Written by: Jennifer Smith, Humber College Bachelor of Public Relations student and CPRS Student
Steering Committee Representative
I expected to face challenges as a student, but the challenges that the pandemic brought were unprecedented. When my school shut down and my classes were postponed, I was worried. How was the remainder of the semester going to be carried out?
Eventually, our college informed us that we would be taking our classes online until further notice. I was happy to know that my studies could continue, and while this relieved some of my stresses, I had never taken an online course before.
Setting up for success
I have been a full-time online student for nearly nine months now (I took summer classes) and I
feel I have adapted to online learning fairly well. While it came with a lot of trial and error, making some key adjustments and learning to adapt to online communication was inevitable if I wanted to remain successful in the online world.
Organizing and planning
I have always used a planner but moving online made my schedule very open-ended. I had to refer to
my planner more frequently to stay on task as opposed to looking at it only once or twice a day. I found
that this helped me to remember and keep track of the smaller tasks that I may have been prone to
forget.
Time-management was key as the days tend to bleed together when you’re home all day every day.
Effectively using and referencing my planner ensured that I met the daily work quota that I set for myself
and other important deadlines.
Online communication
Most of my classes have had meetings via Blackboard and Zoom once a week. My professors recorded these meetings, which I found helpful to refer back to at a later date.
Engagement in these virtual classrooms is hard for professors. I noticed many of my peers did not turn on their cameras or microphones leading the professor to talk to themselves. I found it helpful to use my camera, microphone and chat function; these items helped me engage with the class more, absorb information better and made the class more interesting. Doing these things made a big difference in the class’s quality because it made me accountable for my learning. I know that I learned more than I would have if I just remained silent.
We are all feeling the effects of Zoom Fatigue, so I recommend other students take control of their education and make the best of online learning by engaging with their professors and peers. Professors can make the most of this by asking students to use their cameras, mics and chat functions as well as using polls and other interactive features to keep students engaged.
A second way I learned to successfully communicate with my peers and professors online was through the group discussion boards. Interacting with my peers on the discussion boards was very similar to the conversations that would happen in class as we would respond to articles and weekly questions. The group discussion boards are an important aspect to pay attention to and utilize because of that.
So, what do I think?
While I feel I have been successful in my studies so far, it wasn’t without a few bumps along the way. Online learning is different for everyone and making sure I engaged and organized improved the quality of my classes significantly. While I know Zoom fatigue is hitting both educators and students alike, I encourage professors to continue to use interactive components of Blackboard, Zoom and other platforms to enhance our learning. I would also like to encourage students to give their online classes their best efforts and engage with their professors and peers as much as possible. It is your choice if you let the pandemic come between you and the quality of your education.