How are professors adapting to Dalhousie’s shortened class schedule?

By: Isabel Duque and Olivia Nitti

Alan Doucette

By 6 a.m. on his first day back to work, Alan Doucette, a chemistry professor at Dalhousie University, had already sent a few dozen emails. 

Doucette and other members of the Dalhousie Faculty Association returned to work on Sept. 18, following nearly a month off the job after Dalhousie locked out almost 1,000 faculty on Aug. 20. 

Suspended classes resumed on Sept. 23 and will run until Dec. 10, leaving students with a 10-week fall term — approximately two weeks less than a standard fall or winter semester. 

For Doucette and other professors, this meant cutting parts of their courses, resulting in added pressure earlier in the year and mental strain for students.

“How are people already feeling the pressure of a semester that literally just started?” says Doucette. “I’ve developed severe heartburn, and I know that I have an ulcer. I’m physically making myself sick over the lockout, over the stress of what we had to deal with.” 

To fit his class curriculum to the shortened term, Doucette cut about 20 per cent of content, including a quiz and prep lab. Tests that students would typically take in class are now assigned as homework to cover as much course material as possible.

Doucette works as the acting supervisor for the chemistry research labs, most of which were forced to shut down during the lockout because there weren’t enough qualified supervisors on-site. 

The most significant effect on students, Doucette says, is the loss of time to get settled. The shortened schedule forces professors to jump straight into coursework on day one.

Doucette believes that students should still be able to finish the term with the knowledge they need to continue their studies. 

“The larger objective is developing communication skills and improving problem-solving techniques,” he says. “You can maintain those goals without covering every single topic.” 

Doucette says faculty are trying to minimize the impact of the lockout on students.

“Just know that we understand. We got your backs, and we’re doing our best.”

Nadine Ezzeddine

Nadine Ezzeddine, a senior nursing instructor at Dalhousie University, was vocal on the picket line during the Dalhousie Faculty Association lockout, warning that condensing the academic semester would result in a cognitive overload. 

“I say condensed because I cannot take out any content or merge two weeks,” says Ezzeddine.

Because the nursing program includes both a clinical placement and a licensure exam, the curriculum cannot be reduced without compromising patient safety, according to Ezzeddine. 

Under the modified schedule, approved by the university’s senate on Sept. 22, nursing students will work through the fall break. Unlike other undergraduate programs, nursing students have required courses during the summer and rely on these breaks to recuperate, says Ezzeddine. 

“It will affect their well-being and success significantly.”

While she is trying her best to support students outside of the classroom, Ezzeddine is concerned that the university doesn’t offer enough resources to accommodate students’ increased needs due to the condensed schedule. 

“We try to send our students to same-day counselling, but they’re so busy there, and our students really don’t have the time to go to same-day counselling,” she says. 

While the faculty continues to finalize placements and syllabi, Ezzeddine is putting on a brave face for the sake of her students. 

“I hate to convey to the students that there’s so much uncertainty,” she says. “That’s so disturbing for them. To start studying, they need to feel settled and safe.”

Despite her concerns, Ezzeddine says she’s been impressed by the showcase of student advocacy amidst the lockout. 

“I have seen advocacy and leadership work from our students that really surprised me and filled my heart with pride,” she says. “I told them, ‘You students are very powerful, you just don’t know the power you have — start claiming it.’”