The past year has been a struggle for all, including the adult education sector.
ElderCollege – an entirely volunteer-run adult education program for students aged 55 and older – has just completed its first term where all courses and lectures were delivered virtually over the Internet using Zoom software. This was a steep learning curve for everyone involved. Despite a few false starts and the odd hiccup as staff transitioned all courses to an online format, the overall reception of the new format has been positive.
“The feedback received from our members has been very encouraging,” said ElederCollege spokesperson, Solweig Williams. “There were things we could have done better and we have taken that to heart, hoping it will be reflected in our winter 2021 offerings.
“We have greatly expanded the number of courses on offer and in many cases have significantly increased the maximum class size of courses carried over from the fall. None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic co-operation of our course leaders. They have embraced the challenge of teaching in the virtual classroom, even when, in many cases, they had never done so before.”
ElderCollege will continue with its virtual format for the winter 2021 term, with a plan to return to using physical classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We encourage those aged 55+ to log on to our website to see what is being offered in the winter term,” said Williams.
Visit nic.bc.ca/eldercollege-cv for more information. Registration starts the week of Jan. 18.
