Remote teaching in remote locations: Low-bandwidth entomology for northern communities

The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is located in Prince George, BC,
on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. It is a small, research-
intensive university, mandated to be “in and for the North”. UNBC has, thus, a
particular commitment to northern, regional, and First Nations communities. The
emphasis on delivering university education to many remote communities and a
great diversity of learners has led to an openness to innovative solutions.
The pandemic has greatly increased awareness of many inequities, including the so-
called “digital divide”. A substantial number of UNBC students are located in
communities and areas with inadequate internet services. I attempted to balance
immediacy/engagement and bandwidth in both entomology and forest health
courses at UNBC in 2020. I used low-bandwidth techniques to deliver lectures,
exercises, labs, and field trip simulations in a northern British Columbia context. A
focus on learning objectives, flexibility, and simplicity provided both a learner-
centred experience and useful tools for future classes. Student comments suggested
that this approach worked in general terms. Few technical issues were reported, and
materials were almost always accessible, with the exception of some browser issues.
While students missed interacting in person, both with their instructors and each
other, and some would have liked more structure (i.e. synchronous lectures), most
said that the courses were effective and that they learned far more than they had
expected. Students who were learning at a distance, and those who were employed,
were particularly appreciative of the approach.