The massive shift to online course delivery this year has exposed the tip of an iceberg. Now and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, every Arts discipline requires access to some sort of highly specialized technology. That’s why we’re building the Arts Equipment and Technology Fund.
Students in social sciences need expensive software to access data and perform complex statistical analyses. Students in Fine Arts, Digital Arts Communication, English and Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) need digital-design tools to complete assignments and build their portfolios. They also need cameras, sound equipment and special lighting gear to shoot videos, record podcasts, and produce the dozens of other digital projects they’ve come to UWaterloo specifically to master.
Before the pandemic, Arts provided access to these resources through a combination of on-campus computer labs and equipment-lending programs. But now, students studying remotely don’t have access to either. And while a very few might be able to afford their own equipment, our job is to provide equitable access to all students.
One of the things that sets a Waterloo Arts student apart is that they graduate with in-depth knowledge of the digital tools used in the real world, so it’s critical that we provide access to these tools for all students - Robert Park, Associate Dean, Co-operative Education and Planning
At the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, home of our GBDA program, Administrative Director Annaka Willemsen is tackling this challenge by transforming the school’s equipment-lending library into a tech-bundle delivery service. The goal is that every single student in the program’s second-year cohort will have the necessary equipment to do their work.
“It’s been a huge expense and logistics challenge,” admits Willemsen, “but one we simply had to meet. Our students come here specifically to gain hands-on experience with this type of equipment, and they couldn’t begin to complete their course requirements without it.”
On main campus, Robert Park, Associate Dean of Co-operative Education and Planning, is dealing with a similar challenge. He knew thousands of students were going to need access to specialized software that was too powerful and too expensive to run on their home equipment.
“One of the things that sets a Waterloo Arts student apart is that they graduate with in-depth knowledge of the digital tools used in the real world,” says Park. “So it’s critical we provide access to these tools for all students, even now when COVID restrictions have closed our on-campus labs and libraries.”
The solution Park and campus colleagues came up with was to purchase both software licenses and extensive off-campus server space. This way Waterloo can host cloud-based software that students can access with the equipment and internet connection they have at home.
These are just two examples of how we’re working to meet the new challenges our students are facing. “This pandemic may have thrown us a few unexpected curve balls,” says Park. “But we will always do whatever it takes to make sure our students have what they need to succeed.”
COVID-19 means a fundamental challenge to the learning environment in the Faculty of Arts. By developing innovative solutions to how courses will be prepared and delivered, current and future students will be well-prepared for our digitally-centred world. - Peter Woolstencroft, Professor Emeritus and donor to the Arts Equipment Fund
If you would like to join us in ensuring Arts students have access to vital technology and equipment, we invite you to make a contribution to the Arts Equipment and Technology Fund.
Image courtesy of the Stratford School.
