By Taylor Johnston, Contributor
We are currently within one of the greatest eras for technology. Many jobs are becoming automated, there are online-only industries and our cell phones are so multiuse that they can act as a small computer. The appeal of online education and the concept of going “paperless” has been rising based on its flexibility and cheaper costs. Some universities are even introducing online degrees. However, is it all as amazing as it seems?
There are two types of online education: self-paced and structured. Self-paced gives all the course content to the student at once, but it must be completed within a certain number of months. Therefore, the student can work as quickly or leisurely as they like. There are ministry high school programs such as those taken through the Independent Learning Centre that have adopted this self-paced format and have been proven to be very efficient, which has been attributed to allowing students can learn at their own pace.
While structured education is also a common method of online teaching, it can also present more flaws. A structured online course attempts to mimic in-class courses by giving students access to content material on a week by week basis. While some students may like structured learning to help them stay on track of class, it can also be less beneficial for many students, as it doesn’t give the student the freedom of learning at their own pace. As a result, structured learning can add stress for students who like to learn at a different pace than the one that the course is providing.
Many Ontario universities offer select elective courses in the online-structured format, which hold many attractive qualities in terms of flexibility and the opportunity for another in-class course to be added to a student's schedule. However, do the pros of online education outweigh the cons?
One apparent difference between online education and in-person education is the amount of interaction you have with your instructors. This may have you thinking, “In non-online classes I am just one student in a lecture hall with hundreds of others, and there is not that much opportunity for a one-on-one relationship anyways. Wouldn’t online courses be the same?” However, even the experience of going to lectures holds an added level of value as you get to hear the “in the moment” thoughts and opinions of your professor that are otherwise non-existent in most online courses and degrees.
One apparent difference between online education and in-person education is the amount of interaction you have with your instructors.
Furthermore, in-person education usually gives more opportunities for office hours where students’ questions can be asked and answered. The main method of communication for students that want to talk to professors and teaching assistants throughout an online course is strictly email, where communication can often be misunderstood and unclear compared to in-person conversations. Although some people may find office hours to be a waste of time, other students find them very beneficial to their education and learning and unfortunately, you cannot get that from online education.
The main method of communication for students that want to talk to professors and teaching assistants throughout an online course is strictly email, where communication can often be misunderstood and unclear compared to in-person conversations.
Online education provides the opportunity to access education regardless of how far away you live from university. However, the benefits of in-person schooling still outweighs the online system due to the added benefits of being able to physically interact with your professors. With in-person courses, you are able to talk to classmates and meet others, which can be a huge benefit to your learning. Still, it is important to recognize that as students, we can still reap the benefits of online education as it provides a bridge for those who are unable to physically attend lectures.
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By: Mohamed Mahmoud
As a student who is currently living off campus, I can confidently say that McMaster feels more like home to me than any other campus could have. Like most students from Mississauga, of the first places I considered applying to was the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus. But as soon as I took the campus tour, I knew there was no way I could make it my second home.
McMaster was not like that for me. Aside from the fact that I needed a reputable school for engineering, one of the main reasons McMaster was one of my top choices was because of the student sense of community that Mac comes with.
Yes, there are many universities in Ontario that are visibly and reputably surrounded by million-dollar homes and expensive cars that are centered with the hustle and bustle of a downtown city center. There are larger campuses and better parties, but there is a more important priority for first years.
When I was an incoming first year, I knew that the environment that what would soon become my second home is surrounded would need to be welcoming. McMaster in collaboration with the Westdale community certainly provides me with a sense of inclusion, and I believe that this is something that is unique to McMaster.
As someone who has both commuted on the GO bus and lived off campus, I can certainly vouch that living so close campus is a luxury. It allows for me to get to know students more closely with time being more of a flexibility (even though 30 hours a week of school is hardly a luxury for engineering kids), my full-time commitment seemed like less of a hassle.
I also had the opportunity to visit local coffee shops and had a chance to admire the character that downtown Hamilton buildings have in comparison to the ones in Mississauga.
As someone who has both commuted on the GO bus and lived off campus, I can certainly vouch that living so close campus is a luxury.student sense of community that Mac comes with.
With the reputation of Hamilton being viewed as a “ghetto” area, and in light of the recent break-in reports on the Spotted at Mac Facebook page, there have been mixed feelings about whether or not living off campus is such a great idea. This is understandable. However, these reporting have presented something great about the Mac community that not all universities have.
