Coming Back to Campus
Going from online to in-person learning, CU students and faculty had different experiences transitioning from screen-toscreen to face-to-face.
On March 16, 2020, the 鶹Ƶ switched to all remote classes for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the academic school year from 2020 to 2021, most classes were taught remotely with some exceptions made for hybrid labs and recitations. As the vaccine has been widely distributed, CU decided to have in-person classes starting in the Fall 2021 semester.
We are all adjusting to a new normal and getting used to living in a world with COVID. To see how the CU community has been adjusting, the Colorado Engineer spoke with multiple students and faculty to gather their perspectives on transitioning between online and in-person education.
Challenges of Remote Education
The remote learning environment presented students and professors with many different challenges. Dr. Murray Cox, a senior instructor in computer science, mentioned difficulties such as, “getting up to speed with any technology used that is specific to online teaching. Online teaching has much more busy-work and organization. Students tend not to participate online in the same way they might in-person. It’s hard not being able to read facial expressions or body language. A select number of students tend to be impolite and entitled when they can hide behind a screen. Technology introduces a number of errors, mishaps and, or crashes that would otherwise not be a factor in the teaching/learning process.”
Mechanical engineering student Whitney Valencia noted that she was especially bothered by the “distractions, being burnt out, always being in the same place, and the loneliness of never seeing anyone or having anyone to work with.”
Sophomore Bryan Tran, also studying Mechanical Engineering, had a unique experience as he switched into engineering during the Spring 2020 semester. “I was a sophomore in the midst of switching into the engineering school,” he said. “As a person who has never taken calculus nor a math class in the past three years, I struggled a lot with finding valuable study habits, immersing myself in the engineering community and doing everything while keeping my sanity.”
Benefits of Remote Education
Despite the challenges of online education, it did afford some benefits. Dr. Torin Clark, a professor in the aerospace department, mentioned how technology is a powerful learning tool when it comes to clicker questions and sharing multimedia content. “Breakout rooms offer a great opportunity for peer-to-peer learning when faculty members and TA’s can quickly bounce around,” Clark said.
Valencia emphasized the importance of having recorded lectures and being able to learn course materials at her own pace. She realized that she “doesn’t need to collaborate with peers as much”. Tran also learned more about study habits and mental health. “I understand that reading the textbook is very helpful. I know that being on campus helps to keep me productive. Exercising and stretching are also very important -- I had to learn that the hard way!”
Dr. Cox offered these helpful, summary remarks: “teaching is more than transmission of knowledge. If teaching only consisted of providing information then we could all learn from Google, or a book, or watching videos.”
Self Care
It can be hard to adapt to being back in-person since it can take more out of everyone - getting ready, commuting, interacting with others. As we have gone through many transitions throughout these past few years, it’s important to take the time and space to take care of yourself, mentally and physically.
How it Feels to Be Back In Person
Making the transition back to in-person learning has been a difficult process for students and faculty. Dr. Maureen Lynch, a professor in the mechanical engineering department said she was happy to be back in-person, “but it was very disconcerting at the beginning – being around so many people, teaching really large classes took a while to get accustomed to.” Dr. Lynch said, “managing people getting sick and/ or exposed to covid, both folks in my class and just in the community. I don’t want anyone who is sick in my classroom, covid or otherwise. I have 2 little kids that can’t get vaccinated yet, so I’m definitely a little nervous about breakthroughs.” Dr. Lynch also has been having complications with some of her students. “Some students are still expecting a lot of leeway from professors in terms of assignments, due dates, etc., which we gave a lot of last year, but is not how we typically run classes. Now professors are going back to our usual expectations, we and students alike are having to adjust.”
Dr. Cox said, “Nostalgia has a way of making me miss the original in-person classes. The current version of in-person is adequate but still lacks something.”
Valencia said she was still unsure how she feels about the transition. “I still have some online classes and my harder classes are in-person. I’m not sure if it’s difficult because of the content, or because of the teaching styles.” Since being back in-person, Valencia mentioned the difficulty of “having to rush to take notes. I really enjoyed being able to go back through past recorded lectures. Now I am unable to do that so I must retain what the professor is writing and saying a lot quicker.”
There are some aspects of in-person classes that are more preferable and can’t be beat by the remote learning environment. Tran shared, “Seeing people ‘face-to-face’ and seeing old friends are some things I can appreciate.” At the same time, Tran noted how in-person classes are exhausting for him since he “transitioned into the engineering school during COVID, so I did not have habits that helped me succeed in engineering. Having close relationships with peers and mentors is something that takes time to develop -- and as an engineer, your time is too valuable.” Dr. Clark mentioned how managing real-time while focusing on the material and learning outcomes is a challenge for students
In-Person or Online?
After experiencing both types of learning, students tend to prefer one mode over the other.
Valencia preferred online learning since, “it’s what 3/5 of all my college semesters have been so I am used to it. I really enjoy being able to rewatch lectures and go at my own pace.” Tran recognizes the pros of online learning but enjoys the in-person aspect. “I think the benefits of online are that it is way less exhausting -- commuting to campus, being on campus (plus worrying about food if you’re a certain college student), is very time consuming. Being online helps me save a lot of time but the drawback is that I cannot access the full engineering experience, and I also felt like I was going a little insane last year. I prefer being in-person since it allows me to have a fuller experience with engineering.”
Dr. Lynch said she preferred in-person classes since during COVID, she confirmed she is more of a people person and it’s, “so much easier to interact with students and gauge how they’re receiving the material. It’s easier to ask and answer questions.”
My Personal Experience
When classes transitioned from online to in-person, I was in my second year at CU. While remote learning brought challenges, I learned how to be a better student and how to be more independent. I do enjoy having mostly in-person classes this semester and getting to meet new people even despite some of the challenges.
CU Regulations
The 鶹Ƶ does have COVID regulations in place. Masks are required in public indoor spaces starting on August 13, 2021. All students, faculty members, and staff had to fulfill the COVID 19 vaccination requirements by September 15, 2021.
COVID monitor testing ended on August 6, 2021 but is still available to students and staff through Medical Services.
If you are feeling sick or are having any symptoms, stay at home to reduce the risk of transmission. Since September 5th, Boulder County is on a required mask mandate for any indoor spaces.
From Spring 2020 - Fall 2021, CU is taking applications for the Student Emergency Fund in hopes to support students facing financial hardship during the pandemic.
To keep updated with CU Boulder COVID, you can visit the COVID-19 Ready Dashboard.
Photo Courtesy of Elliot Whitehead