SASKATOON -- The University of Saskatchewan will return to its hybrid model of classes for the upcoming winter semester, according to president and vice-chancellor Peter Stoicheff.
He said there will be a few more courses and programs that are face to face, but a "minimal adjustment" will be made from the remote-learning that took place in the 2020 fall semester.
Stoicheff said by May the U of S will reevaluate what courses could look like for the fall of 2021.
“We have to make sure that we're aligning with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and many other public health strategies policies and protocols,” he said. “We don't know yet, but we anticipate that we'll know later in the spring, when, in particular, we have a much clearer idea of what's happening with the vaccine.”
Stoicheff said he anticipates the spring and summer sessions will look similar to the winter semester.
Having courses online during the pandemic has made the U of S realize that "remote delivery can be very good," and can allow them to "reach far more people who aspire to be students," Stoicheff said.
“We're beginning now to think very seriously about what all of that would look like, how we can extend our reach through the province and through the country and globally,” he said.
“I would be surprised if most universities were not starting to think about that too, so it will be a globally competitive environment. But there are many ways in which the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan itself can stand out for people around the world, and so we're going to capitalize on and identify what those things are.”
