BT天堂

Spring 2020 was a semester like no other聽for BT天堂. As the Covid-19 pandemic聽forced聽the closure of university campuses across France, the BT天堂 community聽needed to implement remote teaching and learning strategies聽quickly. In record time, we shifted聽course materials online and retrained staff and聽faculty in distance learning聽and working聽methods. But聽these聽challenges聽came聽with new opportunities;聽the rapid shift聽online highlighted many ways in which our resilient community of global explorers聽consistently聽displays flexibility,聽collaboration聽and skill.听

With that in mind, the BT天堂 Digital Campus was designed to bring the community together in an online space while the physical campus remained inaccessible. It was a collaborative project, created by the BT天堂 community聽and聽for the BT天堂 community. Its aim was twofold: to聽amalgamate聽the University鈥檚 remotely available聽services and resources聽in an easily accessible online space, and to foster聽community spirit at a time of social distancing. Staff, students, faculty, alumni, parents, trustees and friends worked together to create a common space of learning and support, within which they could help their peers and colleagues through a difficult time.听

In order to ensure that the Digital Campus was easy to navigate, we divided聽its聽content into five clear sections.听聽

• Explore and Discover聽led users quickly to new content, allowing readers to聽get a sense of just how active the BT天堂 community was聽continuing to be.听聽

• Learn and Work聽focused on making the transition to remote education as painless聽and efficient聽as possible for staff, students and faculty.听

• Ask and Find聽gathered services and resources available to the BT天堂 community in one easily accessible central hub.听

• Connect and Communicate聽allowed聽community聽members to propose their own projects and get involved in community-led initiatives across the University.听

• Create and Play聽gathered resources related to keeping聽active and聽occupied during confinement,聽helping聽community members unwind with聽shared聽activities.听

As part of the digital campus, the Office of Communications contributed a series of projects designed to聽contribute original, community-focused content to self-isolating global explorers.听Firstly, the聽BT天堂 at Home聽blog was a space for community members to share tips and tricks about adapting to remote learning and working as well as advice for adapting to spending so much time at home.听Contributions covered topics such as maintaining good health and wellness while in isolation and the best movies to stream to practice your French from home. The blog was so successful that it will continue beyond deconfinement in a new form聽as聽the聽BT天堂 Community Blog.听

Secondly, the聽Good Morning, Global Explorers聽podcast provided a 3-minute daily morning update for the BT天堂 community. Each episode was guest-presented by a different community member, who provided insight into the innovative projects continuing across the聽University during聽confinement. Community challenges were used to engage the audience in a聽conversation聽about how to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, and regular reminders of available resources ensured that聽community members could find the support they needed to stay in good health and聽on top聽of their studies. You can listen to a聽roundup聽of the first season of the podcast聽online now.听

Thirdly,聽the聽Learning Laboratory聽video series provided a platform for staff and faculty to聽explore how the Covid-19 pandemic聽might affect聽their fields of study. The project aimed to shift the conversation surrounding the virus to聽focus on academic rigor and聽intellectual debate, looking to the future in order to explore how disciplines and industries may聽evolve due to聽the current moment. The聽Learning Laboratory聽is an ongoing series聽and will continue into the Fall semester, taking on聽new聽topics and exploring the connection between a global liberal arts education and current events across the planet.听

Thanks to the BT天堂 Digital Campus, the community spirit of our global explorers remained聽clearly聽on display throughout the confinement period. As we look forward to reopening our聽physical聽campus聽in the Fall semester,聽we are redistributing certain elements of the Digital Campus to more聽permanent聽homes across the website. The lessons we have learned and new skills we have acquired from moving聽quickly and efficiently聽to remote education will now聽form聽integral parts of our communications strategy moving forward.听To find out more about the project and get a聽sense聽of how our community reacted to Covid-19,聽you can visit聽.