COVID-19 Impact Report 2020 COVID-19 Impact Survey results to assess student well-being for and by the Daniels Faculty graduate student body
Graduate Architecture, Landscape, & Design Student Union Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design University of Toronto
About this Report
This report presents the results of the Graduate Architecture, Landscape and Design (GALDSU)’s COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey reporting on the student experience including education, health and well-being, finances, and career prospects at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was developed by Valerie Marshall (M.Arch III), Ji Hee Kim (M.Arch II) and Justin Hung (M.Arch I) in order to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on students at the Daniels Faculty, and offer the executive team and faculty suggestions for the 2020-2021 academic year. On March 17th the government of Ontario enacted a declaration of emergency to protect the public and contain the spread of COVID-19. At Daniels, starting on March 16th, all in-person classes were cancelled and as of March 18th, 2020, all shops, printing and fabrication facilities at the school closed. On March 20th, 2020, access to 1 Spadina became restricted with access only permitted to essential members or faculty and staff. Concurrently on March 6th, GALDSU electronically distributed their annual Health and Well-being Report 20192020, which documented student experiences regarding health and well-being before the pandemic. Due to the timing of the Health and Well-being Report survey release, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, we received a relatively low number of responses. GALDSU decided that it was necessary to document the student experience after the semester had ended with our COVID-19 and Student Impact Report survey.
The last month of the semester included, but was not limited to, online lectures and seminars, desk-critiques over Zoom, presenting final projects online, cancelled employment and travel plans, and many students returning home. The results of this survey represent the unprecedented situation of life after the government’s stay-at-home orders which greatly affected student experience. This survey was distributed electronically on May 4th and closed on May 11th. The data collected from the survey is completely anonymous. The data was processed by the GALDSU executives, Ji Hee Kim and Valerie Marshall. We hope that this report will serve as an avenue for discussion on how the school can better adapt and accommodate students within our unique academic environment in the face of the unprecedented circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contents
04 GENERAL 16 FINANCES 27 EDUCATION 38 WELL-BEING 45
FINAL THOUGHTS
61
RECOMMENDATIONS
63 RESOURCES 65 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
3
General
General “Working from home is tricky because architecture students need an environment with professors and fellow students to thrive off of each other. It is hard to just be secluded in your room, and not have an adequate work space either.”
- Student Response
INTRODUCTION This section summarizes the general information of the respondents of the COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey. This section of the survey includes, but is not limited to: respondents’ program, year, registration status, living situation, resources, and opinions regarding expectations and building updates. The General section is intended to assess what kind of tools students have readily available for their success during this unprecedented time. The following is a summary of the results of the General section of the COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey. We strongly encourage you to look through the report and draw your own conclusions.
25%. The majority of responses were from the Master of Architecture program (61.9%). By year, the majority of respondents were in the first two years of their studies (71.2%).
KEY TAKEAWAYS • While students generally reported having access to the basic resources for working remotely, 63.8% of respondents stated they did not have adequate workspace for activities such as model making. • Only 43.8% of respondents reported to have a safe and quiet workspace to conduct calls. • 65.7% of respondents reported that they were not satisfied with Financial Support updates from the school. • 29.5% of respondents are currently considering taking a leave of absence, this marks a 21.7% increase from the 7.8% of respondents who were considering taking a leave, prior to the pandemic. A breakdown of this by year of study can be found in the “Final Thoughts” section of this report.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS We received 105 responses. The survey was sent out to 400+ students and had a response rate of approximately
5
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
General PARTICIPATION
Q1 Program of Study
Program of study
Answered: 105
Skipped: 0
MVS 3.8% MUD 5.7%
MArch 61.9%
MLA 28,6%
MLA
S
MArch
MUD
MVS RESPONSES 28.57% 61.90%
6
5.71%
General DEMOGRAPHICS
GALDSUÂ Year ofCovid-19 study and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Q2 Year of Study Answered: 104
1
1
35.6
2
2
35.6%
3
3
4
4
Skipped: 1
25.9%
2.9%
0% 0%
10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 90% 100%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
1
35.58%
37
2
35.58%
37
3
25.96%
27
4
2.88%
3
TOTAL
104
7
19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
Su
General DEMOGRAPHICS
Q3 Student Status
What is your registration status?
Answered: 105
Skipped: 0
International 17.1%
Domestic 82.9%
International
Domestic (Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident)
RESPON 17.14% Permanent Resident) 8
82.86%
General
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Covid-19RESOURCES and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Do you have basic resources to work remotely?
SurveyMonkey Q4 Do you have basic resources to work remotely SurveyMonkey Q4 Do you have basic resources to work remotely Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 Q4 Do you have basic resources to work remotely Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 Q4 Do you have basic resources to work remotely Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 Reliable Q4 Do you have basic resources to work remotely
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels FacultyYes
Somewhat
N/A
Reliable Internet connection
internet... Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 Reliable 70.5% 27.6% Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 internet... Reliable ptop and/orLaptop and/or computer internet... Reliable computer ptop and/or internet... Reliable computer internet... ptop and/or 93.3% fe computer and quiet ptop and/or rk space (...Safe and quiet work space (for calls, etc.) e and quiet computer ptop and/or rkcomputer space (... e and quiet rkAdequate space (... erkspace and quiet 42.9% (f... 43.8% Adequate rk space (... e and quiet rkspace rkAdequate space(f... (... Adequate workspace (for model making, etc.) Software rkspace (f... Adequate ino, Adob... Software rkspace (f... Adequate 10.5% 23.8% 63.8% no, Adob... rkspace (f... Software 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% no, Adob... Software (Rhino, Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, etc.) Software 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% no, Adob... Software 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% no, Adob... 0% 10%
connection
No
Yes
Somewhat
Yes
Somewhat
Yes
Somewhat
Yes
Somewhat
63.8% 0% 10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
20%
30%
No
40%
N/A
50%
60% 29.5%70%
80%
1.9%
5.7%
1.0%
13.3%
1.9%
90% 100% 90% 100% 90% 100% 90% 6.7% 100%
No N/A 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 100% YES SOMEWHAT NO N/A 90% TOTAL WEIGHTED No N/A AVERAGE YES SOMEWHAT NO N/A TOTAL WEIGHTED No N/A AVERAGE 70.19% 27.88% 1.92% 0.00%
9
Covid-19General and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Covid-19INFORMATION and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Covid-19 and Student the Daniels Faculty SurveyMonkey How satisfied areImpact you atwith the COVID-19 related updates and How satisfied are you with the COVID-19 related updates and information regarding the following: Covid-19 and Student the Daniels Faculty SurveyMonkey How satisfied areImpact you atwith the COVID-19 related updates and information regarding the following: How satisfied are you with the COVID-19 related updates and information regarding the following: 104 Skipped: 0 How satisfied are you Answered: with the COVID-19 related updates and information regarding the following: Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 How satisfied are you with the COVID-19 related updates and informationAnswered: regarding the following: 104 Skipped: 0 informationAnswered: regarding the following: ding Status 104 Skipped: 0 Not at all satisfied
Slightly unsatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Extremely satisfied
N/A
Building Status
ding Status 14.3%
21.0%
29.5%
Answered: 104
ding Status orking from Working from Home Home ding Status orking from Home ding Status orking from 15.4% 22.1% 27.9% Final Home orking from... ignments Final Final Assignments and Reviews Home orking from... ignments Final Home ntal Health ignments ... Final 26.7% 21.9% Support 11.4% ntal Health ignments ... Final Support Mental Health Support ntal Health ignments ... Financial Support ntal Health Support Financial Support ntal Health 20.0% 14.3% 39.0% Support Financial Support 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Support 0% Financial Support Financial 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Support Financial 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Support Not at all satisfied Slightly 31.4% 34.3% 20.0% unsatisfied 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0%
Extremely satisfied Not at all satisfied 10%
20%
N/A unsatisfied Slightly
30%
40%
50%
Skipped: 0
30.5%
2.9% 1.9%
30.8%
3.8%
36.2%
3.8%
22.9%
2.9% 1.0%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Neutral
60%
70%
60%
70%
Neutral
Satisfied
20.0%
3.8%
80%
90% 1.9% 100%
80%
90% 100%
Satisfied
Extremely satisfied N/A unsatisfied Not at all satisfied Slightly Neutral Satisfied NOT AT ALL SLIGHTLY NEUTRAL SATISFIED EXTREMELY N/A Extremely satisfied N/A all satisfied Slightly unsatisfied NeutralSATISFIED Satisfied SATISFIEDNot atUNSATISFIED 10
TOTAL
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
General EXPECTATIONS
Do you feel the work expectations for your degree are high or low, compared to pre-COVID-19 expectations? GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Q6 Do you feel the work expectations for your degree are high or low, compared to pre-COVID-19 expectations? Answered: 104
Skipped: 0
Percentage of Respondents
100% 100% 80% 80% 60% 60%
51.4%
40% 40% 21.9%
16.2%
20%
20%
6.7%
3.8% 0%
0%
Too low
Too Low TOO LOW .
3.85% 4
LOW 16.35% 17
Low
Low
ADEQUATE 50.96% 53
Adequate .
