Students and faculty react to online learning
By Paige Fleming | Published by April 22, 2020
As people around the world adjust to staying indoors, students and teachers alike have had to adapt to the new system of remote education. Learning from home has left some students frustrated and eager to get back into the classroom.
“Students are having to adjust to working and learning from their homes, which has affected productivity and learning, for some.”
Brainly, an online learning community based on peer learning, conducted a survey of 1,700 U.S. students to measure the impact COVID-19 has had on them.
40 percent of students surveyed worry that their grades will be negatively impacted by the transition to online classes, according to Brainly. Additionally, 43 percent of students said their biggest challenge is being able to stay focused.
Sarah Otero, a theater education major in her third year, said the transition to her online courses has not been easy.
“Living in a house with eight other people definitely causes a lot of distractions and many interruptions during my lectures,” she said. “I can’t wait to be back at Kean”
Student Organization President Taylor Davis, said although this situation is not ideal, it is the best solution, considering the current conditions.
“I try to go to a quiet place in my house to focus on my homework and get everything done,” said Davis. “No frustrations—only hoping the internet doesn’t go down.”
Eric Oldfield, the chief business officer of Brainy, offered some tips for students who are 
now learning from home, to maximize their productivity.
Kean University has also provided a few ways for the Kean community to access the tools necessary for student success during this time. The Nancy Thompson Library Learning Commons website, for instance, includes online tutoring services, help with Blackboard, and tutorials for how to use Google Hangouts and Zoom, both of which have been popular for professors to use for lectures.
This tool also benefits faculty. Dr. Wenli Yuan, the graduate coordinator and professor in the communication department, said that one of her initial struggles with remote education was learning the ins-and-outs of Blackboard.
“We switched to remote education on short notice. In a few days, I had to learn the various functions of Blackboard, adjust lesson plans, revise syllabi, and post course content online,” Yuan said. “I scrambled to offer virtual instruction for my students. I am in a better situation now.”
For others, learning from home has offered a fresh perspective on the use of technology for classroom purposes. Professor Courtney Atkins, a communication studies professor, said that the switch has been refreshing, and her biggest difficulty is finding the time to take a break.
“Switching to remote mode has been exciting,” she said. “It allowed me to recreate some of my lesson plans and assignments in a new way—it changed my perspective and gave me a renewed sense of creativity in my classroom. The hardest part is stopping and taking a break for myself.”
40 percent of students say they will miss being able to socialize with peers, according to Brainly. Most students surveyed say they spend most of their free time on streaming platforms (such as Netflix or Hulu), on social media or playing video games.
“I miss being in a classroom surrounded by my peers since I am very social, and I feel I learn better in person,” said Otero.
The element of learning has become distorted, as online classes oftentimes limit classroom discussion and in-person learning.
“I miss the personal touch and spontaneous discussions in a classroom. I always enjoy the face-to-face interactions with my students,” said Dr. Yuan.
“In some of my classes, students are not very eager to show their video head in the online session,” said Prof. Atkins. “So overall, I miss my students’ smiles.”
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