I have been learning at Humber College for more than a year and, like all post-secondary students, have been through what seems like a lifetime’s worth of ups and downs.
My first year as a Journalism student wasn’t a great one. I spent the whole year learning online, which I hated.
Attending online lectures for nearly three hours is something that doesn’t work for me. Sitting in front of a screen for a long time makes me very distracted and disengaged.
While the professor was teaching, I would go on my phone to check out the latest trends of the day. Sometimes I would try to find a way I could engage more in the class. I couldn’t be the student I wanted to be.
Online lectures don’t leave professors with enough time for students to ask questions while teaching. It would be them talking for 80 per cent of the class.
After the first semester, my grades, surprisingly, were not as bad as I feared they would be. I was able to get the help I needed by sending emails to professors for clarity about assignments and communicating with my classmates on WhatsApp and Instagram group chats.
It was weird because although they were my classmates and we learned together virtually, I had never met them in real life.
The second semester is when it almost went downhill for me. I became increasingly confined to the comfort of my own home. I would accidentally sleep in on the days when I had early-morning classes and would hop on about 30 minutes into the lecture on my phone while still in bed.
This wasn’t the best learning position for me as I was still disengaged from the class. I also didn’t take enough initiative to email my professors for more clarity but relied on watching class recordings.
At the end of that semester, my grades were a little lower than in the first semester. I was left frustrated with myself and questioning why I didn’t put enough effort into learning a subject that I always had a passion for since I was a kid.
I believed this wouldn’t have happened if I were learning in person.
Before COVID-19 put our lives on hold, I was in my leap year of high school, attending all my classes in person with a lot of energy. My sleeping schedule was good and I got at least eight hours of sleep a night. I was on top of all my homework and my grades were spectacular.
I am having a better learning experience this current school year, although it is not everything I hoped for or perfect.
My classes are in a hybrid format where some classes are in-person, and some are online. I enjoy my in-person classes more because I get to interact with my classmates, who I can finally see.
I also get to ask my teacher more questions when I’m unsure about something and I’m able to participate in-class in person. I do not like online learning at all.
In-person learning gets me out of my house, keeping me both physically and mentally active.
Although we are seeing some warning signs about a potential lockdown this winter because of rising COVID-19 case counts which could force all classes to go back to online learning.
I have my fingers crossed it doesn’t happen.