The Struggles of COVID Learning

Students attending college in the middle of a pandemic have had to quickly adapt to their new learning environment. With the fear of contracting COVID-19, the choice of attending classes online or in person has become more difficult.

(Photo Credits to Kirksey Architecture)

While some courses may be offered as hybrids, not every student is comfortable with attending their classes in person. Students with high risk family members like Silsbee sophomore Rosie Bonneett do not see in person classes as an option.

“If you choose online which I do, because my family is high risk and I don’t want to kill them, I don’t feel like I’m getting as much of an education,” Bonneett said.

Because professors are focusing their attention on the students in person with them, they may create a discontent from those students who choose to attend online.

“The live streams, they’re like only talking to the classroom, and it’s not a good connection. And I don’t feel like I’m learning as much,” Bonneett said. “I think that they should have split it up and done separate recording for online instead of just live streaming during class.”

As courses move more online, professors must use assignments to gauge their students understand of the material. While necessary, assignment-based learning can also effect student’s mental health.

“It has a little bit. I’m focused on getting an assignment done as soon as it uploaded, and so, sometimes, I don’t eat or I’m not sleeping,” Kaitlyn Long, Pasadena junior said.

While online students are struggling to connect to their professors and material, Alexis Sturrock said that attending class in person comes with problems as well.

“We all have this perpetual fear essentially of, you know, “I’m being exposed [to COVID-19] on a regular basis” the Orange junior said.

Sturrock said that it would have been very beneficial for students if professors took a moment to check up on their student’s mental health during the semester, rather than just their physical health.

“I feel like it would have been better if they didn’t just say, ‘Well, yeah, here are the recommendations,’” Sturrock said. “It was never like ‘Are you ok?’,cause there’s a lot going on in everybody’s lives and I think there could have maybe been a little more work on that mental health piece.”