Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic transformed the ways we socialize, work and learn. In the area of higher education, major transformations were implemented to pivot from in-person teaching to virtual learning at home. In the province of Quebec, Canada, a province-wide university system called ‘Université du Québec’ has campuses in ten (10) cities within the province, including Montreal and Quebec City. The University of Quebec network has more than 100,000 students on these 10 campuses, including a well-established e-learning university campus. This e-learning university campus, called ‘Université TÉLUQ (abbreviation for Tele-distance de l’Université du Quebec) offers more than 20,000 students online-only courses, as well as the ability to fully complete an undergraduate, Masters or Doctoral degree.

During the pandemic, the number of students at TÉLUQ increased by almost 15% since 2020. This paper will identify challenges and opportunities related to this influx of new students who are primarily over the age of 21 and studying part-time. We will also discuss effective strategies that were implemented, and the creation of a learning resource for new students in an e-learning Geography program.

Keywords:

e-learning, geography, guidance, pandemic, distance education.