What are some challenges – in terms of access, health, field – you may have faced when your university moved online? On the other hand, what are some benefits you may have experienced?
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The online experience was missing what is the quintessential university experience. I missed interacting with friends randomly, not in turn and imposed by an order dictated by technical constraints and random chatter which accompanied a lecture. Your thoughts anr comments now had to be articulated together with everyone, and not just in person sitting next to you. I missed discussing the class and its ideas outside the classroom, running into friends telling them about something super interesting we learnt about or just exchanging similar ideas and listening to their thoughts and comments. There is as much to be learnt outside class as inside and that is what I felt was missing from the online classroom.
Since I already had health problems before the pandemic broke out,moving online was a bit beneficial for me. I found it easy to balance online classes with my treatments, as the worries of physical travel were done away with. However,there were also tons of difficulties. I remember feeling isolated and missing my independence as a college student. Since the entire family was at home,something we were not used to,everyone had to adjust to differing schedules. I also missed face to face interactions with professors,because I would often voice all my opinions without censoring myself. At my home,I found myself being a bit more reserved.
Challenges-
1. Blurring lines of Private and Public Space
2. A Surface level Connect
3. Mentally Exerting
4. Miss reading a hard cover book
Benefits-
1. Just a click away from School
2. Saves time
3. All the old Staff members too are now becoming a tech savy person.
Of course the online experience was never going to be able to emulate in-person teaching, I felt that it still allowed students to move on with their education to some extent, especially those who needed to graduate on time etc.
However, online learning highlighted the unfortunate disparities among students’ socioeconomic backgrounds and therefore their access to learning and resources. As faculty, while I tried to offer as much support as possible, I know some of my students were struggling to keep up because of connectivity issues and lack of access to online research resources. Such issues also included lack of an adequate study space at home for many students. Therefore, this mode of learning has not proven to be very inclusive.
Online learning ended up increasing eye fatigue and triggering other health concerns.
The ability to access recorded lectures meant no incentive to attend a live session, which impacted the quality of seminar discussions.
Online learning however did help in curbing infection rates, saved commute time and allowed those students to open up in class a bit more who were normally very reserved in live, in-person classes.
We apparently have access to the best of labs for polygraph, BEOS, narcoanalysis etc. however we don’t have access to any of the forensic instruments we are studying and will be working on due to online classes and that is the WORST.
We also have access to Springer journal and lots of other online resources but we cant access any of it because we cant go tot he library that allows that access.
we are also void of all the amazing references books we could have taken knowledge from but thanks to covid, we cant access any of the previous dissertations.
we haven’t got our institution ID as well which we can use for a lot of things
we dont even have access to out comp labs which have an amazing internet speeds thanks to our cyber defense labs.
the only good thing is, since this is masters and there is a lot to study. i have scored marks because exams were online, else the way i studied i dont think i would have passed if the exams were offline.
Challenges
First, it was difficult to ask for something or seek correction on minute points through the online method.
Second, we were prevented from accessing libraries, archives, museums and research sites with the frequency we may have wanted.
Third, being confined indoors caused us to become mentally tired. On the one hand we drained ourselves with academic work, while on the other hand we accumulated much energy by the fact of not being able to move outdoors and meet with others. This imbalance posed a constant source of challenge.
Fourth, getting office work done during the pandemic was always a challenge. it was difficult but we came to know of more efficient ways of getting wotk done.
Benefits
First, we saved time. Travel was not required.
Second, we came into contact with people from distant institutions whom we would never have had the opportunity to learn from.
Third, while the social side of us suffered, the contemplative and reflective sides were enhanced. We were forced to listen to the birds, pay attention to the trees, appreciate the rain. We could step back and reflect on life in general. We understood the importance of others in our lives. We realized why it was important to stay busy.
Fourth, we were blessed time with our family.
I can really relate to the experience of being more reflective in the pandemic. The enormity of the circumstances forced us into thinking more about life and the world. However, I also found myself being numb to the outside world at times, as our distance (both literal and metaphorical) from it increased. How do you think we can retain this state of being contemplative in a post-pandemic world? Do you think isolation is important for reflection or can we think in and through connections?
