Arming You With the Right Information—Presenting D2L’s Complimentary Course on COVID-19

Right now, we’re all pretty anxious.

I worry a lot about my family, parents, my coworkers, and friends. About the doctors and nurses and grocery store clerks on the front lines of this pandemic.

I’m at home with my wife and kids, and everyone from our office is working remotely. I know from our video calls with D2Lers and clients all over the world that we’re all concerned, all struggling to adapt to this new normal, and doing our best not to encounter or spread this virus. Perhaps the worst part is that no one knows how long this will last, or just how big the impact will be.

Like I said, we’re all anxious.

And even if it’s unintentional, we are seeing the spread of a lot of bad information or medical misinformation on social media right now that’s confusing people. It’s adding to everyone’s anxiety.

Here’s the good news: knowledge is power.

I believe the more you know about something, the better equipped you are to deal with it. Especially in anxious times of crisis. And I’m not alone: the best advice for managing stress comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They say that we can feel better if we take back some control, get educated about this virus and better understand the actual risk to ourselves and people we care about.

That’s why the D2L team joined forces with Bayfield Design—along with expert reviewers and contributors from government, health, and the education sectors—to offer an online course on COVID-19 to anyone who wants to take it, at no cost. It’s built by educators and is based on the science behind COVID-19. The course helps you understand the global pandemic, its risks, and how to effectively manage them.

You can take the course by visiting our open courses site.

I urge you to take the time to learn more about the pandemic, and to share the link with your friends and family members who have questions about what we’re all going through.

The more we all know—the better we all react—and the sooner we can get to the other side of the pandemic and back to normal.

Written by

John Baker CEO and Board Chair

John founded D2L in 1999, at the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Waterloo. D2L is a global software company that believes learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests.

A strong believer in community involvement, John devotes both his personal and business efforts to supporting young entrepreneurs who are developing and applying technology to improve society worldwide.

He was appointed to the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Member (Entrepreneurs’ Circle) of the Business Council of Canada, Business Higher Education Roundtable, Past Chair of the Board of Communitech, and is a board member of Canada’s National Ballet School.

John was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ontario for Software and Technology), Young Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo, and Intrepid Entrepreneur of the Year in Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

John graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering, with First Class Honours and an option in Management Sciences.

Twitter: @JohnBakerD2L
LinkedIn: John Baker
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