South Florida college campuses look emptier this fall as remote learning becomes the new norm for many students due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This method of education has advantages and disadvantages, and it鈥檚 not a one-size-fits-all approach. Determining the effectiveness of virtual learning depends on the student, their major, their schedule and their learning style.
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鈥淚 love every single part of [remote learning], and I haven鈥檛 had any issues at all,鈥� said Kai鈥機hien Chisholm, a senior broadcast student at Florida International University.
Chisholm has three more courses to complete before he graduates in December. Two of those classes were offered online before the pandemic started. The third class transitioned online before the fall semester began.
He鈥檚 relieved to have all virtual courses because he feels less at-risk of contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to his family. He鈥檚 also noticed his professors are more likely to dismiss the class earlier compared to his former in-person courses.
鈥淚nstead of just sitting there reviewing things and reviewing things and reviewing things to get to the two-hour mark, it鈥檚 just 鈥極K, this is what we covered ... thanks for telling us what you鈥檙e doing with your project, OK, go, bye, have a great day,鈥� Chisholm said.
He prefers this method because he attends his online classes while he鈥檚 at work.
鈥淢y boss lets me have that little two-hour period if it gets to that point,鈥� Chisholm said. 鈥淪o I can just leave from where I鈥檓 at [and] go back to doing my job.鈥�
Kaylah McKinney is a senior music student at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Like Chisholm, she views virtual learning as a way to take her classes on-the-go.
鈥淭he other day I was in class at the dentist office, and ... I was able to get so many things done at the same time,鈥� McKinney said.
The convenience of remote learning also saves her time. McKinney said if she had decided to commute to school, she鈥檇 have to wake up at 6 a.m. to catch a train from Miami to West Palm Beach.
On the other hand, McKinney recognizes the flaws of distance education. She says she feels disconnected from her professors and peers who attend classes in person.
鈥淭here鈥檚 probably a joke that was said and I鈥檓 going to fake laugh because everyone else is laughing, but I really didn鈥檛 [hear] the joke,鈥� McKinney said.
Aside from missing jokes, sometimes she misses important points or details.
鈥淚f I don鈥檛 hear what [the professor] says, I kind of can gauge what is going on from what students ask,鈥� McKinney said. 鈥淭heir questions kind of help bring me back into whatever is being discussed.鈥�
Jasmin McIver has also felt lost during remote learning. She鈥檚 a junior accounting student at Nova Southeastern University, taking online classes to save money and reduce her risk of catching COVID-19. However, her preferred method of learning conflicts with her remote classes.
鈥淣othing is hands-on, and that鈥檚 how I learn,鈥� McIver said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of tough for me now to try to learn the material as well as I would鈥檝e learned it in a physical environment.鈥�
McIver says online learning has made her less motivated compared to previous semesters, especially because her daily routine looks a little different now.
鈥淚 woke up earlier just to go to campus just to go to the library because it was very quiet in the morning,鈥� McIver said. 鈥淣ow, essentially my room is my library 鈥� I鈥檓 just here trying to get everything together.鈥�
McIver lives with five younger siblings who are also learning from home. They鈥檙e struggling to adapt to virtual education, too. McIver says they can be noisy at times, and she can鈥檛 focus as much as she鈥檇 want to.
If a vaccine is developed by the spring semester, McIver hopes she can return to in-person classes. But for now, she has to stick with what she鈥檚 got.
鈥淚鈥檓 just in the same place that I started,鈥� McIver said. 鈥淏eing at home, but taking college courses. It sucks, but it鈥檚 the reality.鈥�
