IS ONLINE LEARNING FAVORABLE DURING THE PANDEMIC?

 Recently I had a meeting with a resident who just came back from the isolation center at Ingels Hall. He was in quarantine for a while in his room and then tested positive and had to move to the isolation facility. I scheduled this meeting with him just to discuss how he was feeling and how online classes were going. I did not know he tested positive until the meeting and I did not know what to say exactly. My main concern was his academics because I know how much motivation and strength you lose to do things when you are sick. He told me that he had two exams while in isolation. The first question I asked was I hoped you were able to move it until after you pulled through and he replied that he doesn't think it was possible. People that tested positive had no room for delaying their homeworks or lectures. Most times they fall behind in lectures because they are battling with their mental health and physical health. 

Personally, I think that online education has not provided an equal opportunity for learning during covid. What many professors and educators do not understand is that there are many factors that affect online learning. Accessibility to internet is one of the most major factors affecting it. As a result of lack of internet some students deferred their start of school for a semester or a year. Not everyone has the financial ability to give their all to school because they have to support their families by working multiple jobs. Social distancing has also created a toll on the mental health of students which has in turn affected the academic progress of students

Online school has been adventurous. Especially since all my life I have been used to the traditional in-person learning. My online learning experience has been filled with me missing my morning zoom lectures, to falling asleep during those morning zoom lectures, to forgetting to mute myself while in a class and many other zoom experiences. With classes online, professors have given more assignments and quizzes which has been a bit too much especially since I am taking 19 credits this semester.

Last semester when we transitioned to online learning a lot of adjustments were made. The last day to drop a course was moved forward and students could request for a pass/fail grading semester in most courses. This semester I don't think they are doing all this anymore which is not fair because the conditions from last semester hasn't changed or gotten better