By Mylaika Stephenson
Fear of COVID-19, family members who are high risk, and the ability to still work jobs outside of school were some of the most common reasons student elected to take their courses remote, according to several people in the NDMU community who responded to a questionnaire.
Many students who I talked to had professors who chose to hold their classes remotely.
Dr. Debbie Calhoun, a professor in the business department, offered insight into why some professors choose to teach remotely. She explained that in the majority of her classes, only one student chose in person rather than virtual.
Dr. Calhoun also said that remotely teaching has benefited her life in more ways than one. She was able to be more creative with her teaching material and she no longer needs to commute 120 miles.
Learning without commuting was also a benefit mentioned by students. Not having to commute to campus has allowed some students to keep jobs they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Many students were content with their decision for virtual learning, however, not all were. Commenting on whether online learning stifled learning, one NDMU education major said, “Yes, I feel that I cannot learn as much because some professors view online learning as a way to impose more work, and it’s not very conductive to learning and understanding the material.”
These finding are surprising as many students were unhappy throughout the latter half of the Spring 2020 semester about being forced to learn remotely. Some complained that remote learning led to more coursework. Professors also disliked the need to rework lesson plans.
Each student has a different relationship with virtual learning, many students said they did not feel stifled. Despite this, a majority of students find benefits of virtual learning.
Photo Courtesy of Unsplash
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