Through out my college career, I thought online classes were the worst, and I avoided them like the plague. Of course back then, I never knew that a pandemic would be the reason I would warm up to online classes.
COVID-19 has caused colleges across the country to shut down and turn to virtual learning in order for students to continue their education while keeping safe at the same time.
The decision to move all operations and classes online had some people uncomfortable, but Spalding University did everything it could, from paying work-study students regardless of them not being able to report to campus to work to granting a very small group of residential students permission to stay on campus to ensure those students’ needs were met.
INFORMATION | Spalding’s Healthy Together COVID-19 resource page
FROM PRESIDENT McCLURE | Classes to stay online through end of 2019-20 academic year
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I am personally among the students who can’t go back home due to both distance and travel restrictions, and I am grateful that not only can I stay on campus, but also that the students are provided dining to last them for the week.
When online classes started last month, I quickly realized that I can now do my homework ahead of time, dressed in my pajamas with tangled hair. While I wasn’t in a physical classroom, talking to people face to face, I was engaging online. The classes encouraged us to share our opinions and everyday news, as well as comment on our classmates’ posts.
I have had the pleasure of sharing ideas with people I wouldn’t have in a face-to-face class, in addition to working together with them on projects.
My professors are also understanding of the toll and pressure this takes on all students. They are making sure that all students understand the assignments while being aware that their instructors are only an email away. Personally, I have emailed my professors multiple times – to the point where I thought of myself as a nuisance. But I was assured that I should not ever think that. It was OK to inquire about the simplest assignments so that I fully understand them.
Though I once disliked the idea of them, I can confidently say that I will be taking online classes in the future after this experience.