Student Information

As you are aware, on September 15 the Government of Alberta announced new vaccine requirements and measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the strain on the health care system. These measures took effect September 16 and 20. All employee and student communications were issued last week based on information available at the time.

Since Friday September 17, there have been new developments, specifically:

• a change to the Alberta Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) that categorizes post-secondary institutions as out-of-scope
• introduction of CMOH Order 042-2021 (viewable here) that gives Post-secondary institutions the authority to implement a student proof of vaccination program on September 20
• individuals can now access a convenient card-sized proof of vaccination on alberta.ca/CovidRecords

College leadership has reviewed CMOH Order 042-2021 and intends to implement a student proof of vaccination program that will permit resumption of in-class learning on October 4. Classes will continue to be delivered on-line for the next two weeks to allow for planning and implementation.

We have sought clarification from Advanced Education as to whether CMOH Order 042-2021 is applicable to employees of an institution as some language in the Order has created confusion. I want to stress that we cannot rule out that proof of vaccination for employees may be a requirement under CMOH 042-2021, albeit unlikely, or become a requirement at some future date via provincial measures or introduced by the College. However, we advise all faculty and staff to get vaccinated if they have not done so already. This is an important action that will enable the campus to remain open and protect our community.

Some students will refuse to get vaccinated and their options will be limited:

• get vaccinated
• obtaining a medical exemption or exemption on charter protected grounds
• withdrawal from program
• produce a COVID-19 negative test at their own expense
• produce a COVID-19 test at the College expense if the student received a first dose after September 20 and second dose on or before October 18. Students must be fully immunized by November 1
On Friday September 17, College Leadership approved implementation of a proof of vaccination program for SSWC recreation patrons and student athletes. This will permit practices and competition to continue.

We want to thank Academic Leadership and Faculty for their quick pivot to get programs on-line for today. We also want to thank everyone involved in navigating the new measures thus far, knowing more work is to be done. We are committed to information sharing and answering employee and student questions. We are working on a frequently asked questions guide and messaging. Details are being worked and we will share information as soon as possible.

May 26 - Keyano College to Deliver Majority of Fall Courses Online

May 4, 2020 - Keyano delaying Spring Semester start until May 11

April 22, 2020 - New measures to support students affected by COVID-19

Final Grades and Course Outlines

Final grades for Winter 2020 credit courses will be assigned as per the course outline.  Generally, these are letter grades, with the exception of College Preparation and Trades programs who report in percentage, and some courses which are identified as Pass/Fail. As part of the transition to remote learning, instructors may have updated the course evaluation scheme in the course outline.  Your instructor will communicate the revised course evaluation and post it in Moodle.

If you are struggling to complete your courses, please contact your instructor and/or chairperson to explore course completion options.

Exams

Final Exams for Keyano College courses will be administered at the end of the Winter 2020 semester at the discretion of instructors.  Instructors are exploring alternative assessment such as open book exams and final assignment instead of a final exam. If final examinations are to be completed, the exam will be done remotely to keep everyone safe.   Your instructor will provide you details about how the exam will be administered online.

Exam period is from April 14 – April 22. See Keyano’s Winter 2020 exam schedule for your exam dates and times.

Student Supports

Student Services is here to help students.  For help, please email and we will follow up with you to determine how best to help.  All of our Student Services employees offer face-to-face on-line support. 

• For help with homework or assignments contact the Skill Centre.  
  
• For help with time management, organization, study skills email Academic Success. 
  
• For learning accommodations contact Accessibility Services.  
  
• For Mental Health support please email Wellness Services. 
• For library services support contact the Library. 
• For student advising email Student Advisors. 

Important: After Tuesday, March 24, staff (other than executive, facilities, and some IT) will require approval from their VP or an Executive Committee member for access. All will need to sign in and out with Security at Entrance F in the Main Clearwater Campus. Facilities will begin the process of shutting down buildings after Tuesday. 

Students requiring access to computers for course completion will be accommodated through Housing.

We apologize for any inconvenience. As always, our top priority is the health and safety of our staff and students, as well as community. We encourage all to continue to practice social distancing and proper personal hygiene (proper and regular hand washing) at all times.

For the most up to date information on Keyano’s response to the pandemic, visit Keyano.ca/coronavirus. For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19, please visit the Government of Canada and Alberta Health websites.

Please also opt in to our messaging system, SchoolMessenger, for urgent and important messages.

Students can apply for emergency financial support through the Government of Alberta that covers,

• Food, clothing, child care, transportation, damage deposit, temporary accommodation, utility arrears (one off), and eviction prevention payments (one off).

Even if you're from another province you can apply, as technically you're an Albertan resident while at college, however, it is better that you contact you home province first.

Visit the Government of Alberta's emergency financial assistance webpage to find out more. 

The federal government is also placing a six-month interest-free moratorium on the repayment of Canada Student Loans for all individuals currently in the process of repaying these loans. Alberta Student Loan repayments will be paused for six months, beginning March 30, 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present unprecedented challenges for all Albertans and for our Keyano community.

Given the rapidly evolving situation, Keyano College will cancel the 2020 Convocation ceremonies planned for this spring. Graduating students will receive their parchments through Canada Post.

We realize this is disappointing for many. Please note, although convocation ceremonies are cancelled, we are taking measures to ensure, where possible, studies can be completed online and successful students can graduate.   

• Nursing and Practical Nursing students will be contacted directly from the Nursing Faculty regarding the status of the Pinning Ceremony. 

