In Fall 2020, the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor moved online for all but select clinical and experiential learning opportunities. This will remain essentially the same in Winter 2021, with some important smaller group work occurring in person with a priority on the first-year experience.
Instructors are using both Blackboard, Teams and Zoom as teaching and learning platforms, with most students participating from areas outside the Windsor-Essex community. Online teaching has been a steep learning curve for most, especially regarding design for equitable and meaningful participation. Course design varies widely, including synchronous and asynchronous lecture, breakout activities, one-on-one meetings, student presentations, and so on. There have been relatively few issues with access to technology for faculty, staff and students. Students continue to host co-curricular and extracurricular meetings, with most clubs continuing online. Likewise, other student supports including mental health and wellness programming, career services, and so on remain active. Windsor Law is also undergoing a major building redesign which requires relocation; as such, faculty and staff will be dispersed across the University of Windsor’s main and downtown campuses. In some ways, we are modelling how to maintain relationships in the absence of a central building.