All through high school, Hannah Gibson looked forward to a traditional college experience — one that included dorm life, late-night study sessions with friends and the chance to build relationships with faculty members.
She found that at Judson College in Marion. As a Judson freshman, Gibson loved living on campus and learning in a classroom with her peers and professors. Then the coronavirus hit in March 2020, and students were sent home to complete the spring semester online.
“As was true for many, 2020 was a challenging year that disrupted my ‘normal,’” Gibson recalled. “Change is difficult for me anyway, but the biggest loss was having to leave Judson and adjust to online learning. Trying to recreate our Judson community through a screen was difficult.”
Interaction
She missed her friends and often felt isolated and alone after the Judson campus closed for the semester, just before Alabama’s stay-at-home order went into effect in early April.
But Gibson eventually adjusted, connecting with peers via FaceTime and interacting with professors and classmates through Zoom.
Since last year, pandemic-related restrictions have impacted the college experiences of countless students like Gibson. At the same time, those restrictions have led many universities to adapt their programs to meet the growing need for remote learning.
According to Michael Bergman, director of distance learning at Judson College, increased stress among students, including concerns about coming to a campus or about leaving their home, now makes online classes a more attractive option.
But remote learning is not without challenges. Learners accustomed to a traditional classroom, with real-time communication, classroom structure and a regular class schedule, can sometimes struggle in a smaller, less synchronous remote experience, Bergman noted.
Judson College offered flexible distance-learning options for classes and scheduling even before the pandemic.
To address the needs of students adjusting to remote learning, Bergman said many Judson instructors are offering more options to connect, including increased office hours, virtual classes and prerecorded videos.
They also have offered more group meetings, projects and other methods to help students work through remote-learning challenges.
Support
“Our departmental approach has always been to provide support, advice and guidance for students. We are still offering advising sessions and other opportunities for students to get help and to express their concerns,” Bergman said.
Meanwhile, the University of Mobile and some other colleges across the nation have adopted a hybrid-flexible (HyFlex for short) course model, giving students options on how they learn by combining Zoom and synchronous learning with in-class instruction and alternating between those experiences.
Kathy Dean, assistant vice president for university communications at UM, said flexibility has been key during the pandemic.
At UM, for example, classrooms which hold 30 students now are limited to 15 (50% capacity) by CDC social-distancing guidelines. On Mondays, 15 students might attend class in person while another 15 participate by Zoom. On Wednesdays, the students switch places, so everyone has an opportunity to be in the physical classroom.
What are UM’s flexible-learning options like for students?
Last fall, freshman Molly Grace Watkins took voice lessons online instead of in person and participated in classes via Zoom because of pandemic-related concerns.
“Singing in front of somebody on a Zoom camera is, of course, different than being in person,” she said. But the ability to interact through Zoom helped her develop a good relationship with her instructor and led to a positive classroom experience.
According to Todd Greer, vice president for academic affairs, live instruction — either in person or online — has allowed UM faculty to engage students and to help them avoid falling behind.
“Given the parameters of how COVID-19 has forced higher education to adapt, the University of Mobile has embraced the opportunity but also shown the humanity and grace of a Christian institution by working to support students as they struggle through this very challenging time,” Greer said.
Students can take measures themselves to ensure a successful experience and to mitigate common remote-learning challenges.
Dedication
Treating an online class like an in-person experience is important, Bergman noted. Dedication and commitment to the class and striking the right “home-class” balance are also needed, he said.
Procrastination can be a hindrance for some online learners. Research shows that more than 70% of college students procrastinate, a behavior that can lower a learner’s grades.
Communication
And while social distancing makes it harder for college students and faculty to interact, Watkins noted the importance of students communicating with their instructors.
“If you communicate [with professors,] then they know that you really do care,” she said. “It’s hard to talk to people [because of the pandemic’s restrictions]. You feel like you can’t because you want to be safe and you want to be conscientious of the other person and how they feel. But if you do have a question or concern, make that known to your professors. They will understand and they will want to communicate back to you because it’s evident that you care.”
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