Adequate HIGH 22.12% 23
High
High
Too high
Too High
TOO HIGH 6.73% 7
TOTAL 104
WEIGHTED AVERAGE 2.25
11
General LIVING SITUATION
How has your living situation changed due to COVID-19? GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Q8 Has your living situation changed due to COVID-19? Answered: 105
Skipped: 0
Percentage of Respondents
100% 100% 74.3%
80% 80% 60% 60% 40% 40%
15.2%
20% 20% 0% 0%
2.9% Stayed inin Stayed current current home home
Found new Found new home home
1.9% Lost Lost campus campus residence/ housing residence/h
1.9% Returned Returned home home (Canada) (Canada)
Returned Returned home home (abroad) (abroad)
3.8%
Other Other (please (please specify) specify)
i
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
Stayed in current home
74.29%
78
Found new home
2.86%
3
Lost campus residence/housing
1.90%
2
Returned home (Canada)
15.24%
16
Returned home (abroad)
1.90%
2
Other (please specify)
3.81%
4
TOTAL
12
105
General LEAVE OF ABSENCE GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Have you/are you currently considering taking a leave of absence from your degree?
Q9 HaveYes you/are you currently considering taking a leave of absence from No your degree? Answered: 104
Skipped: 0
7.8% Prior Prior to to COVID-19 COVID-19
92.2%
29.5%
Currently Currently 70.5%
0% 0%
10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 100% 90%
Percentage of Respondents
Yes
No YES
Prior to COVID-19 Currently
NO
TOTAL
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
7.92% 8
92.08% 93
101
1.92
29.81% 31
70.19% 73
104
1.70
13
General COMMENTS "Many students do not have the financial standard to purchase a new laptop to download all software (VRAY and other rendering softwares being one example) and rely on school computers. However, due to safety having the facility closed would be a better option; if faculty could be understanding of this that would be appreciated. Additionally, because students are not working, many do not have the financial means to live in Toronto and living at home would be beneficial. Moving back to a big city is also a safety concern for many students as they have a higher risk of being exposed to COVID." "It is hard to take care of a child and finish the assignment at the same time." "For thesis, instructors expected us to seamlessly transition to digital formats for our panels and presentations. This takes considerably more time and thought. Moving due to COVID and creating a functional work-space at my family's home was incredibly difficult, and took time. The faculty did not ask for our feedback prior to making the large decision to carry on as usual, and did not consider the mental health struggles students like myself were facing by offering more time for deadlines. I wanted to produce many physical models for my thesis, and this was not possible with the limited space and resources at home. Part of why I chose UofT for my MLA was to access all the resources at the 1 Spadina building and this was all thrown away when the building closed and deadlines did not change accordingly." "Some software was only available on school computers. Now we have no access." "Very difficult to complete degree without faculty resources." "Working from home saves time of commuting to school but it's a little ineffective comparing working at school." "Not as productive as working at school." "As a single parent it is extremely hard to work from home."
14
"It was alienating - I was unable to produce work I was satisfied with. My apartment is small, it is far less then ideal to work in." "A recording of live class would be so helpful for students living in different time zone." "First few days of working from home we’re unproductive because of new adjustments and overall lack of direction with work. Although COVID was acknowledged most expectations for work were unchanged, which I believe is unreasonable. A majority of classes should have considered pass/fail or assigning mid term marks." "It was a big transition that I believe should have had more time and care given to how it would affect people mentally. It negatively impacted project partner and our group came apart. As a result, I worked on my own it put a lot more pressure on me to finish a multi- person project." "Quality of lectures decreased. Some lectures were canceled and never retaken" "Because even cafes were closed, I found it difficult at times to balance a good working environment with our puppy always being around. Other than that, it was more than fine as my professors worked to make sure it worked for every student." "There was no additional support from professors post COVID-19. The deadline and workload stayed the same while it was increasingly difficult to do exams and assignments remotely. The exam formats changed, and it was difficult to adapt" "It’s very hard to work from home" "Working from home is very depressive. As an extroverted person my energy and work quality feeds off of other people and not being able to exchange work with others has been demotivating." [Continued on next page]
COMMENTS CONT'D "Working from home is tricky because architecture students need an environment with professors and fellow students to thrive off of each other. It is hard to just be secluded in your room, and not having adequate working space either."
"Working from home has been fine. Though no access to the shop or any school facilities makes the value of the tuition I pay rather... terrible."
"Working from home is HARD. I’m in a studio apartment with a dog and a husband who is also working from home. The challenges are real and I just can’t imagine that studio is going to offer an adequate experience if it is remote in the fall."
"Studio definitely has a better working environment, which allows students to share ideas and Rosen from each other. I find it working from home it is hard to get inspired, and easier to feel frustrated. And especially for group project, I wish if possible we could go back to studio at Fall."
"Other faculties on campus seemed to put extra resources and supports for students during COVID and in response had adjusted some expectations, yet Daniels carried on without a blink or supports for student’s health or mental wellness."
"I felt the official notifications from the school were a bit unorganized, everyday approaching mid-March, different people were stating different things about building closure, and this lead to general panic and confusion among students."
"My work from home experience has been horrible. I don’t have space and the people I live with do not respect my dedication to study architecture. It’s not just hard - it’s completely unsustainable."
"Written exams done online (structures) was extremely hard since our class notes were locked in studio and we didn’t have the tools (calculator, notebook, printer) at home."
"It is nice to have no commuting times during the COVID-19 work from home schedule. I have had more time to do other household obligations and also fulfill adequate final assignment submissions because of less / no commuting times during the social distancing measures." "Group projects are difficult to navigate" "Very little attention has been paid to the detrimental effects the isolation has on students’ mental health. we cannot be expected to continue working as if everything is fine when some students are in precarious situations regarding seeing their families and returning home. There was not even an acknowledgment of these situations nor any serious considerations or options given to students." "This is a Professional degree and working from home has dropped the quality below what the standards for accreditation are. Need to be in studio." "I haven’t heard back from admin regarding extension in over 2 weeks. It’s hard communicating with profs that I also have outstanding work in other subjects therefore working on all of these things simultaneously is hard. I feel like I’m left to teach myself the curriculum and it’s particularly difficult not having my peers for support too."
"Had to quickly adapt to a completely different way of working/communicating/presenting" "I think considering most of the learning in the semester happened before the outbreak, the semester ended fine. I think my answers would be different in the fall because I don't think the methods used were conducive to me learning material, but they worked for finishing up work this term." "Tuition should be lowered if fall 2020 was to be conducted remotely and online as much of what we pay is to workshop, studio, library and on site facilities. If tuition is not lowered I don't plan on coming back for next semester as content of our courses as my experience has been very much compromised. I find myself educating myself and teaching myself." "Not good at all." "For those of us who used to work on lab computers because of better speed compared to our personal computers, the amount of time required to work has increased and the quality of work produced has decreased. It would've been helpful had Daniels allowed students to borrow monitors and CPUs for a relevant time period." "It’s hard to maintain a schedule. I benefited more from lectures that were recorded that I could watch on my own time than scheduled lectures I had to attend." 15
Finances
Finances "Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, my summer job plans have shriveled up. This summer I won't be able to save as much as I need to be able to live in Toronto next year without depending on others to help me out more.”
- Student Response
INTRODUCTION This section summarizes the data collected on the financial concerns of students both prior, and postCOVID-19. This section of the survey includes, but is not limited to: respondents’ concerns regarding tuition, income and expenses. On April 6th, the Daniels Faculty sent out a small number of postings for remote summer TAships, and on May 1st, they sent out a high number of remote work-study positions to the student body. On May 7th, the faculty sent out links to the University of Toronto’s emergency grants and loans, as well as to the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The following is a summary of the results of the Finances section of the COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey. We strongly encourage you to look through the report and draw your own conclusions.
46.2% of students reported to be currently seeking employment in May, which is usually when most internships have already started. Many internships, other financial opportunities were postponed or canceled due to COVID-19. leaving many students worried about their finances. On March 25th, the Government of Canada introduced the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit for workers who had lost their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time that this survey was sent out, most students did not qualify for this benefit. On May 15th, four days after this survey closed, the Government of Canada announced a new Canada Emergency Student Benefit to support students who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents.
KEY TAKEAWAYS • 58.7% of respondents were either seeking, or had lost employment at the time. Only 12.5% of those respondents qualified for CERB. • 86.4% of respondents reported to feeling concerned about their income currently, compared to 53.9% feeling concerned prior to the pandemic. • 70.5% of respondents reported to feeling concerned about their tuition fees currently, compared to 53.8% feeling concerned prior to the pandemic.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS Respondents reported feeling more concerned about every financial aspect on the questionnaire postCOVID-19, compared to prior.
17
Finances CURRENT WORK GALDSU Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
If you are currently pursuing work, please specify your situation:
Q10 If you are currently pursuing work, please specify your situation: Answered: 103
I had a full-time job, I had a prior to COVID-19 full-time jo...
5.8%
I had a part-time job, I had a prior to COVID-19 part-time jo...
8.7%
I have an ongoing I have an full-time job ongoing...
8.7%
I amI am currently currently seeking a joba job seeking
46.2%
I have an ongoing I have an part-time job ongoing... I am considered an I am essential worker a... considered
7.7%
1.0%
I am eligible for eligible and I am applying to the (CERB) for and...
12.5%
Other (please Other (please specify) specify) 0% 0%
Skipped: 1
9.6% 10% 10%
ANSWER CHOICES
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
Percentage of Respondents
90% 100% 100% 90%
RESPONSES
• I have no work I had a full-time job, prior to COVID-19 • I am taking care of my little baby, because the day care is closed and unsafe. • I received a TA summer contract that ends mid-June, I had a part-time job, prior to COVID-19 • I have no work and not consider to seek for a job. • I have a full-time job, starting during COVID-19. I have an ongoing full-time job • I applied for an opportunity prior to COVID, and was selected for the position after COVID. I am currently seeking a job • I have a summer job however my start date has been pushed back. • Part time job prior to COVID-19, currently seeking additional work. I have an ongoing part-time job • I have a part time position for May but my full time internship from June to August was canceled due to COVID. I am considered an essential worker • I had 3 part time jobs prior to COVID.
5.83%
6
8.74%
9
8.74%
9
45.63%
47
7.77%
8
0.97%
1
I am eligible for and applying to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
12.62%
13
Other (please specify)
9.71%
10
TOTAL # 1
18
103 OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
DATE
I have no work
5/11/2020 12:12 AM
Finances
CONCERNS Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How concerned were you about the following, pre-COVID-19 and currently:
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19: Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty SurveyMonkey Very concerned
Concerned
Neutral
Not concerned
Answered: 105
Income
N/A
Skipped: 0
Pre-COVID-19
Covid-19 and Student Impactare at the Daniels Faculty SurveyMonkey Q13 How concerned you about the following, currently: Income 18.3%
35.6%
Answered: 105
29.8% Skipped: 0
15.4%
1.0%
Rent and Utility... Currently
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19:
U Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
Income Tuition Fees 45.6%
Answered: 105
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 0
40.8%
7.8%
4.9% 1.0%
Rent and Utility... dical/Pharmac Income Rent and Utility Payments y Bills
Q13 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Pre-COVID-19
Tuition Fees Credit RentCard and nd/orUtility... Loan... 14.3% dical/Pharmac Income y Bills rocery Bills Tuition Fees Currently
Answered: 105
23.8%
36.2%
Credit RentCard and nd/or Loan... dical/Pharmac Utility... Childcare 33.3% y Bills
rocery Bills Tuition Fees Credit Card0% nd/or Loan...
Skipped: 0
22.9%
36.2%
10%
20%
dical/Pharmac Childcare y Bills rocery Bills Very Concerned
30%
40%
20.0%
50%
60%
70%
2.9%
6.7%
80%
3.8%
90% 100%
19
Concerned
Neutral
Not Concerned
N/A
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Finances
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19:
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty CONCERNS CONT'D
Answered: 105
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 0
How concerned were you about the following:
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey Q13Income How concerned are you about the following, currently: Very concerned
Concerned
Neutral
Not concerned
Answered: 105
Rent and Tuition Fees Utility...
N/A
Skipped: 0
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19:
Pre-COVID-19 Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
Income Tuition Fees
Answered: 105
Rent and 25.0% dical/Pharmac Utility... Income Currently y Bills
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 0
28.8%
23.1%
21,2%
1.9%
Q13 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Answered: 105
Tuition Fees Credit RentCard and nd/orUtility... Loan...45.7%
Skipped: 0
24.8%
14.3%
9.5%
5.7%
dical/Pharmac Income y Bills rocery Bills Tuition Fees Medical/ Pharmacy Bills
RentCard and Pre-COVID-19 Credit dical/Pharmac Utility... nd/or Loan... Childcare y Bills 7.6%
11.4%
Tuition Fees rocery Bills Credit Card0% 10% nd/or Loan...Currently
35.2%
20%
41.0%
30%
40%
50%
60%
dical/Pharmac Childcare y Bills rocery Bills Very Concerned Concerned 30.5% Neutral 21.9% 20.0%
Credit Card0% 10% 20% VERY nd/or Loan... Childcare CONCERNED
20 rocery Bills
30%
40%
CONCERNED
50%
4.8%
70%
80%
Not Concerned 20.0% 60%
NEUTRAL
70%
80%
NOT CONCERNED
18.3% Concerned 35.6% Neutral29.8% Not Concerned 15.4% Very Concerned 0% 10% 20%19 30% 40% 37 50% 60% 80% 31 70% 16
90% 100%
N/A7.6% 90% 100%
N/A
TOTAL
1.0% N/A 90% 1100%
104
WEIGHTED AVERAGE 2.43
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty Answered: 105
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 0
Covid-19 Student Impactare at the Daniels Faculty SurveyMonkey Q13 Howandconcerned you about the following, currently: Income Finances Answered: 105
Rent and CONCERNS CONT'D
Skipped: 0
Utility...concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19: How
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty How concerned were you about the following:
Income Tuition Fees
Answered: 105 Very concerned
Concerned
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 0
Neutral
Not concerned
N/A
Rent and dical/Pharmac Utility... Income Credit Card and/or Loan Repayments y Bills
Q13 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Pre-COVID-19
Answered: 105
Tuition Fees Credit RentCard and d/orUtility... Loan...
11.4% dical/Pharmac Income y Bills rocery Bills Tuition Fees Currently
32.4%
25.7%
Credit Rent Card and dical/Pharmac nd/or Loan... Utility... Childcare y Bills 27.6%
rocery Fees Bills Tuition Credit Card0% 10% d/or Loan...Grocery Bills
29.5%
29.5%
20%
Pre-COVID-19 dical/Pharmac Childcare y Bills rocery Bills Very Concerned
Credit Card12.4% 0% 10%22.9% 20% VERY d/or Loan... Childcare Currently CONCERNED
rocery Bills
Skipped: 0
30%
26.7%
40%
Concerned 30%
1.0%
35.2%
40%
CONCERNED
50%
60%
Neutral 50%
15.2%
70%
80%
Not Concerned 60%
NEUTRAL
32.4%
24.8%
28.6% 70% 80%
NOT CONCERNED
16.2%
23.8% NEUTRAL 36.2% NOT 22.9% VERY 14.3% CONCERNED Childcare 25 38 CONCERNED 24 CONCERNED15 Very Concerned Concerned Neutral Not Concerned 45.6% 40.8% 7.8% 4.9% 25.0% 28.8% 23.1% 21.2% 0% 10% 20%26 40% 30 60% 80% 47 30% 42 50% 248 70% 225 VERY CONCERNED NEUTRAL NOT CONCERNED 33.3% 36.2% 20.0% CONCERNED 6.7% yayments Bills 7.6% 11.4% 35.2% 41.0%
ayments
90% 100%
N/A
18.3% Concerned 35.6% Neutral 29.8% Not Concerned 15.4% Very Concerned 0% 10% 20%19 30% 40% 37 50% 60% 80% 31 70% 16
24.8%
1.0%
1.0% 90% 100%
N/A
TOTAL
1.0% N/A 90% 1100%
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
104
2.43
2.9% TOTAL N/A 3 105 N/A 1.0% 1.9% 90% 21100% 104 103 N/A TOTAL 3.8% 4.8%
WEIGHTED 2.70 AVERAGE
1.9%
1.72 21 2.41 WEIGHTED AVERAGE
Answered: 105
Rent and Utility...
Income Tuition Fees
Skipped: 0
Finances
Rent and dical/Pharmac Utility...CONCERNS CONT'D y Bills How concerned were you about the following:
Tuition Fees Credit Card nd/or Loan...
Very concerned
Concerned
Neutral
Not concerned
N/A
dical/Pharmac y Bills rocery Bills Childcare
Credit CardPre-COVID-19 nd/or Loan... Childcare
rocery Bills
2.9%
1.9%
17.1% 0%4.8% 10%
73.3%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Currently
Childcare 4.8%
3.8%
15.4% 20% 0% 2.9%10%
VERY CONCERNED
18.3% Very Concerned 19
ayments
yayments Bills
or Loan
y Bills
Very Concerned
22
Concerned
73.1%
30%
40%
CONCERNED
Neutral 50%
Not Concerned 60%
NEUTRAL
70%
80%
NOT CONCERNED
N/A 90% 100%
N/A
TOTAL
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
35.6% Neutral29.8% Not Concerned 15.4% Concerned 37 31 16
1.0% N/A 1
104
2.43
14.3% VERY CONCERNED15
23.8% CONCERNED 25
36.2% NEUTRAL 38
NOT 22.9% 24 CONCERNED
2.9% N/A 3
TOTAL 105
WEIGHTED 2.70 AVERAGE
45.6% 25.0% 47 26
40.8% 28.8% 42 30
7.8% 23.1% 248
4.9% 21.2% 225
1.0% 1.9% 12
103 104
1.72 2.41
33.3% 7.6% 358
36.2% 11.4% 38 12
20.0% 35.2% 21 37
6.7% 41.0% 437
3.8% 4.8% 45
105
2.00 3.15
45.7% 11.4% 48 12
24.8% 32.4% 26 34
14.3% 25.7% 15 27
9.5% 29.5% 10 31
5.7% 1.0% 61
105
1.87 2.74
21.9% 12.4% 23 13
20.0% 22.9% 21 24
30.5% 35.2% 32 37
20.0% 28.6% 21 30
7.6% 1.0% 81
105
2.53 2.81
Finances GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonk
TRAVEL
you have school related travel canceled as related a result of the pandemic? Q14 Did Did you have school travel cancelled as a result of th pandemic?
WER CHOICES
Answered: 104
Yes Yes
Skipped: 0
25.0%
NoNo
75.0%
0%
0%
10%
10%
20%
20%
30%
30%
40%
40%
50%
50%
60%
60%
70%
70%
80%
80%
90% 100%
Percentage of Respondents
RESPONSES 25.00% 75.00%
Respondents: 104
23
GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonk
Finances
Q15 IfTRAVEL you answered yes, have you been reimbursed for your trav expenses? If you answered yes, have you been reimbursed for your travel expenses? Answered: 102 Skipped: 2
Yes Yes
1.9%
NoNo
9.7%
N/A N/A
88.3%
0%
0%
10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
Percentage of Respondents
WER CHOICES
RESPONSES 1.96% 9.80% 88.24%
L
24
80% 80%
90% 90% 100%
Finances COMMENTS
"Students need additional funding as many are not able to get full time jobs."
firm, but my salary is lower due to COVID-19. Unable to find position as a new graduate."
"Had a part time job at an architecture firm which was canceled due to COVID, now I'm unemployed."
"Applied to jobs all term, never got a job."
"I worry about the influence on the economy from the pandemic."
"I will have to work remotely - and I am worried about my ability to preform given my struggles with the end of the semester."
"I got email reply saying that the company that I'm applying for is currently suspended their recruiting for at least 2 months."
"Less opportunities currently and worried about future prospects of finding work as well."
"I feel hopeless."
"Less opportunity available."
"Had a job offer that was canceled due to pandemic."
"Barely an available and viable options for seasonal work."
"Instructors have made insensitive comments to MLA students following the end of thesis presentations. Namely, students were told to use this "opportunity" to explore personal passions. This is a nice sentiment if we did not need income to live and if the health of our community was not at risk. This false optimism is one example of how privilege at the Daniels Faculty alienates students and ignores the financial, physical, and mental health realities we are going through. All instructors are not trained to teach. They therefore need to acknowledge their shortcomings and seek basic teaching and mental health training. I have not experienced this personally, but I am sick of hearing other students with accessibility accommodations struggle to get assignment extensions and approval for class absences because a professor cannot experience empathy."
"A previous job offer has been delayed indefinitely."
"Poor as fuck"
"There are no jobs available."
"I have no job currently. But if I'm going to seek for one, it might be a little hard in this situation."
"I was looking for summer work to save money for next year and now it seems impossible to find work in current situation. My husband also lost his job in April and now I may not find anything either."
"I was negotiating a contract with a firm when COVID-19 began, and the contract fell through as the pandemic continued. I have now signed a full-time contract with another
"I was not able to find a job in the field or city I was hoping, due to the pandemic." "Not me personally, but it ruined the prospects of many people in my cohort to obtain or have their summer opportunities." "Had I not had a long-standing relationship with my employer I do not believe that I would be able to find work this summer."
[Continued on next page] 25
COMMENTS CONT'D "It’s hard to seek for a job."
"My internship at a firm was canceled due to COVID."
"All my plans have been canceled and it’s even harder than before to find a job. I highly doubt I’ll be able to find something this summer."
"Feeling desperate now."
"I am graduating this semester and very unsure if I will have employment lined up in the coming months... would have been nice to have more support from faculty with finding employment." "Unfortunately due to COVID-19, my summer job plans have shriveled up. This summer I won't be able to save as much as I need to be able to live in Toronto next year without depending on others to help me out more." "Thankfully, my internship for the summer at a medium-sized firm went through due to the government support for hiring students." "The job prospects have been slow and grim. It is a long wait time due to companies applying for the Student Work Placement Program in order to hire me back into their firm. Work Study placements have also been more competitive due to more students applying for them due to less employment from private firms outside school." "Loss of previously posted jobs." "[I] appreciate how professors have tried to forward summer work opportunities to students. next step would be to offer free or reduced summer courses given current circumstances. why pay for resources and spaces we cannot access?" "I cannot seek work at the moment because I have health and school to catch up on." "It is difficult to find a summer internship." 26
"Now that my summer plans have been canceled as a result of the pandemic, I'm having a hard time trying to find employment for the summer." "Just harder to find opportunities since the economy is down." "I have worked part -time since I started my masters. I was hoping to get a new position at a firm for this summer. I had interviews at 3 different firms, but all of their openings were canceled due to the pandemic." "Doesn't seem too bright. Everything is changing." "The pandemic has totally reordered our field, with already competitive employment prospects it would now be nearly impossible to find work in the arts/culture sector." "Some of summer employment plans were dependent on summer study abroad plans (ie: deciding time work part time / contract or freelance work instead of a full summer internship to accommodate other plans) It would have been great for the school to offer something to students who were accepted to the summer abroad program like a voluntary mini project Around similar topics or online workshops or work study positions."
27
Education
Education “The changing requirements and differences between what each studio section wanted were confusing and stressful. I think the faculty should've decided on one route and stuck with it.”
- Student Response
INTRODUCTION This section summarizes the data collected on the educational concerns of students both prior, and postCOVID-19. This section of the survey includes, but is not limited to: respondents’ concerns regarding online platforms. Undoubtedly, it was a difficult transition moving from in-class lectures and collaboration-based studio classes to online classes within one's own home. Moving away from the facility and its amenities, and social distancing from their peers, we can anticipate difficulty in managing a regular study schedule, establishing a work-life balance, finding motivation and working without sufficient feedback from both professors and peers, which in hand affect the students' education here at Daniels Faculty.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS In general, most students stated that they were comfortable participating in online classes, although most students also responded negatively about the use of online platforms for educational purposes. KEY TAKEAWAYS • The percentage of students who felt Pessimistic/ Very Pessimistic about the future of their education jumped from 5.7% before the pandemic to 52.3% currently. • Only 18.1% of respondents answered favorably in regards to their feelings about online lectures as a platform for education. • 46.3% of respondents answered favorably in regards to their satisfaction with the platforms used for final submissions and reviews
Since this survey concluded, the University of Toronto allowed students to choose a Credit/No Credit in lieu of a letter grade. On June 6th, the Faculty responded to many conversations and requests by M.Arch students by putting together three history and theory electives that would run online in July and August. The following is a summary of the results of the Education section of the COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey. We strongly encourage you to look through the report and draw your own conclusions.
29
Education GALDSU Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
FUTURE
Q16 Pre-COVID-19, how hopeful were you about the future of your education at the Daniels Faculty?
How hopeful were you about the future of your education at the Daniels Faculty? Answered: 104
Skipped: 0
Prior to COVID-19 Very optimistic Very optimistic
23.8%
Optimistic Optimistic
51.4%
Neutral Neutral
Pessimistic Pessimistic
18.1%
3.8%
Very 1.9% Pessimistic Covid-19 and Student
Very pessimistic
GALDSU
Prefer not to answer
Prefer not to answer
Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
1.0%
Q17 Currently, how hopeful are you about the future of your education at 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 100% 0% 10% 20% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% the30% Daniels Faculty? Percentage of Respondents Answered: 104 Skipped: 0 RESPONSES
ANSWER CHOICES Currently Very optimistic
Very optimistic Very optimistic
Optimistic
1.9%
Neutral
Optimistic Optimistic
Pessimistic
18.1%
Very Pessimistic Prefer not to answer
Neutral Neutral
25.7%
24.04%
25
50.96%
53
18.27%
19
3.85%
4
1.92%
2
0.96%
1
TOTAL
104
Pessimistic Pessimistic
39.0%
Very Pessimistic
Very pessimistic
Prefer not to answer
Prefer not to answer
0% 0%
13.3%
1.9% 10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 100% 90%
Percentage of Respondents
30
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
Very optimistic
1.92%
2
Optimistic
17.31%
18
Education ONLINE PLATFORMS
GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How do you generally feel about online lectures as a platform for education?
Q18 How do you generally feel about online lectures as a platform for education? Answered: 104
Very positive Very positive
4.8%
Positive Positive
13.3%
Neutral Neutral
33.3%
Negative Negative
35.2%
Very negative Very negative
0% 0%
Skipped: 0
13.3% 10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
100% 90% 100%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
Very positive
4.81%
5
Positive
13.46%
14
Neutral
32.69%
34
Negative
35.58%
37
Very negative
13.46%
14
TOTAL
104
31
Education GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
ONLINE PLATFORMS
Q19 How comfortable do you feel actively participating in online classes areinbeing recorded? How comfortable do you feel activelywhich participating online classes which are being recorded? Answered: 104
classes All classes should be All recorded
9.5%
Very comfortable
9.5%
should be...
Very comfortable
Reasonably comfortable
Reasonably comfortable
27.6%
Slightly uncomfortable
Slightly uncomfortable
32.4%
Very uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Classes should never be...
Classes should never be recorded
Prefer not to answer
Prefer not to answer
0% 0%
Skipped: 0
15.2%
1.9%
3.8% 10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 100% 90%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
All classes should be recorded
9.62%
10
Very comfortable
9.62%
10
Reasonably comfortable
27.88%
29
Slightly uncomfortable
32.69%
34
Very uncomfortable
14.42%
15
Classes should never be recorded
1.92%
2
Prefer not to answer
3.85%
4
TOTAL
32
104
Education ONLINE PLATFORMS
GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How comfortable do you feel actively participating in classes through online video chat?
Q20 How comfortable do you feel actively participating in classes through online video chat? Answered: 104
Very comfortable
Very comfortable
11.4%
Reasonably comfortable
Reasonably comfortable
41.0%
Slightly uncomfortable
Slightly uncomfortable
31.4%
Very uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Prefer not to answer
Prefer not to answer
0% 0%
Skipped: 0
14.3%
1.9% 10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 100% 90%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
Very comfortable
11.54%
12
Reasonably comfortable
40.38%
42
Slightly uncomfortable
31.73%
33
Very uncomfortable
14.42%
15
Prefer not to answer
1.92%
2
TOTAL
104
33
Education ONLINE PLATFORMS
GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How comfortable do you feel actively participating in classes through online voice chat?
