Portage College students are giving their post-secondary institution high marks for how it handled the sudden transition to online education this spring. Surveyed the last two weeks of April, students indicated that considering the quick switch to online course delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition was smooth, and, in most cases, the College kept them well informed. Most impressively, 92% of students surveyed would recommend Portage College to others, even after the abrupt change of course delivery thanks to the pandemic.

“These positive results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff,” said Nancy Broadbent, President and Chief Executive Officer of Portage College. “In a matter of days after face-to-face program delivery was cancelled by government order, almost all of our courses were up and running online and students were still able to access the resources and supports they needed, including College laptops, mental health support and career counselling.”

This year, because of the changeover mid-semester to online education for all programs, the College decided to modify its traditional year-end survey, tweaking some questions and adding additional ones about how Portage handled the transition. While there were some critical comments, a strong majority of students indicated that their instructors were helpful and supportive, and that the College was open about the challenges that teaching during the pandemic presented.

“We really appreciate our students’ understanding and remarkable resilience during this challenging time,” said Broadbent. “We will take their feedback and learn where we can improve while also noting what we did well. We congratulate all of our faculty, staff and students on a remarkable year and look forward to celebrating with many of them at our online Convocation on June 5!”

Media Inquiries:
Jaime Davies, Corporate Communications Manager
780-623-5581 or email