Temple has been hosting classes through Zoom for over a month due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With finals fast approaching, many students are missing campus more than ever.
Temple sophomore Blake Nutis is feeling the effect of trying to learn while stuck at home. According to Nutis, “No one can really focus on the topics at hand because not only are we in a weird environment trying to learn, but we’re in the middle of a global pandemic which makes it harder.”
Many students are finding it hard to stay motivated at home and miss interacting with their classmates.
Temple sophomore Sam Stewart commented on this saying that in Zoom classes, “people can turn off their cameras, turn off their microphones. So it’s almost like they’re not even there.”
It is not just students feeling the impacts of online learning. Temple instructor Ellen Santa Maria thinks that online classes lack valuable interpersonal connections.
Santa Maria said that “having to cultivate a safe space in person is a skill as humans we should be exercising as often as possible. The online format doesn’t allow for this, so the online learning is different.”
Santa Maria teaches “Media and Cultural Differences” in the Klein College of Media and Communication. Before the switch, the class thrived on in-class discussions. However, discussions now takes place through discussion boards on canvas.
Online classes have changed more than just the way in students learn. With finals season approaching, Temple professors have had to adapt their finals to an online format.
However, Stewart explained that this isn’t necessarily an easy transition. She said that with Zoom classes “it’s harder to communicate what exactly is going to be on the final, what’s going to happen when the final is taking place.”
Nutis expressed a different worry. As many classes no longer have a lecture format on Zoom, this has affected the way in which she learns.
“Without lectures, like my sociology class does not have lectures, and that was really how I was learning. We just have to now write papers off of a book and we don’t have any class,” said Nutis.
Of course, this is a difficult situation for Temple students and staff. The Temple community has continued to adapt to the best of its ability, and students are working to finish the semester off strong.
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