When we left for Spring Break, students of NC State didn’t know we would not be returning to campus… Luckily, our professors helped to restore the normalcy of attending class by providing the students with online lectures and Zoom Classes! Yes this seems anything but normal for a college student who attended on-campus courses daily, but it definitely has brought the sense of routine and structure back into our educational lives.
How I Transitioned
The week after spring break ended I was feeling frustrated, confused, and concerned. How was I going to manage all of my classes being held online? How would my teachers continue to educate us without having a physical in-class lecture? I continuously checked my school email for updates on what each of my teachers were going to be doing in order to finish out the rest of the semester hoping that by the start of the following week everything would be planned out and carefully organized.
I knew that I would not be able to have a working mindset if I sat at home completing assignments, so I decided to pack up the items I use everyday while at school (my iPad, notebooks, headphones, pens and pencils, and textbooks) and go to my dad’s office to do my work.
My professors were very assisting and accommodating. They made the transition as smooth as possible and were there to help at any time.
Here is a video on the thoughts of Boston University students as they adjust to online learning!
Class Structure
Since I am taking a variety of classes, it is obvious that not every teacher has the same method of teaching, nor would they all be following the same outline of how to attend online class or complete online work. With that being said, I am going to layout each of my classes and how we are virtually learning.
ECI201:
In this class we barely have changed a thing since this class has been a technology based learning environment from the beginning. Aside from attending class on Mondays and Wednesdays, most everything else has remained relatively the same.
During our regular class time (1:30-2:45) we join a zoom meeting using our class access code. On this zoom meeting we are able to see and talk to one another. We can chat with the class using the chat feature on zoom and we can even be put into groups with the “Breakout Room” feature.
During class we go over our class slides and talk about upcoming assignments, as well as complete assignments while we are in the meeting. After class is over we usually have work that needs to be completed before our next lesson, which is something we have always had.
ED100:
In this class we usually complete discussion boards and class assignments on our own, although our teacher would like for our work to be attempted during the time we would normally have class (3:00-4:50). On the first day of virtual class we were able to meet with our instructor and classmates via zoom. On this day we went over class slides and interacted with one another, but since then we have not had another Zoom meeting. Since we are not meeting with our class regularly our instructor has still offered her office hours through Zoom in case we come across any questions or concerns about what we are learning.
Every Tuesday we are given a new assignment to work on between 3:00 and 4:50, but if we finish early we can move on to work for another class. Each week varies, but usually we have a presentation to go through, a few videos to watch, and one to two discussion boards to do. Sometimes we are given quizzes to take to examine ourself, our learning types, personality types, or anything regarding information we have gone over in the class slides and then we have to post our thoughts and results to a forum.
BIO105:
For my Bio class my professor has also been using Zoom to teach us. For Biology we join a zoom meeting during our regular class time (1:30-2:45) to receive the professors lecture. If we are unable to attend the zoom meeting, the session is recorded and posted on Moodle so we can take notes on the topics from each session. During our zoom meeting, we are also required to log on to TopHat for attendance purposes and to complete in-class activities. Our professor doesn’t take attendance, but by knowing the number of people who are attending class he is able to submit these numbers to the school for their records.
After class is over we usually have homework assignments to do on TopHat which are now opened until the end of the semester, whereas before we had two days to complete them. TopHat is also where he posts chapters to the textbook for our class, so we are supposed to read the ones that are unlocked and answer the questions following the chapter.
On Thursdays after class a quiz is posted on Moodle and we have until Sunday night to complete it. The quizzes cover the material from our two lectures from each week and act as a review for our major tests. Sometimes additional assignments are uploaded on Moodle that will be due within 2-3 days of the time it was posted. These additional assignments are videos or podcasts that we listen to and either answer questions regarding the material or give our opinions on what we learned. If there are other assignments posted that we did not discuss in class, they are usually optional and if completed you are given extra credit.
BIO106:
This class is a Biology Lab, so it was definitely weird thinking about completing everything online. Luckily our instructor has laid out everything clearly, so most of the labs are pretty straightforward. Each week alternates as far as the workload and activities, but we still have a specific activity that remains the same on both weeks.
One week we will have a lab due where less work is required. On weeks like this we usually have something to read and answer questions about, then we have a few virtual labs to complete and following each virtual lab we have questions to answer regarding what we learned for each lab activity, then after completing all of these assignments we have a post-lab quiz which pulls information together from everything we have completed from the topic we are discussing that week.
The next week will be about the same as the week before, but with more assignments and activities to complete. We are given a presentation to go through with detailed slides about the lab. Then we are given about 4 lab activities to complete and a virtual lab to go along with each activity. After each lab activity we answer questions about the activity. Once everything is completed we complete a post-lab quiz from everything we have learned that week.
Each week we still work through our lab manual, but we are not required to submit most of the work in it unless stated. The lab manual acts more as a guide and a way to get more information on the topic from each week, whereas before we completed the lab manual for and pre-lab quizzes for a grade.
MA107:
For my math class, my professor does not use zoom for his lectures. Our class is not required to complete the work during our designated class period, nor do we have homework or assignments to be turned in at the end of each week.
Instead of virtually lecturing to our class in a way that is interactive and live, there are prerecorded lectures and lessons posted on Moodle for us to listen to. My professor did not record these himself, instead he uses a lecture from another professor who teaches similar lessons. Before virtual learning we were required to have completed each WebAssign and “Try It” the day before our exam on each set of modules, but now the WebAssigns and “try Its” are due at the end of the semester.
Since we do not meet for our class period, my professor has Zoom office hours twice a week where we can join a meeting with him to discuss work or questions we have regarding the material.
My Thoughts on Online Learning
Although this concept is fairly new to the students of NC State and especially to the ones who attend classes on campus, I do have a few points to make about it… The transition was a lot easier than I thought it would be and it is extremely helpful to have instructors who are there to assist you in any way they can.
What I have found that I like the most is the Zoom lecture aspect. It can be hard being away from a school environment, yet still be required to meet every class period, but it is completely worth it. Zoom has made me feel like I am sitting in the classroom and engaging with my peers for that specified time. It is still possible to get a face-to-face learning experience and ask my teachers questions because of Zoom.
If I could change anything about this online learning experience there are a few things I would like to be different. I would want a similar learning experience or layout that had to be followed by all of the professors that way there wouldn’t be various platforms and structures I had to keep up with. If possible, it would also be nice for all professors to use Zoom or some sort of live video chat to teach class.
For the Future
Yes, the circumstances for the reasoning behind online learning were not practical, but at the same time I do not regret having this experience. Virtual learning has taught me how to be more responsible and independent.
I believe that if I ever have to complete another online class throughout my college years, I will be more prepared and better equipped for the course. I now know how to handle online classes and I know how complete various tasks online that I may not have figured out without having this experience.
As a teacher I think it would be neat to try using Zoom as a way to chat with my students and host meetings with them or their parents through a platform like this. I also think that it would be neat to switch from having assignments completed manually or on paper to electronically or virtually submitted… In an article posted by Insider, one teacher gave her opinion on online teaching and how she tackles this task with her students “Since New York City schools began closing the week of March 15, Macauley has been incorporating Zoom live-streaming sessions into teaching science to her students, who range from third to sixth grades. But since it’s hard to hold young kids’ attention, many schools are just incorporating short streaming sessions and providing activities and at-home work to do throughout the rest of the day.” (Greenspan 1.)
Sources:
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FtHIcXGgH8
Zoom Photo: https://www.newsweek.com/how-use-zoom-while-were-trapped-home-online-classes-meetings-1492239#slideshow/1573796
Quote from Kate Macauley: https://www.insider.com/teachers-use-google-and-zoom-learning-elementary-school-students-2020-3