With so many students living off campus in the Westdale area, these reports have prompted an increase in police presence around the campus and a great support with student stake outs and communal protection. With the security on campus and the increased security off campus as well as groups like the Students Walk Home Attendent Team, students can begin to feel more reassured of their safety both on campus and off campus.
Hamilton may be seen as a second-class city next to Mississauga or Toronto, but it opens doors for a friendlier environment for students to grow, live among their peers and experience a sense of community beyond McMaster’s borders.
In addition, paying my own rent and struggling to make time to go grocery shopping in order to stop spending on food has taught me many valuable life lessons. In struggling to cook my own meals without my mom and feeling broke every time I check my bank account, I can now say that I understand what “adulting” is.
When choosing which schools to apply to, my guidance counsellor told me to seek out the campus that is the smallest and balance that with the reputation of the program I was going into. At first, I did not understand why this was important, and sought out the school with the largest campus with the classiest city life. But as my first round of university midterms came along, I began to understand why community and a sense of inclusion is so important for students.
As students, there is no doubt that we are susceptible to the feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression, and trust me, Thode does not help.
Though there are people to reach out to and share your feelings with at ever university, sometimes that’s not what you need to “fix things”. In some cases, simply having a sense of belonging is just enough to do the trick.
Although we don’t have the University of Toronto name and our buildings are not extravagant, we have something that is more genuine and definitely more important to graduate with.
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As of March 10, the McMaster Students Union has elected their new Student Representative Assembly for the 2017-2018 term. Although the SRA serves as the main legislative body within the MSU, 10 of the 31 seats available were acclaimed. This contrasts last year’s SRA race, where nearly all caucuses saw a race, save for nursing.
Although a peculiarity, such a phenomenon is seen on other university campuses and indicates a decline in interest in student politics overall in Ontario. Common threads throughout many Ontario campuses include low voter turnout, low attendance at general assemblies and low student engagement with student politics.
Different universities have different structures of government, making exact comparisons difficult. But of the many universities in Ontario, a notable few have had a paltry number of candidates, despite the size of the school.
University of Waterloo Undergraduate population: 31,380
The University of Waterloo’s student union, or the Federation of Students, had over half of the seats on their council acclaimed, with 16 of the 25 possible seats with only one contender. These positions are mainly their faculty councillors. Entire caucuses, such as the math caucus and science caucus, faced no opposition. In addition, much of their senate was acclaimed, with two of the three senate member listed facing no opposition.
Wilfrid Laurier University Undergraduate population: 19,000
The Wilfrid Laurier University Students Union uses multiple bodies to make up their governance, with a president, board of directors, senate and board of governors. Of the five seats open on their senate, three seats were acclaimed.
Brock University Undergraduate population: 18,000
Brock University Students Union includes a faculty council and a board of directors, the latter being voted in on one or two year terms. In their February executive election, where their president, vice president and board chairs are elected, one of the board chairs faced no opposition. It should be noted that the board chair is not a paid position in the BUSU.
University of Guelph Undergraduate population: 18,697
The Central Student Association runs at-large elections for all of their executive positions, which include president, vice presidents and representatives from different seven faculties. In the CSA’s last election, six of the eight faculty representatives elected had their seats acclaimed.
Carleton University Undergraduate population: 20,471
Carleton University Students Association holds an annual at-large election for both the council and board of directors who make up their governing bodies. In their February election, six of the 24 available councillor seats were acclaimed.
Western University Undergraduate population: 23, 500
The Western University Student Council has a complex structure due to its affiliate colleges, such as Huron and Brescia, which have their own elections separately. The Western USC’s voting members include the presidents of their affiliate colleges’ councils and faculty councils. Huron College’s presidential elections happened with little fanfare, as there was only one contender. There is currently a vacancy in their dentistry council.
Although many Ontario universities struggle with garnering interest in student politics, other schools thrive. The York Federation of Students, the University of Toronto Students Union and the Ryerson Students Union all have contentious elections, with upwards of 10 candidates for each position.
Despite the lack of races this year, MSU elections have maintained the highest voter turnout in Ontario. Although this year’s SRA raises questions concerning student engagement in union politics, such a phenomenon is not exclusive to our campus, nor is it impossible to come back from.
