By Victoria Surla
The unfamiliarity of remote learning often has us feeling nostalgic for the old days. The days when our questions were not answered through video calls, but instead, face to face interaction and the help of our classmates was just an arm’s reach away. Waking up, shoving a bagel in our mouths, and heading to campus for our 8 a.m. lectures is something we once dreaded at times. Today, it is something we yearn for.
When Hannah Carriere originally took on a position teaching design research at George Brown College (GBC) one year ago, talking to her students through a laptop screen isn’t what she had imagined. As the battle against COVID-19 endures, however, it seems that online lectures and class break-out meetings have become our familiarized reality. Students are progressively learning to adapt to these remote environments as they dive further into the semester, and for their instructors, it has been a tenacious learning experience as well.
“It has really forced me to think about what’s most important to incorporate within a course, but more noticeably, how the learning opportunities happen and how this impacts the way I should be delivering content,” says Carriere, a graphic design instructor at GBC.
“I’ve tried to be very intentional in providing new and creative opportunities for students to connect and learn from each other. It doesn’t always happen as naturally [online] as it does when they’re sitting next to someone.”
Carriere, who was a student herself in the graphic design program at GBC just ten years ago, says she empathizes with students and the struggles associated with online learning. This is why she spends the extra time trying to construct interactive lesson plans each week for her students.
Using collaborative whiteboards such as Miro, she has found a way to offer students a visual connection to the physical space at GBC’s School of Design.
Hannah Carriere has taught graphic design at George Brown College for a little over a year.
“It’s also tied into feeling engaged – that magical feeling that happens when you’re connecting with the content, other learners, and interested, or excited. As an instructor, this is something I’m always trying to create the conditions for, or I’m iterating upon in some way.”
Online learning has also opened up the opportunity to invite award-winning guest designers from around the world to the virtual classroom. With guest speakers from the UK, Australia, USA, Singapore, lined up, Carriere says that this wouldn’t have happened pre-pandemic.
“Everyone I’ve told has been very excited!” she says.
Carriere believes it is crucial to provide students with a complex array of learning techniques in order to deliver a full educational experience. And sometimes that means referring back to the basics.
“The other day, I asked my students to draw on paper and take a picture of it. It feels good to touch paper when we’re on our computers all the time!”
She also expressed the importance of entering into each day with a positive and open mindset.
“As someone who already works outside of teaching as a strategic designer, I work with organizations to overcome sticky problems and rethink what is possible. I’m bringing this mindset and skills to the course by finding creative ways to ensure students are getting the same or even better quality in my class than last year.”
“It’s definitely requiring more of my time and thinking this year overall, but it’s a good learning opportunity as an instructor, and I get to play a small part in shaping the future of education.”