Fortunately, I did not experience significant access-based challenges. I had access to the devices and infrastructure required for remote learning. Most of the resources (books, journals etc) were available online, only some could not be found. Though I didn’t have any lab work, I was engaged in an empirical study in March 2020. The assignment was subsequently scrapped by our professor due to the health risk and we were asked to submit an alternate assignment. The prospects of doing empirical, field based projects were extremely bleak and throughout my final year I chose my research questions and methodologies accordingly.
The pandemic did affect me emotionally but keeping myself engrossed in classes allowed me to find some semblance of normality and take care of my mental health. Though my family contracted COVID in September 2020, it did not hinder my online education significantly. It being the middle of the semester I could catch up with the class. This however was not the case for many of my classmates who tested positive just before or during exams which took a toll on their mental and physical health.
The only benefit I experienced in the online mode was saving up on travel time. As a day scholar I would spend 2-2.5 hours in commute which could now be utilised for reading, working etc.
Initially we struggled with sharing devices among family members as everyone required some sort of device for their classes or work simultaneously and therefore I would sometimes miss out on certain events so my sibling could use my device. However, we eventually did end up buying more devices to fulfill our day to day requirements. Online classes paired with harsh realities of the pandemic did poorly impact my mental and physical health, but the support of peer groups proved helpful during those times.
As someone who found it difficult to navigate social interactions, the inability to see my classmates’ or teachers’ faces made classes seem much less daunting in the beginning. I found it relatively easier to answer questions and ask doubts as I wasn’t as worried about how others would react or how I would be perceived. However as I did begin to gain confidence, I realized that there are certain benefits to lively, face-to-face interactions that cannot be denied or replicated.
The online mode posed several challenged. While some, like the differential access to technological infrastructure, were obvious, others like a deepening sense of digital fatigue were made apparent only later. In addition, one felt that there was a blurring of boundaries between the home and work space. This also altered the notion of a university space which existed only over the virtual media. There is also a veritable loss of sense of time as the work hours indefinitely spill over into what was earlier marked off as time for relaxation or chores. In terms of social interaction, there is a loss of spontaneous conversations or of the ability to ask doubts or questions on the hand. Even as the time spent on commuting earlier can be utilised for other activities, one experiences the loss of connect with the city and its infrastructure due to the same. At the same time, however, the online mode does allow more flexibility in terms of organising one’s activities. Besides, it allows one the opportunity to develop their technological know-how. In terms of long-term benefits, it provides more legitimacy to Massive Open Online Courses and re-frames the questions surrounding the nature of learning altogether.
Challenges:
Low internet speed later on it was increased.
Sudden ban on internet which almost leads to anxiety as there was a feeling of alienation and I used to think I am cut off from whole world.
Continuously surfing internet leads to eye strain,headache at times.
Benefits
Got lots and lots of learning opportunities
World become my classroom.
Attended various webinars, Faculty development programmes,reasearch reagarding programs which was not possible in an offline mode.
One of the most frustrating aspects of taking classes remotely was that I had to restrict myself to courses that did not require lab access. This meant that I wasn’t able to take a lot of courses that I had intended to take during grad school. In addition to this, I was constantly hindered by the fact that I had limited compute power at home and didn’t have access to any clusters. Although most professors were quite accommodating, the fact that I was in a completely different time zone also proved to be quite a challenge.
As there was no longer a physical boundary between my work and home life, I found it even harder mentally switch off from work and relax while I wasn’t studying. This, in addition to the fact I felt completely isolated due to the lack of interaction with my peers led to a lot of stress and anxiety.
To be completely honest, I can’t think of any way online classes personally benefited me. The only possible positive effect I can think of is that this past year of online education may fast track the devlopment of distance learning platforms, which hopefully will lead to better remote learning experiences for students in the future.
In terms of access, I did not have to face any challenges. Most of our professors shared the relevant study material with us in the form of pdfs and ebooks. During the pandemic itself, I was diagnosed with an infectious disease. So it was easier for me to look after myself at home. However, it was at times mentally exhausting as I failed to focus in class on what was being taught.
Being a day scholar, I used to spend a lot of time traveling which I could now utilize for doing something else. I enjoyed working on class assignments in groups as it allowed me to interact with others and also, the entire process was somehow smoother in an online setting.