Q21 How comfortable do you feel actively participating in classes through online voice chat? Answered: 104
Very comfortable
Very comfortable
12.4%
Reasonably comfortable
Reasonably comfortable
44.8%
Slightly uncomfortable
Slightly uncomfortable
22.9%
Very uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Prefer not to answer
Prefer not to answer
0% 0%
Skipped: 0
18.1%
1.9% 10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 100% 90%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
Very comfortable
12.50%
13
Reasonably comfortable
44.23%
46
Slightly uncomfortable
23.08%
24
Very uncomfortable
18.27%
19
Prefer not to answer
1.92%
2
TOTAL
34
104
Education ONLINE PLATFORMS
GALDSUÂ Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How do you feel about the following digital platforms for educational purposes?
Q22 How do you feel about the following digital platforms for educational purposes? Answered: 104
Positive Skipped: 1
Neutral
Negative
N/A
Email Email
Quercus Quercus Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Zoom Zoom
Miro Miro
Facebook Facebook
Instagram Instagram
WhatsApp WhatsApp
Other Other
0% 0%
10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 90% 100%
Percentage of Respondents
Negative
Neutral
Positive
N/A
35
DSU Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Education
PLATFORMS How ONLINE satisfied were you regarding final submissions and reviews
Answered: How satisfied were you regarding final submissions and104 reviews?Skipped: 0 100% Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
N/A
80%
Percentage of Respondents
60%
60% 40%
36.2%
40%
33.3%
27.6%
22.9%
18.1%
20%
20% 7.6%
7.6%
0%
0%
Platforms usedused Platforms
Very Satisfied
32.4% 21.9%
7.6%
5.7%
2.9%
30.5%
27.6%
2.9%
6.7%
Feedback Feedback
6.7%
1.9%
Expectations for for Expectations deliverables deliverables
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
SATISFIED
NEUTRAL
DISSATISFIED
VERY DISSATISFIED
7.69% 8
36.54% 38
26.92% 28
18.27% 19
7.69% 8
2.88% 3
104
5.77% 6
32.69% 34
23.08% 24
27.88% 29
7.69% 8
2.88% 3
104
6.73% 7
29.81% 31
32.69% 34
22.12% 23
6.73% 7
1.92% 2
104
N/A VERY SATISFIED
ed
s for
36
N/A
TOTAL
WEI AVE
Education COMMENTS
"I think the end of semester went OK, perhaps even better than we had hoped given the situation, but I'm worried that the relative success will make the school think that starting fall semester remotely will be OK. However, it's a very different situation to wrap something up remotely vs. starting something and carrying it out completely remotely." "It was difficult to receive adequate support from TA’s for final assignments. Also coordinating deadlines among all the courses was difficult to manage." "Good considering the circumstances." "As someone who fears public speaking, I felt much more comfortable presenting my final review over Zoom." "The pandemic increased my anxiety. Not being able to access the Daniels Faculty made a huge impact on the amount of work I was able to produce. Trying to focus at home was extremely difficult." "It's all still TBD since my graduation relies on the Art Museum." "Final reviews went very well." "I feel like I was not able to produce the quality of work I am capable of. The final output would have been stronger had I not loss access to resources and human interaction."
"It put a lot of pressure on the transition of using a paper based medium to digital platform. It was a big challenge and steppingstone that could have been better prepared or accommodated." "Nothing changes in-terms of Submission requirements with no additional support from professors and that was frustrating. The deadline, requirements everything stayed the same." "It’s hard to communicate." "Too much was asked for with little time and the pandemic situation doesn’t help." "There weren’t any considerations to adjust final assignments and in site engineering it was very difficult to complete the assignment without professor access." "Quercus has not been the smoothest platform due to cuts and disconnections with other people's connections. Its video chat design does not provide the same quality as Zoom for group discussions because it the speakers jump around on the screen and disconnects frequently." "I feel like some assignments had to be modified to accommodate for lack of teaching time and because of circumstances that prevented us from being at school." "Curve grades for this semester please."
"It would have been nice to see other peers' reviews and work."
"Final review went okay."
"Final Reviews felt very cold and informal. Final assignment submission was confusing as some courses required unique submissions, that can be easily overlooked."
"I feel that my studio experience suffered from not receiving constant feedback from my peers, from not seeing what everyone around me was doing, and from not having a consistent schedule."
"Without guests joining critiques, we just heard the same convoluted thesaurus speak over and over until my ears bled."
[Continued on next page] 37
COMMENTS CONT'D "Felt like a lot of our work could not be properly seen. We were still creating images that were meant to printed on large sheets. The digital format was not properly integrated into final assignments until it was genuinely too late for students to change much. Feels like a lot of the solutions proposed for us were not fully thought out. I understand this is an unprecedented situation but I expect an institution of this size with access to as many resources to be better prepared and to not keep students in the dark about important decision (such as closing buildings or canceling classes). We genuinely had very little time to adapt to the change, it was thrown onto us so abruptly despite the school knowing its plans for at least a week or two." "I think given the circumstances reviews went well. Our instructors acted very quickly to ensure that we were able to maintain some momentum during the move from studio to home. I think in general extensions could have been given for studio to accommodate the week that was lost in the chaos / uncertainty of mid-March." "The changing requirements and differences between what each studio section wanted were confusing and stressful. I think the faculty should've decided on one route and stuck with it. I also think the exit reviews were rather unsatisfying and seeming like a disappointment after all the hard work we put in all semester." "Quality suffered due to lack of operating equipment (used to work in school lab computers." "Because of the result of the review I feel satisfied by how the semester ended. However I do think profs / studio coordinator could have communicated to students more, saying out loud that they understand the situation is unprecedented and also extremely difficult. It’s worth hearing from your instructors that what we’re going through is not normal and working through a pandemic is extremely difficult. This was only really communicated by one prof." "Just very different, a little sad to be in thesis and have to do it in such a last minute changed way, lots of things didn't get to happen or get through because we are online." 38
"Opportunity to see other students work." "Final reviews had no guests and the feedback we got was from two of our profs which we have been getting feedback throughout the term. Feedback was expected and didn't add anything. The purpose of final reviews is to get a fresh eye and overlook to your project and we missed out on that."
39
Well-being
Well-being “We spend a lot of time in studio and building a community that supports each other through difficult times. When physically distanced from that community, it’s difficult to stay motivated, feel supported or show support.”
- Student Response
INTRODUCTION This section is intended to assess students’ health and well-being during COVID-19 and how it impacted their education. Those especially interested in this section can also refer to the annual Health and Wellbeing Report 2019-2020 published alongside this report. This portion of the survey is meant to evaluate how students are feeling before and during COVID-19, which resulted in the cancellation of all in-person classes and the enforcement of social distancing through restricting access to 1 Spadina for students’ physical health.
The comments for this section clearly express distress, with examples of personal and collective struggles related to socioeconomic factors. While it seems that some students are adapting, there is clear evidence that the well-being of students is affected in many aspects, ranging from physical health, existing and new mental health issues, work/life balance, anxieties of the future, guilt and grief. KEY TAKEAWAYS • The biggest increase in concern from prior to COVID-19 to post was in Career Prospects, indicating collective anxiety about how this pandemic would affect students' futures after graduation, during the summer, and while in school. • 65.4% of respondents reported that the change in studio culture and community had an impact on their education, with 61.5% specifying that the pandemic has impacted the quality of their work too. This suggests that proximity to peers and collaboration are positive tools for students' education.
The following is a summary of the results of the Wellbeing section of the COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey. We strongly encourage you to look through the report and draw your own conclusions. SUMMARY OF RESULTS Students' well-being was severely affected by COVID-19 with a significant increase in concerns regarding family, finances, health, school and career prospects prior to and post-pandemic.
41
Well-being
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty CONCERNS
SurveyMonkey
How concerned were you about the following, pre-COVID-19 and currently:
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19: Very concerned
Concerned
Neutral
Not concerned
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty Answered: 103
N/A
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 2
Well-being of Family and/or Loved Ones
Pre-COVID-19 Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Q26 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Well-being of
mily and/o... 12.6%
44.7% Answered: 104
19.4%
Skipped: 1
22.3%
1.0%
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19:
Currently Covid-19 Finances and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
Well-being of mily and/o...
Answered: 103 51.9%
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 2 34.6%
8.7%
3.8%
1.0%
Health Q26 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Well-being of
milyFinances and/o... Finances
Degree Pre-COVID-19 Completion Finances Health Well-being of 12.6% 43.7% Career mily and/o... ProspectsCurrently Degree Health Completion Finances 0% 10% 20%
Answered: 104
Skipped: 1
27.2%
30%
40%
50%
53.8%
Degree Career Completion Prospects Health
Career0% 42 Prospects Degree
60%
15.5%
70%
80%
36.5%
Very Concerned 10%
20%
VERY CONCERNED
Concerned 30%
40%
CONCERNED
Neutral 50%
NEUTRAL
90% 100% 3.8%
Not Concerned 60%
1.0%
70%
80%
NOT CONCERNED
4.8%
1.0%
N/A 90% 100%
N/A
TOTAL
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How Well-being concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19:
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty Answered: 103
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 2
CONCERNS
Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
Q26 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Well-being of How concerned were you about the following, pre-COVID-19 and currently:
mily and/o...
