It’s Not the Learning Environment, It’s THE Environment

For the second year in a row, we start our academic year amid a global pandemic. We find ourselves welcoming new students through screens as many orientations are occurring online. Some in-person classes will soon begin, while other courses will be delivered virtually. Thanks to high vaccinations rates, careful precautions – including improved classroom ventilation – and diligent planning, in-person learning is possible once again. Unfortunately, COVID 19 still impacts our ability to do so fully. 

We face a hybrid existence, caught between resuming life as we knew it while being prudent in the face of the Fourth Wave of COVID-19 and the spread of the Delta Variant. Everyone’s willingness to be vaccinated and to comply with public health-mandated personal precautions will ensure the end of this pandemic and its tragic consequences on our health care systems, as well as our local and global communities.

As we start a new academic year, it’s important to reflect on the nature of our learning environments. Or, as my friend and colleague Professor Salvatore Spadafora would regularly remind me and others, there is no such thing as “the learning environment… it’s just THE environment” when you work in health care education. 

After a year and a half of online learning, I see that we can still effectively deliver the curriculum, and learners can develop their knowledge and understanding of critical concepts. Yet, it’s hard to build a strong sense of community and mutual support when you only know each other through online forums. This is further impacted by the harmful effects of social media on how we communicate with each other. It undermines our efforts to optimize the learning environment, which is a critical pillar of our Academic Strategic Plan, and to sustain a community in which everyone – learners, faculty, and staff – feels valued, respected and safe.

As Vice Dean of Medical Education (and currently the Acting Dean), a significant part of my role is helping to ensure an environment in which our learners can learn, live, and work towards their goals, surrounded by support and respect. But it’s not something I alone can do, so I want to ask for your help. Civility, kindness, perspective, and the ability to get along with others – including those with whom you may disagree – are essential to being part of a team. We all have a role to play in supporting a community in which everyone knows they belong. 

Displaying those characteristics is always important, but it’s essential in an online environment. Tone can be easily misread, the impact of what we say may not be immediately evident, and distance and a lack of personal relationships may make it easier to “clap back” than listen and engage. I encourage you to be kind, mindful and respectful in all of your interactions with fellow learners, faculty, and staff, whether they happen in-person or online.

It’s also crucial that when individuals fall short, we use those occasions as opportunities for learning and improvement. We need to provide space for people to grow from their mistakes, but we must also ensure accountability when that growth doesn’t occur. If you experience or witness mistreatment, including incidents of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or other disrespectful behaviour, I encourage you to reach out for assistance. 

If you have had a negative experience that you want to discuss, disclose, or report, we have confidential space to do so. I encourage you to reach out to program leaders – if you’re comfortable – or even myself. My door – physical or virtual – is open if you think there is more that I or others can do too. We are committed to fostering the environment and establishing the community where we can all thrive and feel supported by one another.

On behalf of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, I want to sincerely and enthusiastically welcome our new learners. We are glad that you have chosen to advance your studies and training with us. And to all of those faculty, staff, and learners who return for a new year, welcome back! I hope we will soon have the chance to see each other again on campus.

Patricia Houston
Acting Dean and Vice Dean, Medical Education
Temerty Faculty of Medicine