The March-April and May-June intakes for apprenticeship training are cancelled. Refunds will be automatically processed, there is no need to contact the Office of the Registrar for confirmation at this time. Refunds will be sent to the address identified in your MyTradeSecrets account.
Advanced Education has been working with eleven post-secondary institutions who deliver classroom learning to determine the best course of action that will help protect the health of apprentices, instructors and staff.
Apprentices who started classroom instruction on or after March 2, 2020 will also be refunded. Priority will be given to affected apprentices seeking to re-register for classes in the 2020/21 academic year. Details to follow.

Apprentices who started technical training before March 2, 2020 will be contacted and advised by their institution about next steps for distance learning options, assessments and completion. Apprentices who complete the program and are in good academic standing will not be required to challenge the provincial theory or practical examinations.

For more information please visit the provinces trades website. You can also contact the AIT Information Line at 1-800-248-4823 if you need information or wish to discuss your apprenticeship.

Thank you for your patience while we work through the logistics of resuming delivery of Keyano’s Power Engineering COOP program.

Both Power Engineering 3rd and 4th Class will resume classes on Friday, March 20. The delivery of the program will proceed as scheduled with accommodation for time missed, if necessary. The format of delivery will be as an online/blended technology format to ensure that academic programming integrity is maintained.

Your instructors will contact you directly via email to share the updated schedule and course information.

We are currently in the process of converting our programs below to online delivery. To register for any upcoming online courses, please log into Self Service or call Office of the Registrar at 791-4801, or email Continuing Education registration. If you are registered in any of these programs up until the end of April, we will be contacting you for more information.

Professional Certificates

Computer Training

Shifting to Wellness

Languages (French & Spanish)

Professional Development

Online courses will be delivered via Moodle and Microsoft Teams software. Please ensure that you can log into your Keyano Mail account.

Take our fully developed online Asset Planning & Management program!

Our online partners also offer training opportunities! See online courses available with Ed2Go, MindEdge, CarriersEdge, Contendo and Speech Science.

Students affected by cancellations or postponement of the following courses will be contacted directly.
• Equipment Safety Training
• Driver Training (Class 1 MELT & Class 3)
• Testing Services
• Computer Skills Workshops

As an update to our earlier notice, please note that students will be allowed access to College buildings to access or remove personal property as well as to use college computers and study areas.

Classes remain cancelled. Over the coming days we will be moving courses online and will communicate more with you at later time about that. We encourage all students to practice social distancing and proper personal hygiene (proper and regular hand washing) at all times.

Please note: We will require students to wear students IDs while using College facilities.

This remains a quickly changing situation and we ask that all students check their emails regularly. We encourage all students to also sign up for SchoolMessenger.

We ask any students experiencing food insecurities to watch for future communications. For official information on the COVID-19 outbreak please visit the Government of Alberta webpage.

• Blended approach
• Students can request in-person or virtual appointments by emailing academic.success@keyano.ca 
• The Academic Success Centre will remain open from 8:30am - 4:30pm for drop-in support, Monday to Friday

• Blended approach
• Students can request in-person or virtual appointments by emailing accessibility.services@keyano.ca 
• Accessibility Services will remain open from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday

• Limited hours
• The Library will be open from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday
• Students can request virtual appointments by emailing askthelibrary@keyano.ca 
• Students and employees can access Library online resources off-campus, generate their Keyano Library account by following the steps here. 

•  The Office of the Registrar will remain open Monday – Tuesday from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm, Wednesday from10:00 am – 4:30 pm, and Thursday – Friday from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm for front desk services
• For a virtual appointment with a Student Advisor, students can email Student.Advisors@keyano.ca 
• For a virtual appointment with the Financial Aide Coordinator, students can email FinancialAide@keyano.ca 

• Events will be delivered predominantly online
• Students can continue to reach the office by emailing studentlife@keyano.ca or international@keyano.ca 
• The office will remain open from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday

• Blended approach
• Students can request in-person or virtual appointments by emailing wellness.services@keyano.ca 
• Wellness Services will remain open from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm for drop-in support, Monday to Friday

Yes, students can apply for emergency financial support through the Government of Alberta that covers,

• Food, clothing, child care, transportation, damage deposit, temporary accommodation, utility arrears (one off), and eviction prevention payments (one off).

Even if you're from another province you can apply, as technically you're an Albertan resident while at college, however, it is better that you contact you home province first.

Visit the Government of Alberta's emergency financial assistance webpage to find out more. 

As the COVID-19 situation is continually evolving, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continue to make updates and revisions to their policies and procedures. While Keyano College strives to provide you with information that is as updated as possible, for the most recent updates please continue to monitor the following resources for the latest information as it is made available directly from IRCC and other government departments.

• IRCC Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) — Program delivery instructions
• How the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is affecting immigration, refugees, citizenship and passport services

Admission requirements and dates are program specific so we cannot give a general answer to that question. Our suggestion is to email a copy of all unofficial transcripts to the Admissions Office and at that time you can ask questions that are specific to your program admission requirements.

• Home office ergonomic checklist to reduce body stress and tension
• Some Other Solutions - health and wellness services
• Online Drop-in Mindfulness virtual sessions
• Managing anxiety - COVID-19 and Your Mental Health 
• Mental Health Considerations during COVID-19 Outbreak - World Health Organization
• 3 Tips To Overcome Anxiety About The eLearning Environment