Students, professors reflect on the past year as in-person classes resume

Shree Luitel
Tue, 05 Oct 2021 00:17:19 +0000
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While many students experienced distractions and other difficulties during a year of majority-online classes, some professors hold a different attitude toward virtual versus in-person classes. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

The return of fall break this semester is not the only thing that is different from last year — professors’ and students’ attitudes toward in-person and online classes have also changed.?

While many students experienced distractions and other difficulties during a year of majority-online classes, some professors hold a different attitude toward virtual instruction. Zahra Atiq, assistant professor of practice of computer science and engineering, said she noticed the same levels of participation in both in-person and online classes, which has tapered off in both.

“Even during in-person classes, there are students that are still not engaged in class material,” Atiq said.

Margaret Murphy, a first-year undecided in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she struggled to focus in online classes.

“For synchronous classes, it got really tough because there is no contact, and if you turn off your camera it is basically like you are not there,” Murphy said. “It’s like there is a wall where there is nothing stopping you from being as lazy as possible.”

Bibhus Luitel, a second-year in computer science, said he struggled to retain information while learning from home and prefers an in-person classroom environment where he is held accountable for his attentiveness.

“When you are in the comfort of home, it is very easy to get distracted and lose focus and this contributed to stress that students felt about all things,” Luitel said.

After a year of online learning due to the pandemic, the university announced April 9 that 75 percent of classes would be taught in person.?

Jennifer Willging, interim chair and associate professor of French, said she intends to keep certain activities such as oral presentations over Zoom, so students may have more class time for practice and to recall concepts. She said the French department has also been practicing the flipped classroom model, where students interact with new material before coming to class to practice.

Willging said she gives her students handouts with specific questions about what to pay attention to in readings, which has increased student engagement in class.

Luitel said he dislikes hybrid classes due to the constant change in settings.

“The requirements and tests are structured differently in both settings,” Luitel said. “The more comfortable I feel in a specific format, the better my grades are.”