MAJOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVE 3 – Strategic adaptation due to COVID-19

priority for the College at is January 25, 2021 Board meeting. The College will continue to advocate and develop a strategy to secure financial support for the design phase of the project. An updated Business Case will be submitted to government in mid June 2021 and will be further reiterated that a new campus in the Battlefords remains a top priority for the College and the College Board.

MAJOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVE 3 – Strategic adaptation due to COVID-19

The third strategic initiative in 2021/22 continues to be the College’s strategic adaptation to the current State of Emergency and effectively positioning us for long-term sustainability as we anticipate the effects of the pandemic to dissipate over time. Colleges, by their very nature are well suited to major shifts in business practice. Saskatchewan Regional colleges are relatively smaller in size compared to our Universities and Polytechnic, but we are responsive, adaptable, streamlined and efficient business and program delivery practices. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed and challenged the PSS to re-evaluate past practices, and implement innovative and strategic initiatives to better position our institutions for sustainable success in the future. For example, in 2019/20 several programs shifted to alternative delivery modalities, but full online learning proved challenging given the absence of an established Learning Management System (LMS) at NWC. For 2020/21, the College invested in Google Classroom as a platform to support blended learning. The College continues to explore a longterm LMS system solution. The College implemented the use of Chromebooks for all of our Adult Basic Education programs, and electronic devices became mandatory for all programs. NWC also invested in an Educational Technologist to support training for staff and students on the effective use of technology, make recommendations on technology hardware and support instructors in instructional design as they transitioned to blended learning. This initiative provided students and staff the ability to pivot when needed while continuing to learn and work remotely when required. Throughout the current State of Emergency, NWC has played a leadership role advocating for, and educating the sector about the digital divide and socio-economic barriers to success that a blended model presents to our students, as well as the necessity for increased mental health supports for our staff and students. The College will continue this work to ensure inclusive education for all learners. The pandemic has taught society in general, that we are stronger and more innovative than we think. Although working and learning from home was not something we envisioned 14 months ago, we did it, we have learned from it, and we will continue to do it and improve it as we go. We can help overcome a number of struggles and barriers; however, rural connectivity remains a challenge especially in the region we serve. NWC identified many potential external factors in spring of 2020 that would adversely impact and effect program delivery and student success during the pandemic. As most of these predictions came to fruition, the largest negative impact on student participation and success being directly linked to the fact many of our First Nations communities were on lock down for several months during the academic year. This also significantly impacted student and staff mental health and wellness. The College is hopeful the province’s vaccination roll out plans will support improved access to programming and student supports, reduce reliance on poor internet connection and other barriers to success.

NWC will continue with electronic devices for all students and begin to offer online enrolment for students wanting to pursue their post secondary certificate online in the 2021/22 program year.

Programs conducive to online learning will be offered this fall. This will increase the seat capacity in programs regardless of the public health measures and will continue exploring alternative options and programs in high demand in alignment with labour market needs post-pandemic. We anticipate business practices and learning will be forever impacted, and the College will continue to investigate, invest in and implement the tools and supports required for our staff, students and college community to succeed as we navigate through our “new world”.