The grief and anxiety of the pandemic have taken a huge mental toll. The challenges were manifold, including but not limited to the pressure of taking care of one’s home and health on one side and the pressure of working and being productive on the other. I learnt that I can’t do jhaadoo, pochha, and get any writing done on the same day. I learnt that it’s okay to take a break and give oneself some time to destress, and that my work would be of better quality when I did it in a calm state of mind.
The pandemic caused me to confront a lot of emotional issues that otherwise I would not have dealt with in the hustle and bustle of daily life. It also helped me get build communities that are not divided along physical lines, and access resources and information that was not available earlier.
Access to classroom became very easy. I just needed a link and I can join class from anywhere. Access to books became very difficult and I am still struggling for it. Libraries are not open and we are not allowed to issue books from library. It has been assumed that learners can spend 12 hours a day on screen . It has been a toil on my health . I experienced frequent headaches and pain in eyes.
The only benefit I see of online class is that it helps us in maintaining social distance and let us be safe in our home during pandemic. Otherwise I do not see any benefit of having online classes.
The biggest challenge for me was to not being able to meet my chosen family and friends at university. The unavailability of a physical space to talk not just about academics but also politics, theories, education thinkers with friends was another thing that I missed a lot as such discussions also gives one a chance to deliberate more upon one’s perspectives and assumptions.
The benefit of this virtual shift is difficult for me to put. But one of the benefits that I can think about is that I became better with technology. Then to keep myself away from overthinking, I did a lot of internships, collected data for different researches and completed some online courses. So, this gave me a chance to work upon a lot more things along with my masters.
There was a lot of anxiety around what we were missing by adopting the alternatives options. Moving fieldwork to telephonic interviews, having limited access to academic resources added with lethargy and a sense of loss have posed questions such as if one is really doing sufficient or good enough, creating a hard time most of the time. In terms of any advantages, one could say that the beginning of the covid pandemic allowed me to pause, reflect and reevaluate certain things about my life that were long overdue.
The challenges at work have been multiple: missing the connection and spark from working in the same space and being around other people, extreme screen fatigue, clients assuming constant availability, the lines between work and home being more blurred than ever. All these factors have affected my mental health.
A big benefit of starting a new firm during lockdown was that we didn’t have many costs (renting an office space, for example). Remote working also meant that whenever we needed to hire a freelancer, we didn’t have to restrict ourselves to applicants only within our city.
Challenges:-
1. Since all my colleagues were at different place , so if there was a network issue of even one of them then the class time was getting absorbed into solving the issue.
2. Once my phone screen got a black out, and then I missed my one online exam.
Similar problems occured with others also.
Benefits-
1. Mundane task of attendance was now automated, saving precious 5-7 min.
2- Blackboard visibility issue of backbenchers was now solved with personal digital screen.
3- More teaching aids came in place with videos, project showcase, pictures , etc.
4- Travel time to college was now on save, along with zero fuel consumption.
5- Questions in comment box and replies to them made a feeling prevalent of being heard in large group.
The benefits of getting to do extra online courses, saving time, having classes as something to keep me busy with and getting the opportunity to talk to people from different institutions/backgrounds beyond just classrooms were substantial.
However, one of the biggest issues I faced was the dilemma of whether or not to turn on my video in class. While this sounds trivial at the onset, I have thought about this a bit. On days when I had the privilege of a decent connection, turning my video on made it easier to focus in class. Since I worked with a teaching organisation in my final year, I also knew how much easier it was to teach in an online class where you could see people. On the other hand, when I did turn my video on, I experienced a severe sense of self-surveillance. The constant reminder that I was on the screen and everyone in class could see me, meant I tended to stay riveted on the little box with my face on it.
For me, this was far deeper than just random narcissism. I think my history of dysmorphia and having a hard time decided how I want to perceive myself made it much harder to deal with the thought of everyone watching. In normal physical classes, you’re part of the learning process with so many others, morphed and melted into a collective that is trying to learn. However, to be able to see yourself means that you need to find a way to reconcile the jarring juxtaposition of being a part of a process that is supposed to be immersive, while also having a bird’s eye view of it.
Resolving this was one of the challenges I faced and it is not one I have overcome.