It’s back to the classroom for most Queen students this week.
In-person classes started on Monday, and according to the university, the vast majority — some thousands of students — have returned to in-person learning.
“I know for a lot of people it was a real struggle to try and keep focus and keep on top of things with everything being online, especially assignments,” said first-year student Alexandera Morrin.
“I think we are all happy to be back in person.”
On Dec. 16, classes were moved to remote delivery. The decision to halt in-person classes was made after hundreds of COVID-19 cases were linked to the university. Between late November and mid-December, there were around 500 positive cases linked to Queen’s.
When the school announced that in-person classes would be resuming at the end of February, it warned students that most didn’t have the option of continuing online.
“The majority of classes that are scheduled to return to in-person delivery in February do not have hybrid delivery options,” the University said in a statement.
“Students currently enrolled in courses that are scheduled to transition to on-campus delivery will need to access those courses in-person. Students in the Faculty of Arts and Science who can’t travel back to campus for the remainder of winter term are encouraged to explore their options for online/ remote classes.”
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Students who have returned to in-person learning have mixed reactions to the change.
“I think there isn’t a big concern but I can definitely understand why people might not be so excited to be fully back in person,” said first-year student Harry Michell.
“No, I’m not worried about it,” said Helly Jin, a second-year student. “I feel like Queen’s did a good job in this kind of situation.”
Morrin said the university had “consistent messaging” so students were aware of what was happening and when. “The professors were a little inconsistent in what they wanted, but otherwise, I think it was a good transition.”
Students are still required to be vaccinated and the school has updated requirements for Level 2 medical-grade masks on-campus. Students are also expected to stay home if ill or if they have symptoms of COVID-19.
If a student needs to miss an academic requirement because they are feeling ill or need to self-isolate, the University says academic consideration will automatically be granted.
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