to my students!”
This past summer, Lyndsay participated in the University Teaching Program, offered by the Centre for Teaching and Learning. “I found it to be incredibly valuable for preparing faculty to teach online in the fall, as well as gathering our ideas and learning from each other,” says Lyndsay. “It was an amazing opportunity to have support when learning about the technology, how we’ll have to adapt our teaching and how to build a community with our students in an online setting.”
Leading up to the fall semester, Lyndsay is adapting her lab content to a universal design to make it easier to follow. She chose to include newly developed lab simulation software so that her students could still experience the feeling of a real hands-on lab experience. “I believe our students will be very impressed with the efforts made by both the faculty and the university to give them the best online learning experience possible,” adds Lyndsay. “I am excited to bring my lab to students and build a community with them from the safety and comfort of their own home.”
Lyndsay wants students who are nervous about the online fall semester to remember that there is always an adjustment period with change, and that it will eventually feel comfortable again. “We are all in this together, as faculty and students are experiencing the same change and emotions, so we will have to be flexible and supportive of one another,” explains Lyndsay. “An added bonus to keep in mind is that online learning gives students the flexibility to learn at their own pace, catch up with ease or even juggle other aspects of their life with added simplicity!”