Very concerned
Concerned
Answered: 104 Neutral
Skipped: 1 Not concerned
N/A
How concerned were you about the following, pre-Covid-19:
Covid-19 Finances and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty Health
Well-being of mily and/o... Pre-COVID-19
Answered: 103
SurveyMonkey
Skipped: 2
Health Q26 How concerned are you about the following, currently: Well-being of
9.9% milyFinances and/o...
23.8%
37.6%
27.7%
Answered: 104
Degree Currently Completion Finances Health Well-being of 43.4% Career mily and/o... Prospects Degree Health Completion Degree Completion Finances Pre-COVID-19 0% 10% 20%
Skipped: 1
36.5%
30%
Degree Career Completion Prospects Concerned Health 8.7%Very18.4%
40%
14.4%
50%
Concerned
60%
45.6% Neutral
26.2%
1.0%
70%
80%
Not Concerned
4.8%
1.0%
90% 100%
N/A
1.0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% CareerCurrently VERY CONCERNED NEUTRAL NOT N/A TOTAL Prospects Degree CONCERNED CONCERNED Completion mily and/or 37.5% 12.6% 30% 19.4% 50% 22.3% 90% 1.0% 31.7% 21.2% 7.7% 100% 1.9% 0% Very10% 20% 40% 60% Not70% 80% Concerned Concerned Neutral44.7% Concerned N/A
13
Career Prospects
mily and/or 0%
1
103
2.77
12.6% CONCERNED 43.7% NEUTRAL 27.2% NOT 15.5% N/A 1.0% VERY CONCERNED Very Concerned 13 Concerned 45 Neutral 28 NotCONCERNED Concerned 16 N/A 1
TOTAL 103
WEIGHTED 2.46 AVERAGE
10%
VERY
20
51.9% 9.9% 30% 20% 54 10
46
34.6% 23.8% 50% 40%
36 CONCERNED 24
8.7% 37.6% 60% NEUTRAL 389
23
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
70%
NOT
3.8% 90% 1.0%100% 27.7% 80% 284
N/A1
104 TOTAL 101
43
1.64 WEIGHTED 2.84
Q26 How concerned are you about the following, currently: ell-being of
mily and/o...
Answered: 104
Well-being
Skipped: 1
Finances ell-being of CONCERNS mily and/o... Health How concerned were you about the following, pre-COVID-19 and currently: Finances
Very concerned
Concerned
Neutral
Not concerned
N/A
Degree Completion Career Prospects Health Pre-COVID-19
Career Prospects Degree 16.5% Completion 0% 10% Currently
Career Prospects
20%
Very Concerned
70.2%
0%
mily and/or
mily and/or
on
on
35.0%
44
10%
20%
VERY CONCERNED
22.3%
30%
40%
Concerned 30%
40%
CONCERNED
50%
24.3%
60%
Neutral 50%
70%
80%
17.3% Not Concerned
60%
NEUTRAL
70%
80%
NOT CONCERNED
1.0%
90% 100%
N/A
7.7%
1.0% 3.8%
90% 100%
N/A
12.6% Concerned19.4% Neutral44.7% Not Concerned 22.3% N/A 1.0% Very Concerned 13 20 46 23 1
TOTAL
WEIGHTED AVERAGE
103
2.77
12.6% VERY CONCERNED13
43.7% CONCERNED 45
27.2% NEUTRAL 28
NOT 15.5% 16 CONCERNED
1.0% N/A 1
TOTAL 103
WEIGHTED 2.46 AVERAGE
51.9% 9.9% 54 10
34.6% 23.8% 36 24
8.7% 37.6% 389
3.8% 27.7% 284
1.0% 1
104 101
1.64 2.84
53.8% 8.7% 569
36.5% 18.4% 38 19
3.8% 26.2% 274
4.8% 45.6% 475
1.0% 1
104 103
1.59 3.10
43.3% 17.5% 45 18
36.5% 35.0% 38 36
14.4% 22.3% 15 23
4.8% 24.3% 255
1.0% 1
104 103
1.81 2.54
37.5% 39
31.7% 33
21.2% 22
7.7% 8
1.9% 2
104
1.99
Well-being IMPACT
Rate the following statements: Positively
Neutrally
Negatively
N/A
19.2%
26.0%
19.2%
43.3% 61.5%
19.2%
15.4%
65.4%
30.8%
I felt well accommodated by faculty in terms of deadlines and work.
The pandemic has impacted the quality of my school work.
2.9%
The change in studio culture/ community has impacted my education.
3.8%
13.5%
20.2%
47.1%
45.2% 29.8%
The change in lecture format has impacted my education.
2.9%
37.5%
The shift to online learning has impacted my mental health.
14.4%
51.0%
31.7%
The shift to online learning has impacted my physical health.
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Well-being COMMENTS "The statements above are true, but it’s about more than the shift to online education. It’s about staying home for school AND everything else."
"In order to stay more connected with studio classmates, Quercus / Blackboard collaboration video chats should be smoother and more reliable like Zoom."
"It has been difficult for those of us who live alone and looked forward to the few hours of face-to-face interaction during classes each week."
"Stress."
"Moving home and trying to complete my courses and thesis has done a lot of damage to my mental and physical health. If the Daniel's Faculty cared about mental health, they would have asked at the beginning of COVID what resources we needed to get by and ask for student feedback prior to making the big decision to go digital and keep all deadlines. On the Daniel's Instagram page, posts of professors’ beautiful home offices damage my mental health and others who do not have the same financial and physical resources for a functional space. Daniel's was extremely delayed in offering financial aid, past the point of helping me finish my thesis. Barriers to financial aid negatively impacts my mental health. Instead of Instagram posts about home offices, Daniels should make posts about how professors are managing their mental and physical health." "I'm stuck inside most days what do you think?" "It is very challenging doing studio work, especially in groups when you cannot interact with your group, especially if you are a tactile worker who communicates better through active sketches and models. It is also a loss when you aren't able to work with your cohort and learn from their work. It feels like my design has become limited by a lack of exposure to my colleagues techniques." "Not enough emphasis or resources coming from U of T/ Daniels. Very disappointing." "Losing support from peers impacts our mental health negatively, lost a vital support system." "I am stuck inside." 46
"Sleeping schedule had to shift in order to be able to work from home after all family members slept. I would barely have 3 hrs of sleep a day for a month and would go to bed at 7 or 8 am." "It will and is having a huge impact on my physical and mental well-being." "Now that we are forced to work from home it is up to us to seek out physical activity and not just sit around all day. If one sits around all day choosing not to do physical activity, it will catch up with that individual in negative ways." "We are not all equipped with suitable working environments at home. That’s a privilege FYI." "I have been able to sleep more as a result of this." "Not really anyone's fault, isolation is important for dealing with a pandemic." "Family members of mine have passed away during the pandemic and it has been very hard on my mental health and wellness.." "We spend a lot of time in studio and building a community that supports each other through difficult times. When physically distanced from that community, it’s difficult to stay motivated, feel supported or show support. One thing I also feel like I missed out on is seeing the work of my peers. Usually with pin ups and reviews I’m able to see my peers work progress, provide support and encouragement while learning from them. This was not the case via online platforms."
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts “If U of T and Daniels remain closed next term, I would expect a decrease in tuition fee. Also I think the assignments and submission requirements should not be the same as pre-COVID. Students should be given more time with less deadline pressure to be able to work in current conditions.”
- Student Response
INTRODUCTION This section concludes the assessment of COVID19's impact on the student body. It consists of closing questions regarding the status of the building as well as year-specific questions and concerns.
KEY TAKEAWAYS • First year students going into second year expressed concerns for Superstudio, which is a collaborative studio project including students from M.Arch, MLA and MUD. • Second year students going into third year expressed worries about the loss of opportunities for travel, visiting professors and Global Architecture program. • Third year students going into Thesis expressed disappointment in missed opportunities to travel for thesis and were worried about the quality of their final semester at Daniels due to the pandemic. • Graduating students expressed an interest in opportunities to showcase their thesis work in a physical format when it is safe to do so.
The following is a summary of the results of the Final Thoughts section of the COVID-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty survey. We strongly encourage you to look through the report and draw your own conclusions. SUMMARY OF RESULTS Many students expressed concerns over the status of the building and the format of classes in the upcoming Fall semester. Related to this, students also expressed the need for a decrease in tuition and other fees if the building remains closed.
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Final Thoughts GALDSU Covid-19 BUILDING STATUSand Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
How longHow do youlong expect the University of Toronto buildingsand to remain closed to students? Q29 doDaniels you Building expectandthe Daniels Building University of
Toronto buildings to remain closed to students? Answered: 103
1-2 1-2 months months
Skipped: 1
25.0%
2-4 2-4 months months
29.8%
4-6 4-6 months months
25.0%
6-126-12 months months
10.6%
12+12+ months months
4.8%
Prefer not to Prefer not to answer answer Other (please Other (please specify) specify) 0% 0%
3.8%
1.0% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 100% 90%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES 25.24%
26
2-4 months
30.10%
31
4-6 months
25.24%
26
6-12 months
9.71%
10
12+ months
4.85%
5
Prefer not to answer
3.88%
4
Other (please specify)
0.97%
1
•
1-2 months
Depends on the progression of the pandemic
TOTAL
103
#
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
DATE
1
Depends on the progression of the pandemic
5/4/2020 2:47 PM
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Final Thoughts GALDSU Covid-19 and Student Impact at the Daniels Faculty
SurveyMonkey
BUILDING STATUS
Q30 When the Daniels Building is reopened to students, what classroom When the Daniels Building is reopened to students, what classroom seating density and seating density and arrangements would you expect to arrangements be comfortable would you expect to be comfortable with? with? Answered: 103
Return toReturn existingto seating density existing...
