convergence: ontario
“Our Success is their Success.”1 By Susanne Bergmann // Freelance Writer The way we think about learning and working may change both in urban and rural areas. Through her interviews with Peggy Morin, Coordinator at the Centre d’éducation des adultes (CEA) in New Liskeard, and Renaud Saint-Cyr, Executive Director at Alpha-Toronto and three educators at his centre, namely Aziz Nachit, Mario Pierre and Mame Cheikh Ndiaye, the author of the article found that working remotely could become a learning and working asset.
What advantages have you seen from working remotely?
RURAL AREAS: PEGGY MORIN, CEA IN NEW LISKEARD2
What disadvantages working remotely?
The CEA in New Liskeard is an adult education centre that pro vides a range of free educational services in French. The centre also hosts an alternative school for learners who want to graduate from high school. Its clientele is composed primarily of seniors.
What advantages have you seen from working remotely? According to Peggy Morin, people usually communicate with her through the centre’s Facebook page. She then follows up privately to maintain confidentiality for future clients. Previously, the process was very informal and people would simply walk into the centre. Another important component is providing training to prac titioners. On a more personal level, working remotely has allowed Ms. Morin to invest more time in her work because she spent less time travelling to and from the office. As a result, she spent more time with her family members, some of whom were also working remotely. She had access to a quiet place and the tools she needed to work, which was another significant advantage.
What disadvantages working remotely?
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In the beginning, Internet connectivity was her biggest challenge and she had to upgrade to better services. Less human interactions and seeing the learners on a daily basis were also a disadvantage.
Do you believe remote work should continue? Not everyone enjoys working remotely and not all occupations are suitable for telework. Her preference remains to be at the office, surrounded by her great team and incredible learners. For Peggy, human contact is more important than working remotely.
URBAN AREAS: RENAUD SAINT-CYR, AZIZ NACHIT, MARIO PIERRE AND MAME CHEIKH NDIAYE, ALPHA TORONTO Alpha-Toronto is an adult education centre that provides trai ning services tailored to the needs of learners. Its clientele is composed of adults. Quote from Renaud Saint-Cyr, Executive Director at Alpha-Toronto, https://alpha-toronto.ca/. CEA in New Liskeard’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CEANL1/ [Available in French only]. 1
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The greatest advantage is that people have resumed courses that they were previously unable to attend (e.g., due to transpor tation issues). Currently, the barriers of transportation and the associated costs are no longer there. In addition, the spread of COVID-19 is less likely because learners are not travelling. More over, we noticed that some individuals are more comfortable pursuing their learning at home than at the centre.
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Working remotely requires a lot more from practitioners. In addition, there are no longer limits as to when they can be contacted (late at night or on weekends). Other challenges are technology-related, such as access to and use of the Internet and computer equipment like cameras or headsets. Another disadvantage is learner isolation. Socialization is definitely different because people interact less with each other. Even practitioners work longer hours because they have to answer questions in writing instead of taking five minutes to explain the same thing in person. But the biggest obstacle is confidentiality. Disclosure of personal information to practitioners continues to be a challenge. It should also be noted that the administrative burden has increased since the beginning of the pandemic. According to Renaud Saint-Cyr, there are many more forms to fill out for privacy purposes. He also mentioned that the centre is receiving funds that are currently being used to help some clients with the required computer equipment, whereas these funds used to contribute to transportation costs. The goal is to help people get out of poverty and to offer them alternatives so that they can avoid having to re-apply for social assistance, and to encourage them to complete their skills upgrade in order to transition successfully towards post-secondary studies.
Do you believe remote work should continue? After COVID-19, Mr. Saint-Cyr is planning to rotate practi tioners' schedules, as all learners can attend courses virtually at any time, with transportation and other barriers. He says the choice is clear, otherwise he risks losing clients. Practitioners at his centre believe that the hybrid model may be useful for some learners, particularly those who are work ing. Taking all this into consideration, learners must have the option to choose which model best suits their needs. After all, the future lies in technology. In spite of the challenges, Mr. Saint-Cyr expects that his centre will be offering hybrid services in the future. In light of comments made during the interviews, distance learning will undoubtedly remain at the heart of discussions and transformations with respect to Francophone adult educa tion in both urban and rural areas. t
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