Flexibility Abound: One Biotechnology Students’ Experience with Distance Education

Alec Lee is a student in a unique and challenging program. As a 4th year Biotechnology major and Philosophy minor, he is registered in the UBC-BCIT Biotechnology Program, a joint initiative of the UBC department of Microbiology and Immunology and the BCIT Biotechnology Program. This unique Bachelor of Science program combines the extensive training in science theory available at UBC with the extensive laboratory training available in the BCIT Biotechnology Program. Through this, Alec spent his 1st year at UBC, 2nd and 3rd at BCIT, and has now returned to UBC for his 4th and 5th years. Due to his intensive scheduling and relocation between campuses, he needed a way to accommodate his other courses and balance out his commitments. He shares, “I took a DE course because I could not make the in-class versions of the course work with my schedule. Last summer I was working full time and this semester I am taking a full course-load of 5 courses and I was not interested in any of the [on campus] PHIL courses that fit into my schedule.” By employing the flexibility of distance courses, Alec is saving time and receiving a diverse education.

Having taken distance Philosophy courses, Alec recognizes how they supplement and diversify his degree program. In PHIL 434A: Business and Professional Ethics he covered the moral issues arising in the world of business and professional practice, knowledge he has been able to integrate into his Biotechnology Program and his everyday life. Similarly, PHIL 435A: Environmental Ethics discusses moral problems arising in the context of human relationships, to nature, and to non-human living things. On PHIL 435A he notes, “it was beneficial to see the core ethical concepts applied in a number of practical areas, including our relationship with the environment.” He is currently enrolled in PHIL 434A: Business Ethics and is finding it “an important subject for anybody who is ever involved in a business transaction.”

In his PHIL 435A course, Alec, “had three essays of increasing value, a final exam, and part of the marks [were] assigned to our participation in the Vista discussions.” He found that “there was a great deal of interaction [in the course]; though [he] had never met them [he] recognized names on Vista and could track thoughts as they progressed through the course on different topics.” Despite the high level of interaction, Alec did notice a difference in the way that he interacted with others in the course. At times, Alec found it “difficult to bounce ideas back and forth with an instructor and peers as sometimes you have to wait a few days to get a response.”

Although Alec has found the level of interaction between students and professor different than that of a campus course, he really appreciates the flexibility of distance courses. “The scheduling is the main benefit. I can take the DE courses when I have time and during the regular semesters, I can lighten my course-load since I have completed more of my required credits. It enables me to spread things out and hence helps me keep a higher average.”

Alec did just this during the past summer. A requirement of Alec’s program is to complete co-op placements, and while working, Alec has continued his learning through distance education courses. He found himself in Croatia this past summer during the final exam period, and he “elected to take [the exam] at the Canadian embassy in Zagreb.” He was able to experience a new country, work full time and still complete his PHIL 435A course via distance education. Because of an arrangement with the Canadian embassy in Zagreb, Alec could accommodate his exam writing demands. This unique scenario allowed Alec to complete his coursework while on the other side of the world. He is just one of many students who have taken distance courses from another location, be it provincial, national, or international. This offers unique and diverse perspectives to online discussions and allows for immediate application of new knowledge to course themes. Alec is another great example of a student utilizing the flexibility of distance education to improve his educational experience.