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Ryerson teams that provide career and co-op services, learning support and student experiences have risen to the challenge, moving quickly to shift their services and touchpoints online to keep students connected in this uncertain time. 鈥淭here鈥檚 anxiety from our staff about the impact this could have on the pursuit of our students鈥� careers, there's nervousness about what the next frontier looks like,鈥� says Caroline Konrad, Career and Co-op Centre director. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e been working around the clock to ensure that we鈥檙e able to put in place the tools that they need to move forward in this new world of ours.鈥�

To meet the needs of all students, including a significant commuter population, it鈥檚 been a goal for the teams to shift services online even before the pandemic. 鈥淐reating programming that鈥檚 accessible to everyone is a key focus of ours,鈥� says Konrad. 鈥淲e want students to have access, regardless of where they鈥檙e based, and when they require it. But a silver lining is that this has been an eye-opening experience 鈥� to see what more we can be doing online and how we can continue to expand this programming.鈥�

Exploring options and getting creative

The Student Learning Support team that helps students build academic skills, offered virtual and phone appointments prior to the pandemic, so transitioning to virtual sessions was straightforward. 鈥淚ncreasing that access was key for us, and it just so happens that we don鈥檛 have any other choice right now,鈥� says Kaitlyn Taylor-Asquini, Student Life & Learning director. 鈥淔rom Student Life, we鈥檝e been exploring options and getting creative. In addition to moving previously scheduled in-person programming to an online format, we鈥檝e been hosting a mid-day movie each day through Netflix Party as well as daily virtual check-ins to reduce the isolation.鈥�

For students wondering what services they can still access and how they can connect if they鈥檙e feeling isolated, the Career and Co-op Centre and Student Life & Learning have the following options available to all students:

• The Career & Co-op Centre is now offering its services virtually to students, employers and faculty and staff partners. For students, in addition to 1:1 appointments, this includes co-op site visits, workshops and online panels with recruiters. Book an appointment or .
• The team is now hosting virtual therapy dog sessions, and new sessions will be posted on ConnectRU.
• Connect with fellow students through two new offerings: hosted by Student Life and Learning Support. Staff and student-staff will be online and available for anyone to tune in and ask questions or talk to someone. All events can be found on the RU Connect website.
• and join the team鈥檚 next live yoga session, where they are offering free 30-minute classes to any students who want to participate. RU Recreation is also hosting live yoga classes through their .
• RU Student Life played with Instagram Live yoga sessions during the first week of the school's closure, with more than 300 users turning in for a fitness lesson. Ryerson Recreation is now hosting regular weekly fitness opportunities on their @rurecreation Instagram Live 鈥� explore the schedule on their website.
• Participate in the team鈥檚 storytelling efforts during this strange time by through their website, and watching other submissions.

The department鈥檚 COVID-19 taskforce is busy looking at the next phase of student support for the campus. 鈥淲e have to prepare for similar situations in the future,鈥� says Konrad. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking what we鈥檙e learning today to deepen and evolve our virtual offerings.鈥�

Taylor-Asquini says the uptake of online sessions has been extraordinary. 鈥淭he first week working remotely really challenged us to consider our programming and how to best engage students. In the days following, we've seen an uptick in programming with a majority of our appointment slots filled. Our students are quite adapted to living virtually, so we鈥檙e seeing the trend moving back to business as usual.鈥�

This is one story in a series about how Ryerson University departments have successfully faced the challenges presented by COVID-19.  

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