Editorial: Online classes aren’t for everyone
Transitioning from the classroom to online isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Online courses require more responsibility and organization than on-campus courses. There are no specific “class times,” just deadlines that are usually non-negotiable. It’s up to the student to make sure they outline a schedule to succeed in an online course.
There are also many reasons why lots of college students choose to not take online classes.
For some, they might have attention issues and can’t stay focused. Others know they won’t remember to do the work because they aren’t being reminded in class.
Programs like nursing, dental hygiene, fine arts and others aren’t meant to be online. They are supposed to have hands-on experience.
Some people are auditory learners and need lectures and if an online class doesn’t offer that, they could have difficulty learning.
Something else to address is the privilege of having access to a working computer and reliable internet connection. Or the ability to have a quiet space in your home to do homework, study and take tests.
Whatever reason students don’t succeed in online courses, it’s obvious online learning doesn’t work for everyone.
USD has worked with students to implement a pass-fail system for their students, with a few programs that aren’t eligible.
What’s going to help students the most is having understanding professors. Something people seem to forget is we’re still in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
Regardless if you have the time to do all of your coursework, are you in the right mental state? Those that already struggle with mental illness in day to day life could experience heightened symptoms during the pandemic.
A study conducted in 2018 found that nearly 30% of college students experienced anxiety in the past two weeks. Can you imagine what those numbers look like now?
Students are worried about passing classes, finding new jobs to support themselves/their families and graduating into a recession, among other things.
Universities should recognize the stress on the shoulders of their students and lessen the load of coursework, not dock late work and work closely with students that have other responsibilities since moving home.
Thank you to the faculty members who have already worked with students to make their coursework and deadlines reasonable.
We’re all in this together; figuring out how to still be productive while we’re social distancing and quarantining. Let’s make the experience of online school a beneficial one, not something that keeps students from succeeding.
