I feel like having classes on campus or in the physical setting has its own set of pros and cons, it could be much better than just staying at home. On campus, if you see the professor every day, you can easily ask questions when you do see each other, rather than wait ages to respond via email, texts, calls, or through bb, or blackboard. I think staying at home has its comforts, but you can also easily get distracted and your learning schedule is more dependent on you, despite the factors of deadlines. This matters since every student learns differently and has their own preferences. Some students may love the prospect of staying at home and doing classes online until further notice, while others wish desperately this entire situation can just be over with and things could get back to normal. Truthfully, I think I’m among the latter group of people. I am a bit frustrated with the situation. My parents live in a ranch, the wifi is very slow and limited, and we are so far away from the city. My parents prefer this kind of lifestyle, but I do not. I’d rather have this epidemic be over with so things can move on.
I feel bb could use an overhaul. The system sometimes doesn’t alert us for certain things that are due, such as discussions and other unique assignments that must be directly submitted into blackboard.
I like how there’s more freedom to do our classes on our own schedules. There’s no time constraints except for deadlines, we have nearly all the tools we need to do our work without paper or other materials, and we can do everything without having to worry about going anywhere or being late (for the most part, unless there are live meetings or lessons). On the other hand, we would have to rely on the basics: a roof over our heads, electricity, a strong enough wifi connection, and a PC or computer.
With this covid-19 outbreak, things can take a turn. If our families or if we can’t find a means of supporting ourselves, we could find ourselves in a difficult situation. What if we can no longer afford the wifi, buying groceries, or if the computer breaks? Online classes would be the least of our worries then.
Ambour Leal 