Students Adjusting to Online all the Time

Liberal Arts major Leah Wright appreciates being able to work at her own pace in online classes.

Thomas Nelson students Dominique Coar, Leah Wright and Angelina Johnstin prefer traditional classes to online classes. However, Coar's reasons are more practical, while Wright's and Johnstin's are more personal.

As a theater major, Coar needs the interaction with fellow students and teachers more than other students.

"You don't really get the whole ambiance of being in theater when you are at your computer," Coar said.

This is not the first time Coar has taken all her classes online. When she earned her accounting degree from an online program, it was her choice. This time, it's not. Her original schedule for spring 2020 at Thomas Nelson included three on-site classes and one online.

Some of her theater class assignments work well online or individually, but other work depends on her classmates. And that can lead to challenges.

"If some people don't take the class seriously, then you're left out," she said. "And (some) won't take the class seriously because they're at home on their bed. They don't think they are in class."

She has noticed a few advantages to being online. First, she's discovering more of her classmates.

"I guess because everybody was so spread out, we weren't really seeing each other," she said of the traditional classroom setting. "But now, in my Spanish class, there are about 20 students, minimum, and all of us are now seeing each other face to face, and I'm like, 'I didn't know that person was in my class.'"

She said the atmosphere is great, too.

"Everybody gets along easier when they're in a more calm environment in their house. So they're a lot more relaxed," she noticed. "It makes class go by much faster."

She said the biggest disadvantage she has noticed so far is from a bad Internet connection, which sometimes forces students to have just audio or just video, or they might be going in and out of the session. Also, Coar said because the Internet doesn't work well all throughout her house, she has to attend class in the living room.

"And that's the loudest part of my house," she said.

One adjustment in her theater classes is having more quizzes since they can't perform as much. That doesn't bother her, but she said some people don't like it as much because they don't do as well on quizzes.

She has one more semester after this one, and would like to get back to in-person classes as soon as possible.

"That's what I moved to Virginia for, and now I'm doing classes online again," she said.

Wright, who recently turned 20, is in her fourth and final semester at Thomas Nelson. She's scheduled to graduate in May with an associate degree in liberal arts. She has taken online classes before, but prefers in-person classes for a various reasons.

The first is the real-time response she gets from her professors, especially in her statistics class.

"Being that this class doesn't have Zoom meetings, it's a little harder because I'm teaching myself the material and I'm not able to ask questions on the spot like I would be able to do in-person," she said.

She also likes how convenient it is to drop by a faculty member's office to ask a quick question when on campus.

"I feel that when everything is handled online, it's impersonal," she said.

Johnstin, about to earn her associate degree in business administration, also likes having more immediate access to the faculty.

"You cannot talk to your professor face to face if you need assistance with an assignment or have technology issues," she said about the online classes. "Furthermore, if you have a question, you have to wait for the professor to respond."

And she added: "I prefer taking classes in-person because you can get a better feel for what the requirements are for the course and the professor's teaching style."

Wright likes working from the comfort of her home, at her own pace, and not being distracted by classmates. And not always having to be at class at a certain time "is very convenient, especially if you have other obligations."

At the same time, Johnstin said, that can be a drawback.

"The disadvantage would be time management because you have to make sure that you are staying on track with the due dates," she said. "The advantage would be that you have more time throughout the day to complete assignments."

Since all three students had taken online classes before, it hasn't been a big adjustment. Wright said the most important thing she had learned from previous online experiences was the importance of checking email and assignments often. Johnstin said the hardest part is developing a set routine, which she likes to do to help her stay on track.

Wright, who is involved in cheerleading and Phi Beta Kappa, also enjoys the classroom and campus environments, as well as meeting new people.

"I was looking forward to events being held on campus and being able to walk across the stage to receive my diploma this May," she said.

Johnstin wasn't surprised by the College's decision to move to all online classes because it had happened to friends at other schools.

"When I heard that TNCC was doing the same, it was not a shock due to the current circumstances," she said.

It was much the same for Wright, but it took some time to sink in.

"Initially, I was upset because I was used to the routine of going to class, doing my work, and seeing my peers," Wright said. "I had to figure out how I would handle class from now on and accept the fact that all fun events, such as Spring Fest, were canceled."