Despite having to rapidly switch from in-person to online learning, students in the course ENV337 – Human Interactions with the Environment were able to put together a collection of multimedia material related to World Water Day, which is celebrated on March 22nd. Taught by Sessional Lecturer Carlos Avendano, the original plan was to screen the videos during a lecture parallel to calculating their water footprint as part of a tutorial report.
As everything changed after March 13th due the COVID-19 Pandemic, the students were asked to work online to complete the production of their videos or prepare another sort of material to be shared electronically. Due to the circumstances of adapting to teach online the March 22nd date, when they originally wanted to share the multimedia material through the School of Environment website, was missed.
“When students submitted their material in late March I was delighted and touched to see how much they were able to put together despite the difficult times. Marking the assignment for me was more a reward than a task. I am grateful for this job of teaching, where the person that teaches learns the most,” says Avendano.
Avendano is quick to share how, in the three times that he has taught ENV337, he has learned so much from students taking it. “This class of 2020 confirms once again the energy, strength, creativity and resilience that students have. In ENV337, we learn about resilience: The capacity of a living system to maintain its identity and functionality and the face of disturbances. Times of crisis can bring out the best of people, and I am a witness to it.”
The videos are below: