For students interested in surveying and geomatics, geography is no obstacle to earning a University of New Brunswick degree. Through the Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering remote program, students can gain the academic foundation for careers in the field from virtually anywhere in the world.
"One of the things that stands out about this program is how much everyone values teaching," said Dr. Robert Kingdon, Chair of the Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering Department, of the GGE remote program professors.
The GGE remote program offers students the academic foundation for a career in surveying with the rigour of a university degree, but without the requirement to ever be at the university.
Kingdon said the program was created because of the value and industry demand for remote GGE learning.
"This whole thing was originally created to help with the capacity gap for surveyors," he explained, saying the supply of accredited surveyors only meets half the demand.
"We're the only university in Canada offering all of our courses online."
That's what appealed to international student Lorgia Calixto Castillejo. As the head of the geomatics department at Smart Group Perú, UNB's GGE program gave her a way to enhance her skills while she continued working in South America. Calixto said the program worked well because it combined clear procedures, local access to equipment, and close teacher follow-up.
"I really loved the excellent performance of its professors," she said. "They are some of the best I've ever had. I also loved the cutting-edge curriculum and all the support they gave me as a remote student, guiding me patiently.
"I've learned a lot and I'm more current in geomatics," she said. "I've gained many more tools to solve workplace challenges, and I'm really eager to keep learning."
So how is the program able to teach hands-on skills to remote students?
While the classes are livestreamed and recorded for students to refer back to later, sometimes labs and practical assignments require the use of survey equipment. Enter the industry partners: surveying companies that are an integral part of the program.
Kingdon estimated that students in the program have paired with over 60 industry partners to get the in-person time necessary to master the equipment.
Andy Shelp is president of Annis O'Sullivan Vollebekk Ltd., one of those industry partners. Working in eastern Ontario, Shelp has remote students from UNB coming into his business to work with him getting in-demand, practical experience with survey equipment.
"In our industry it's fantastic," he said of the remote learning program. "Picking up sticks and moving to UNB isn't really an option for everyone."
With the loss of geomatics programs across the country, notably in Ontario, Shelp said it's been difficult to find qualified candidates for surveying jobs. UNB now offers the only English-language geomatics program in eastern Canada, and it's only one of four university level programs across the country.
Shelp says almost all program graduates have a job lined up by February of their graduating year, and that's how he knew he needed to get involved working with students much earlier in their education.
"We decided that if we didn't start actively recruiting, we would be missing the boat," he said.
Working with remote students who are local to eastern Ontario, Shelp said he has about 10 students registered with GGE remote for his company to mentor not only in practical survey field work, but also in a limited capacity with the other courses.
"We will hire them on a temporary basis, and I put one of my guys with them and help them get through their lab assignments using the equipment," Shelp said of the fieldwork aspect.
He said the program has created an ecosystem of reciprocity within GGE where industry and UNB are the beneficiaries.
"We've noticed some of our existing employees have taken the opportunity to pick up courses while they're working."
That sentiment is echoed by GGE remote graduate Alia Nielsen (BEng'24), who began the program in person but chose to finish it remotely in Calgary to be with her family.
"There's a good back and forth relationship between the company and the university," she said of her own experience. She currently works with construction engineering company GeoVerra in Alberta, which was her industry mentor as she completed her degree.
It was the REDS women's volleyball team that drew her to UNB in 2022. But it was the flexibility of the GGE remote program that kept her as a student in the following years when life drew her back to her home province of Alberta.
If it weren't for the program's remote option, it would have otherwise been "impossible" for her to continue her studies in Alberta while her mother battled cancer, , Nielsen said.
"It let me keep my life on track," she said. "I'm grateful to the [Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering] for making it so I didn't have to choose between school and my family."
Getting a top-notch education at UNB while in Alberta was never a concern for Nielsen.
"The numbers really speak for themselves," she explained of how her lab work was assessed remotely. "We'd have oral exams over Teams where you'd talk through your understanding."
"With the rise of AI and ChatGPT, it's so crucial for educators to get creative on how to assess students," she said. "I think it's something the department has been ahead of its time on."
Perfecting how to accurately assess remote students has been one of the program's main priorities.
"When students are doing their own practical work, they're required to produce their own videos explaining what they're doing," Kingdon said. "It's a quality thing. But also, I think it develops a really good competency in video production."
While the focus is currently on survey work, Kingdon sees a future in remote learning in the other specializations of GGE such as remote sensing, which incorporates satellite imaging; light detection and ranging (LiDAR), which is like a 3D laser scan of a building or area; geographic information systems (GIS), which combine mapping and data analysis; and ocean mapping, where survey vessels chart the floor of bodies of water.
He said the GGE remote program is currently considering microcredentials for those who want to augment their resumes or employers who are building in-house expertise.
"We've had students studying remotely from Natural Resources Canada," he said, adding that they were beefing up their skills in geodesy to complement their existing backgrounds in computer science or physics.
For both in-person and remote students, that sense of community within the program is a top priority, and one that normally culminates at the end of the year when many students congregate at UNB for survey camp a two-week practicum where students break out their orange vests to put their practical skills to the test on the Fredericton campus.
"They've kind of turned into these amazing little reunions," Kingdon said of the camps, which give students a chance to meet their remote classmates face-to-face.
"Everyone gets to have fun together."
