The month of May is usually a time when the campus is bustling with students from grades 5 to 12, spending a week at the university with the Enrichment Studies Unit (ESU). These students experience what university is like by taking classes and living in Queen’s residence. But due to COVID-19, ESU cannot bring students to Queen’s this spring. So instead, ESU has found ways to bring the Queen’s experience to them.

Reaching Higher is a new catalogue of more than 100 free online resources, compiled by staff who are Ontario-certified teachers, to help students and families easily access high-quality educational content on a variety of subjects. The academic areas range from pathology and engineering to languages and history, and include a wide array of engaging learning options, such as virtual tours of museums and labs, educational games, documentary films, and apps.

“This is a time when parents and students may be looking for educational activities that can help them make the most of their time at home,” says Morgan Davis, Manager, Enrichment Studies Unit. “There’s a lot of material out there, so we have curated what we think are some of the best resources available for free online. Through Reaching Higher, students will be able to get a sense of the subjects they can learn about at university.”

A number of the resources were developed by Queen’s staff and faculty. For example, participants interested in learning more about art can take a virtual tour of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Those looking to learn about engineering research can virtually explore some of the research facilities in Queen’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. For those interested in Indigenous cultures, there are Indigenous teaching and learning resources developed by the Queen's Faculty of Education.

“We can’t completely recreate the Queen’s experience without bringing the students to campus, but we hope Reaching Higher provides students with a glimpse of how dynamic and exciting it can be to study at Queen’s,” says Davis.

The collection can also connect younger students to places around the world, at a time when many are spending most of their time at home. Some of the learning materials take students inside renowned institutions such as the Louvre, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and the Canadian Museum of History.

To learn more about the Enrichment Studies Unit and to explore the new Reaching Higher catalogue, visit their website.