Skipped: 1
16.3.0%
Return to existing seating Return to density with new partitions between desks existing... and seats
11.5%
Sitting at every otherat Sitting desk every other...
9.6%
6 feet of space between 6 feet of seats socialalldista...
19.2%
DependsDepends on officialon recommendations official...
39.4%
Prefer not to Prefer not to answer answer
1.9%
Other (please Other (please specify) specify)
1.9%
0% 0%
10% 10%
20% 20%
30% 30%
40% 40%
50% 50%
60% 60%
70% 70%
80% 80%
90% 100% 90% 100%
Percentage of Respondents
ANSWER CHOICES
RESPONSES
• Return to existing seating density
Open the studio to grad students only (there are other schools with studio programs doing this) and spread out grad students between all studios to allow for adequate social distancing practices. Return to existing seating density partitions between andfor seats • with Ournew ram-packed studio space isdesks inadequate normal operations, let alone socially-distanced seating. Sitting at every other desk
16.50%
17
11.65%
12
8.74%
9
6 feet of social distance between all seats
19.42%
20
Depends on official recommendations
39.81%
41
Prefer not to answer
1.94%
2
Other (please specify)
1.94%
2
TOTAL
103
#
OTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)
DATE
1
Open the studio to grad students only (there are other schools with studio programs doing this) and spread out grad students between all studios to allow for adequate social distancing practices.
5/11/2020 6:32 PM
2
Our ram-packed studio space is inadequate for normal operations, let alone socially-distanced
5/6/2020 4:04 PM
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Final Thoughts 1ST YEAR STUDENTS ONLY
Yes
No
5.0% 13.2%
86.6%
I worry about doing collaborative work next year over online platforms.
95.0%
I worry that I will not get the same quality of education for the same tuition if it remains on an online platform.
5.6%
39.5% 60.5%
I am considering taking a leave of absence to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on my education at Daniels.
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94.4%
If yes, a decrease in tuition would ease some of my worries.
Final Thoughts 1ST YEAR STUDENTS ONLY "Lack of access to facilities should be reflected in the tuition for the upcoming year." "Because second year has super studio which contains a lot of group work, I’m concerned about how this will work online." "Going into second year with the advanced MArch students is concerning as the courses are collaborative in structure. It would be difficult to navigate expectations remotely." "I am an international student and I am considering take a year of absence due to COVID-19. But I am worried about that it will influence me getting a work visa after graduate." "I am concerned with how this will impact the ease of working in super-studio. It seems very integrative and benefits from significant face to face interaction and communication which I believe will be worse in the online format."
"The concern that I am having is online platform for the upcoming year at Fall, will impact the communication, complexity and quality of the group project." "Would be great for tuition to be lowered if we are doing things online or at least provide more programs for us to use, I know there isn't much you can do to get us back in the school and back to normal it depends on the pandemic situation but if our education is changing/suffering I think everyone should take it for the team and we all get through this together by all taking a part of the hit." "If everything is online, and we are not using the facilities on campus, we should be reimbursed and pay lesser tuition to pay for the infrastructure and rent we are now paying for at 'home'." "Please rethink/reorganize the structure of Superstudio!"
"I didn’t like one class was canceled 1 hour before starting and never given back another day. In that class, Viscom, we only had desk crits without lectures, which I felt a waste of money and time without learning anything. If classes will be this way, I’m not planning in continue." "If U of T and Daniels remain closed during next term, I would expect a decrease in tuition fee. Also I think the assignments and submission requirements should not be the same as preCOVID. Students should be given more time with less deadline pressure to be able to work in current conditions." "Should classes remain online during upcoming semesters, the very least I expect is a decrease in tuition. I should not be paying for services I cannot access." "It is either I work in studio or not go to architecture school at all. Studio culture is one of the reasons I went to Daniels. I am not really learning anything at home."
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Final Thoughts 2ND YEAR STUDENTS ONLY
Yes
No
6.3%
2.9% 9.1%
86.6% 93.8%
97.1%
I worry that I will not be met with the same opportunities afforded by third year option studios due to COVID-19.
I worry my research and thesis studio will be negatively affected by COVID-19.
7.1%
41.9%
58.1% 92.9%
I am considering taking a leave of absence to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on my education at Daniels.
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If yes, a decrease in tuition would ease some of my worries.
90.9%
I worry about the quality of my education on an online platform.
Final Thoughts 2ND YEAR STUDENTS ONLY "Going into 3rd year, opportunities from option studios and research studio are highly anticipated and would hope to not lose that."
"Tuition must be lowered if next semester is online again, otherwise I'd take a leave of absence and possible look into other schools."
"I should have already graduated... the MVS grad cohort is in a state of limbo... waiting for direction from the Art Museum."
"As an incoming 3rd year student I am worried about the loss of visiting option studio professors and the loss of option studio travel. These are opportunities that I have been looking forward to since starting at Daniels."
"Due to the pandemic, personal finance has been affected. And the use of school facility might be reduced. In those condition it is better if the tuition could be reduced." "Sad that we got jumped with the option of the three year program after it seemed off the table. it only adds another layer of confusion to everything." "International global architecture was canceled. I intentionally wanted to go this summer to help with course load. I already got accepted and am curious if it will be rescheduled or reoffered to us?" "Again, it would be great to hear from faculty acknowledging these things. I want to know what I can gain when knowingly losing certain aspects of the education I came here for. At the end of the day, we have to pay for the education and we want to feel like it’s worth the investment when many parts of it are missing. We’re also coping with concerns about the future outside of school, including finances, family, mental health, etc. with or without COVID. I have yet to feel like education will save everything which is sad because I love being in school. It’s a fine line, to adapt or to not compromise with obvious and hidden weight." "Many are worried about the impact on option studio and research studios." "I’m considering taking a year off for health reasons as well as to reconsider my career path (still architecture related, but not at Daniels)."
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Final Thoughts 3RD YEAR STUDENTS ONLY
Yes
No
5.7% 11.8%
94.3%
88.2%
I worry that my thesis research, and thesis related travel will be negatively affected by COVID-19.
40.6%
59.4%
I am considering taking a leave of absence to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on my education at Daniels.
56
I worry about the quality of my education on an online platform.
100%
If yes, a decrease in tuition would ease some of my worries.
Final Thoughts 3RD YEAR STUDENTS ONLY "If we will keep working at home nest semester, school should consider the time difference for international student that some of them might be working at their country." "If the school shuts down due to COVID-19, then modelmaking will at the workshop will either be canceled or there will have to be a sign-up schedule to accommodate social distancing measures. So how will thesis students in the future of another pandemic be able to fulfill these requirements to their best potential?" "I had been planning on doing the summer abroad program, specifically to reduce my school work load during my thesis semester. Now that the summer abroad has been canceled, I am concerned about my thesis semester." "Wrote it In the first year section." "I was excited by the opportunity of traveling in pre-thesis and now we probably will not. I think my thesis will be worse if I have to complete it entirely remotely. The reason I chose to come to Daniels for my masters was because of the thesis program and I'm deeply worried the pandemic will adversely affect my thesis experience."
57
Final Thoughts THESIS STUDENTS ONLY
Yes
No
7.7% 15.4%
84.6%
I worry that my thesis has been negatively affected by COVID-19.
58
92.3%
I would be interested in an in-person convocation ceremony when it is appropriate to do so.
Final Thoughts THESIS STUDENTS ONLY "Virtual Studio worked out. I think the presentation format and quality of work are still great under such circumstances." "For the last year students, it will be great if we are allowed to go back to Daniels to pack all the belongings we left at studio, especially for those who are going to other city or country in the near future." "It would be nice to have the option to physically display our thesis work at the Daniels Faculty when it is safe to do so." "Convocation is a very important part of the completion of my graduate degree. I would like the opportunity to participate in my convocation in person, as I have worked very hard over the past 3 years for this day." "I intended to build something at 1:1 for my thesis, it would be nice to know if that's possible now." "There was an email indicating the school was going to be shut down to the public but there was NO email indicating the Daniels building would be shut down to everyone. I left an expensive roll of paper I thought I would be able to pick up after thesis was complete but was turned away when I realized the entire school was locked down. The response from the administration for me to pick up this roll of paper was very bureaucratic when there could have been more accommodation to the graduating May 2020 class as there are not that many of us or have specific times for people to come in to pick anything they've left behind. But mostly very angry that a second email was NOT sent warning us that the school was closing down completely." "I understand the COVID-19 impact for the Daniels Faculty. I am also concerned about the health issue. Instead of doing class remotely for the coming term in fall, if the situation is allowed, hopefully we can go back to studio with certain density or do half working remotely such as bigger lecture and half working in the studio such as studio classes."
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Final Thoughts FINAL FEEDBACK
Is there anything else you would like to state regarding COVID-19 and student life at the Daniels Faculty?
