The University of Saskatchewan first introduced full-time remote delivery in March 2020 when COVID-19 cases were first detected in Canada. That online period of university education lasted for almost two years until I returned to campus last week and immediately sensed a change in the form of class instruction. 

I witnessed masks, lively lecture halls and all my professors setting up Zoom meetings for a fraction of their students. 

This form of instruction, where professors livestream their lectures on a web conferencing platform and simultaneously talk in the lecture hall, is called hybrid learning. At the U of S, hybrid learning is usually supplemented by professors recording their classes then uploading them to Canvas. 

Though hybrid learning methods have been used at the U of S in the past, they feel especially popular right now — all four of my professors use them. Moving forward, I still believe hybrid learning should be maintained for every class because it can help a greater number of students succeed within the diverse student body at the U of S. 

For example, having time conflicts because of employment has been severely limiting in the past — consider students that need to work two jobs but also want a full course load — because lectures were fixed to happen at a certain time. If universities developed a fully hybrid education system, students could make ends meet without having to neglect school. 

Moreover, students that live far away from campus would have the opportunity to attend live Zoom classes and not have to watch asynchronous videos or attend off-campus sites that may make them feel disconnected from the rest of the university community. 

While some time restrictions still apply — like classes that understandably have mandatory in-person labs — hybrid learning creates a much-needed choice for students to be able to learn at their own pace or continue to attend in-person classes if they wish. 

I don’t think incorporating hybrid learning into classrooms has been difficult for professors, either, because they can just log in, automatically live stream and record their Zoom classes at the click of a button. When they are finished, they can upload their lectures to Canvas, the U of S’ preferred learning management system. 

I know from personal experience that this mode of learning is superior compared to full-time online school and traditional lectures — many of my peers agree as well. 

As for the future, even when COVID-19 has been safely managed, I hope that hybrid learning can continue. The guidelines for reopening campus in the last stage vaguely state that “some remote activities will continue,” leaving freedom for individual professors to adjust their teaching style as they wish. 

To all the professors — please have some grace and provide a backup way of learning so that all students can have a chance to succeed regardless of their circumstances. 

We shouldn’t be limited by our geographical location or time schedules to do something as simple as learning, and continuing hybrid instruction will serve many students well. 

This op-ed was written by a University of Saskatchewan undergraduate student and reflects the views and opinions of the writer. If you would like to write a reply, please email opinions@thesheaf.com. Annie Liu is a first-year undergraduate student studying Psychology, and is a Staff Writer at The Sheaf Publishing Society.

Graphic: Jaymie Stachyruk | Graphics Editor