The Teaching and Learning Innovation Digest - May 2023

Percentage of in-person modality by school (International)
The proportion of in-person at SOA is much higher than other schools, and
after 2021, only a small number of international students chose the pure inperson
modality (except for SOA students).
Clearly, there has been and will remain a preference for online and hybrid learning as alternatives
to mainstream in-person classroom delivery. However, studies yielding evidence-based planning for
strategic changes that minimize disruption to in-person teaching, learning, or hands-on training, will
only surface in time (Mundy and Gallagher-Mackay 2022, Roth et al., 2023). Despite the decrease
in fieldwork or clinical exposures and massive shifts to online modalities, many studies point to a
perceived increase in skills (virtual teaching, support, consult, customer care, ex. telemedicine),
flexibility, and student-centred care.
As seen around the globe and at our own institution, there is a growing appetite for flexible learning
models from learners and instructors alike, and this reality is here to stay. Models that can tap into
increased access, engagement, collaboration, and nurturing of communities can meaningfully support
and celebrate student learning experiences in a variety of learning spaces. The pandemic will become
a thing of the past, yet, ironically, human efforts to return to the ‘new normal’, aka pre-pandemic
teaching and learning methods, will also prevail. As educators, we must consciously consider newer
alternatives that incorporate successful innovations and be willing to experiment and improvise by
welcoming all stakeholders to such dialogue.
References
Modality charts and analyses provided by Centennial College’s Data Analytics and Research Office
(DARO).
Percentage of online modality by school (International)
Most of TBS and SHTCA students chose pure online modality from Fall 2020
to Summer 2021. The proportion of pure online has dropped significantly
since 2022.
2022 Students and Technology Report: Rebalancing the Student Experience. (n.d.). www.educause.
edu. https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/2022/students-and-technologyreport-rebalancing-the-student-experience/introduction-and-key-findings
Canadian higher education post-pandemic. (n.d.). Feedbackfruits.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023,
from https://feedbackfruits.com/blog/canadian-higher-education-post-pandemic-investing-in-aquality-inclusive-and-flexible-education#the-top-trends-that-drive-canadian-higher-education
Johnson, N., and Seaman, J. (n.d.). Tracking the Impacts of the Pandemic on Digital Learning
in Ontario. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/
uploads/2022/04/2021-CDLRA-Ontario-Report-March-2022.pdf
Marcus, J. (2022, October 6). With Online Learning, “Let’s Take a Breath and See What Worked and
Didn’t Work.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/education/learning/
online-learning-higher-education.html
‌Mundy, D. K., and Gallagher-Mackay, D. K. (2021, May 12). Learning Our Way Out of the Pandemic.
EdCan Network. https://www.edcan.ca/articles/learning-our-way-out-of-the-pandemic/
Roth, L. T., Mogilner, L., Talib, H., Silver, E. J., and Friedman, S. (2023). Where Do We Go from
here? Post-pandemic Planning and the Future of Graduate Medical Education. Medical Science
Educator. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01737-8
‌Ontario Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Ontario First-year Postsecondary
Students in 2020–21 – Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. (n.d.). https://heqco.ca/pub/
ontario-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-experiences-of-ontario-first-year-postsecondarystudents-in-2020-21/
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