"Maybe less tuition." "We are reasonable and we want everyone to stay safe. Open communication between school and students could be better." "As an international student from China, I couldn’t login to FTP or Ins or Facebook or even GOOGLE to get new information. Please send new notifications through UT-email as soon as possible because we have to consider the tuition fee, rent and air tickets in this special situation 2 months earlier. Thank you for understanding." "COVID-19 has particularly impacted design students at the University of Toronto, who use experiential and hands-on learning to further their design research and work. My final thesis presentation would have greatly benefited from in-person dialogue with my peers and access to the fabrication facilities at One Spadina." "I would like to know if there will be a reduction [in tuition fees], especially for international students and how the faculty will support us." "I would very much like to have a tuition decrease due to our inaccessibility to school space and facilities if classes remain online." "We should have had some kind of tuition refund for the last 1.5 month we studied at home. We weren’t using any of Daniel’s resources except for very limited time with the professors." "Not everyone has a decent home-life or the financial ability to move out of that situation." 60
"I hope this feedback is taken seriously and that this survey is not done or used tokenistically. I also hope that upon returning to the Daniels building, adequate sanitation of the building has taken place." "We cannot return online-too difficult, Either full time in person or the complete cancellation until this COVID thing is over." "I would rather have the school/Daniels open when everything is back to normal again than having online classes and not having studio culture. I don’t mind moving my graduation date at another year as long as I get a proper architecture education." "More positive notices from admin would ease some of the stress. The people reaching out are clearly being treated like numbers. We’ve paid too much for our education to be treated this way." "We pay a lot in tuition, and have lost access to all the resources that I benefit from. I cannot justify paying full tuition next year if the school is still using online platforms." "What is the situation with decreasing current second year’s education period from 3.5 years to 3 years?" "It was really thoughtful of instructors to invite students from other studios to sit in on virtual reviews. As a good first year student it is really valuable to see the work of 2nd and 3rd year students. Though we received a dean invite, I feel that was a big COVID-related loss this semester." [Continued on next page]
COMMENTS CONT'D
"I feel that the majority of staff has done a great job considering the circumstances. There was one class and professor that didn’t really try to teach us during this time and just posted pre-recorded lectures on Quercus. This had a negative impact on what I would've learned if it was a live lecture (especially for the tuition we're paying). If this continues into the new semester, it's important for professors to put in the time to learn the online platforms and teach us as they would if we had class in person (posting pre-recorded lectures on Quercus is not adequate). Also as a student going into 2nd year (especially with the level of teamwork that is required in studio) I'm very concerned about how we would be coordinating projects with team members and the level and quality of work we could produce." "I feel if the school year does continue with this online format in the fall, it is imperative that the faculty considers adding more breaks (a fall reading week, extended blackout period) I feel two breaks within the fall/winter semester would help students greatly."
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Final Thoughts FINAL FEEDBACK
Do you have any suggestions for boosting our school’s collective morale?
"It would be good to have some type of sign up sheet which allows students to access the building in controlled groups (especially workshops)." "Online gathering once in a while will be helpful." "Care packages, access to documentaries/presentations/books/ magazines related to our profession, gift cards, sending cheques with printer balance to students, arts and crafts ideas, article of professors speaking about mental health, a video of professors staying physically active would be funny, summer bursaries for recent grads to work on design projects of their choosing." "Financial support." "Do not reduce the quality of lectures vs quantity of given work." "I think Piper the dog should make an Instagram appearance." "Decreasing tuition for next year if school will be online." "Group chats make it hard to participate. Maybe there can be a Chatroulette/ speed dating style happy hour so we can reconnect with acquaintances and profs for a few minutes then be forced to move onto the next person." "Be more transparent with processes and conversations relating to our education and completion of the program." "Yes - Open up ASAP!!!"
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"It would be nice to hear news about Daniels helping fight this pandemic." "Care culture, positive emails from admin. Stats on this survey so students know they aren’t alone." "Publications? Platforms?" "Just keep the open communications going. Thanks!" "Most of the students are stuck at home not able to work. It would be great if some profs did creative workshops maybe an hour every week to help us stay creative during these times. Even an Instagram takeover?" "Not much you can do unless you're planning to give a lot back to the students." "Launching an architecture competition for design solutions for the pandemic available only to Daniels students!" "Investing more in fostering an online community, whether with podcasts or online lectures, or peer mentors. Most important, acknowledge that times are very unusual and that its okay to feel stressed and anxious right now. Also PLEASE keep students as updated as possible with decision being made by school. we should not be the last to find out. keep us in the loop. this information is critical to and directly impacts our education. show us respect and keep us informed." [Continued on next page]
COMMENTS CONT'D
"More transparent forecast/ updates/ news regarding fall semester; more flexible employment and financial assistance would be appreciated." "Online movie club." "Fulfilling the promise to host a convocation for the 2020 graduates at some point in the future." "No. but this is a very good question :)" "Lower tuition overall." "Money for pizza." "Unfortunately, no. It definitely [is] a challenging time. One of the best things could be to make mental health and wellness more available for students who need it but don't know how to find it or access it."
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Recommendations
Recommendations FROM THE EXECUTIVE
This ad-hoc survey offers a snapshot into the impact of COVID-19 including experiences and well-being of the graduate students at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. We offer the following suggestions as a list of areas for improvement for the new academic year. 1. Mental Health Support There is a clear need for explicit mental health support. First and foremost, the existing list of resources needs to be more accessible and clearly communicated through all communication channels. We recommend setting up a portal for easy communication with the school beyond email. In addition, there needs to be a holistic approach in order to support students through this difficult time. For example, the coursework should be reformatted to take into consideration the working and mental conditions of students when working remotely. Lastly, the biggest concern students expressed was anxiety over future prospects and how COVID-19 affects their education and therefore their well-being. This could be eased through mentorship from instructors, opening up a dialogue and strengthening the relationship between students and the Faculty as well as future networking opportunities set up by the school or GALDSU.
Additionally, we ask the Financial Aid and Awards office at Daniels to provide clearly laid out financial resources for students along with hosting online workshops on budgeting, career development, and funding and other applications. Lastly, we recommend the school to address the issues of tuition and other fees for the upcoming Fall semester as they progress. We anticipate that the issues of access to facilities as well as related fees will be communicated to students once the information becomes available. 3. Online Space for Collaboration It is evident that moving away from the shared studio space to working remotely significantly affected students' performance and experience, indicating that students thrive in a collaborative setting and interaction with their peers. We recommend rethinking of studio reviews to include more peers, and resources to be put into finding different types of platforms best suited for each deliverable or project. Understanding that this is an unprecedented time, we require openness and patience from everyone, including students, the Faculty, the Registrar's Office, student representatives (General Council) and GALDSU, in testing out different formats of working together.
2. Financial Support Socioeconomic factors affect students' well-being significantly when working remotely and there needs to be a recognition and support for this from GALDSU, the Faculty and the Registrar's Office. We recommend that the school should create more opportunities such as Research and Teaching Assistantship just as they did in the summer months, as well as other competitions or scholarships to support students financially.
65
Resources We want to also take this opportunity to remind you of some of the supports and services here at Daniels and on campus if you are feeling distressed.
Free 24/7 support is available outside the university. Students, staff and faculty can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day:
The Graduate Architecture, Landscape and Design Student Union (GALDSU) is always here to provide support, advocate for your needs, and facilitate in navigating through any problem you may be facing. We can be reached by email:
• Good 2 Talk Student Helpline, 1-866-925-5454. Professional counseling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being. • Gerstein Crisis Centre, 416-929-5200 • Distress Centres of Greater Toronto, 416-408-HELP (4357) • Assaulted Women’s Helpline, 416-863-0511 • Central Intake, Emergency Shelters, 416-338-4766 • Canada Suicide Prevention Service, 1-833-456-4566 • The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street 416-535-8501 • Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line, 416-360-0486 • My SSP for U of T Students, 1-844-451-9700. Immediate counseling support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.
galdsu@daniels.utoronto.ca In addition, the Registrar & Student Services office (DA100) are also always here to assist you, whether you require advice or support for an academic or personal matter: 416-946-3897 / registrar@daniels.utoronto.ca Additional services available on the St. George campus, located at the Koffler Student Services Centre: • Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030 extension 5). To see the Daniels Wellness Counselor, identify yourself as a Daniels’ student • Academic Success Centre • Centre for International Experience • Family Care Office • Multi-Faith Centre • Accessibility Services which is located at 455 Spadina Ave, 4th floor, Suite 400
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Graduate Architecture, Landscape, & Design Student Union Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, & Design University of Toronto
Additional Resources PAST REPORTS Health & Well-being Report 2018-2019 Health & Well-being Report 2016-2017 Health & Well-being Report 2015-2016 Health & Well-being Report 2014-2015 Mental Health Report 2013-2014
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT www.galdsu.ca
CONTACT US
twitter@galdsu.ca www.facebook.com/galdsu galdsu@daniels.utoronto.ca
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Acknowledgment
PARTICIPATION We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of the graduate students at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto for being part of this important dialogue and for sharing their experiences. Your participation, both in this survey and student life is invaluable.
DATA PROCESSING BY Ji Hee Kim M.Arch II Valerie Marshall M.Arch III
In addition, we would like to thank the following people for their dedication and time in the compilation and review of data as well as the preparation of this report:
COPY EDITORS Ji Hee Kim M.Arch II Valerie Marshall M.Arch III
Ji Hee Kim (M.Arch II) Valerie Marshall (M.Arch III)
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WRITTEN & EDITED BY Justin Hung M.Arch I Ji Hee Kim M.Arch II Valerie Marshall M.Arch III
SURVEY AND REPORT PREPARED BY Ji Hee Kim M.Arch II Valerie Marshall M.Arch III