DU students zoom into their experiences with virtual learning

Students around the globe are having to learn virtually. Photo by Isabella Villalobos

Most university students faced a shock when having to adjust to a new learning environment. The transition from going to class in person every day of the week to joining the classroom from a bed was not something anyone was prepared for.

COVID-19, a pandemic that occurred on December 31, 2019, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, caused disruption throughout the globe. The response that a majority of education boards had to this new situation was to use a new online streaming website called Zoom.

At the University of Denver (DU), most students understood the benefits that virtual learning brought. Student Eli Billings recognized the advantages Zoom has brought into education. The upside of going virtual affected him when the school decided to go completely online for the first two weeks of the winter quarter to slow the spread of COVID-19 after students went home for winter break.

“I stayed home for the first two weeks of the winter quarter, and that was nice for me because I was recently injured. I also wanted to work more at my second job back home, and that made my ticket cheaper,” Billings said.

However, while Billings could see what virtual learning could offer, he and other students also believed that its was not the best learning environment they could be in.

“When one is on Zoom, you typically do it in a place of comfort, and those are not educational atmospheres for me. It was really hard for me to pay attention in class because, more often than not, I would have to work with another person who was focused on different school work. So, that made it difficult,” student Emma Hiett said.

Since most students did not feel that they were having the best academic experience while being online, they also felt that it took a toll on their mental health.

“Everyone is supposed to be accessible at all time, and this affects teachers because students expect teachers to be within reach every second of the day. Then, teachers expect students to be accessible every second of the day, as well. It’s stressful on everyone’s mental health,” student Sofi Denton said.

A majority of students believed that while there are benefits to having the virtual option for academics, it should not have been or should be the primary choice for education. Since the pandemic shifted educational environments, it placed students in a difficult position to learn while in a place of comfort.

At this stage of COVID-19, the integration of virtual learning has taken over, and some students feel that it has taken away the option for them to take rest days. Some students felt it was a great option to have Zoom for the days they are feeling a bit lazy, and they also felt it was unfair to lose sick days and snow days since this new option of education is available.

“I have had a lot of teachers that have told me to Zoom in if we can when we are sick. When it is detrimental, it is beneficial; however, in the long run, I feel like it is being abused by those in positions of power. It, in a way, subjugates us to their will,” Hiett said.

Online learning has led to students feeling that they are losing an academic experience, and this has been proven in studies focused on the topic. What most can hope for in the meantime is that more reach will be conducted and more set times that divide school and home will be made in order to help students’ mental health and educational journeys.

Copy by Isabella Villalobos