Screenshot of persons attending the virtual town hall assembly.
POND ISLAND--University of St. Martin (USM) held its first ever virtual town hall assembly which was attended by 78 students and instructors on Tuesday, April 14.
The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for administration to receive feedback from the academic community on the temporary transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, said USM in a press release on Wednesday.
Using the electronic platform Zoom, popular among colleges and universities worldwide, participants were able to see each other, have their questions answered, express their appreciation for this alternative and share their concerns about the challenges of working and studying from home.
“We can all feel proud of ourselves and what we have achieved until now,” said USM President Dr. Antonio Carmona Báez in his opening remarks. Classes at the local university were moved online within days.
“It is truly amazing. We have never gone through something like this before, but in no time our own faculty members trained their own colleagues on the use of electronic platforms such as Canvas and Zoom.
“Good to see your faces; now we want to know how you are doing.”
The assembly saw more than 20 vocal interventions from students and faculty members, plus the questions and shout-outs within the chat section of the Zoom template. Hopeful graduates of the class of 2020 expressed their concern about graduation, while those who lost their internships due to the coronavirus pandemic questioned how they will be able to make up this very important part of their learning experience.
“Still needing some attention is accessibility to a stable Internet connection for some students. In the interim, however, instructors have resorted to recording lectures and this has proved to be effective,” said the release.
Veteran USM instructors who have seen the institution evolve over the last 30 years, like Roberto Arrindell and Patricia Arrindell, also participated in the assembly and testified to the success of the temporary solution to hold classes and even one-on-one tutoring via the Internet.
“Our aim one month ago was to have a rapid but effective transition to online learning while maintaining quality. From the feedback received thus far, I can say that we were successful. While for some this is a new and sometimes challenging experience, I was particularly pleased to witness multiple students express words of appreciation to their instructors for their hard work, dedication and creativity in this season,” said Dean of Academics Dr. Rolinda Carter.
The trial run of the town hall assembly was held a week before, when USM held its first-ever virtual staff meeting with 20 participants. With Zoom, USM now has the capacity to hold a meeting of up to 300 people. Such interaction is seen as necessary because everyone experiences the lockdown differently as individuals and families.
“There are students and faculty who live in the French territory; their virtual and material reality can differ greatly from someone who lives in Dutch Quarter or St. Peters,” said the release.
“We really do hope that this is temporary. We look forward to the day when we can embrace each other, shake hands and talk to our students and colleagues face-to-face,” said Carmona Báez. “Nothing can replace that in-house experience which builds character.”
USM said it is expecting pledged support from the Ansary Foundation to improve infrastructure, Internet accessibility and curriculum development. Additionally, USM board and management hope that the newly-installed government will take the brave step to finally pass the ordinance on higher education, which will guarantee structural funding.
“We hope that when we get back to physically being on campus, USM will be able to flourish in serving St. Maarten, North and South, as its founders intended, and the English-speaking part of the Dutch Kingdom. Our capability of holding meetings like this will also find its place in the future. We dream of joint courses and degree programmes with partnering universities, scientific seminars and student exchange where St. Maarten is not just a participant, but an initiator,” said Carmona Báez.
At the end of the meeting, many shared positive feedback on USM being able to adapt so quickly and continue with their classes, and were happy with the meeting.
Carter encouraged the students to save the new USM WhatsApp number 721-523-4USM (4876) which will be used to broadcast emergency messages and updates, and can be used for students to share their feedback.
USM continues to accept applications for the upcoming summer semester starting June 3. The extended application deadline is April 30.
Persons interested in applying for any of the programmes are encouraged to complete the online application at
www.usm.sx.
