A group of undergraduate and graduate students at York University met through sociology professor Cary Wu’s research techniques courses. Dr. Wu led a virtual group discussion about what distinguishes in-person classes from online learning. We were able to evaluate what aspects of in-person classes we missed. Here, we provide seven major ideas that emerged from our interviews.
1. Community and Friendship.
The physicality of in-person classes creates a sense of community that is easy to lose online. Students see that in the classroom, they can form personal ties with peers who share their scholastic interests. This type of bonding experience is difficult to reproduce online, as most students rarely interact with one another during and after an online session.
When you are all in the same physical location, creating connections feels natural, and it is undoubtedly easier to contact students and teachers both. In-person classes encourage organic discussions in which students can bounce ideas off one another. In contrast, for remote classrooms, the on-screen dynamic has remained impersonal and largely nameless. “There is no sense of friendship or relationship between the students that would usually be built in traditional in-person classes,” according to a student. “I feel like it is a missed networking opportunity.”
“There is no sense of friendship or relationship between the students that would usually be built in traditional in-person classes.”
Peer support alternatives are extremely limited for students taking online classes. When students have queries about course instructions, university processes, Moodle, and other topics, they typically seek answers from their peers. However, since that virtual classrooms have deprived students of the ability to create rapport with others, some of them do “not feel comfortable emailing a stranger.”
Graduate students are struck particularly heavily. One such student says, “As graduate students, we often don’t have much spare time for hobbies and socializing. Class, group meetings, and other activities frequently provide us with our only social connection during the week. The loss of this, I feel, is creating a great deal of loneliness and suffering that should not be overlooked.”
2. Existence of social cues
Social cues are frequently overlooked in online classes, and when we do not recognize them, we misinterpret individuals and situations. Students see a lack of “human aspect” in online interactions. “It feels as if I’m speaking to myself or filming myself rather than engaging in a conversation.”
Exacerbating the problem, students may turn off their cameras during an online class, and without these visual cues, they may not feel safe during classroom discussions and find it difficult to “develop a sense of trust and familiarity” with their peers, who, in the context of faceless learning, feel more like “strangers.”
3. Sense of Motivation
“I like seeing other people studying in the library because it gives me a sense of motivation and comfort,” says one student. Without the option of studying at the library or another communal study space, students’ motivation to complete assignments and prepare for tests dwindles. Indeed, the library appears to be a location where kids can develop resilience while also feeling at ease and supported. Another student remarks that seeing other students study helps them know that they are not alone in their struggles, which motivates them to try their best.
Graduate students frequently said that remaining after class to meet with their professors allows them to connect with them in ways that help them learn more. “Sometimes it’s more than just learning the stuff. Establishing a good relationship with a professor allows me to connect with them in ways that motivate me to ask more questions and seek more answers.”
4. Remaining focused
Engagement and focus are essential components of the learning process, but they are in short supply in the online learning environment. “Without in-person interactions with professors and classmates, some students can struggle to focus during class and refrain from asking questions.” More specifically, online lessons are riddled with ready distractions, such as “online notifications, chat functions on Zoom, and other household or neighbourhood distractions that cannot be controlled.”
Simply believing that they would perform better if learning were done in-person may create a self-fulfilling prophesy in which students believe they are unprepared to study online and, as a result, care and work less. “Obviously, students have lectures, tutorials, assignments, tests, quizzes, and examinations to complete. However, because you do not required to be physically present at the location, you have more opportunities to postpone it till another day.
Graduate students are in the same boat. “The act of going into a specific space to study, with a group of people who can also be interacted with before and after, or during breaks, helps [them] to remain focused and interested in the topic of the class.”
5. Privacy.
At home, but without privacy? Yes, this has become a reality for many kids. Virtual meetings at home do not provide the same level of privacy that in-person and closed-door meetings do. Because of the epidemic, family members will most likely remain at home, and students may choose not to make appointments owing to privacy concerns, depriving them of human interaction.
Similarly, some students are unable to discuss their concerns with their academic advisors from home because they do not want anybody else to hear what they are saying. Students also feel more supported and comfortable when they speak with their academic advisors and counselors in person.
6. Sense of Routine
Discipline may be the foundation of great success. However, online learning lacks structure, which can have an impact on a student’s grade and overall experience with the course. According to one student, “Being at home has taken away this sense of routine because there is no necessity to wake early to commute or be somewhere at a given time.”
More concerning are the chances for procrastination that asynchronous classes provide. Indeed, without set schedules, reminders from the professor, and regular exchanges with classmates in the lecture hall, students are nearly certain to fall behind on course readings, content, and lecture material.
This lack of structure can also lead to a blurring of the lines between home and school. “I work hard at school so I can relax at home,” even if “being home, there are a lot of things that can distract you from starting work whether it be family who are also staying home, or other things.”
Staying focused is especially difficult for students who do not have their own dedicated study environment at home. “It is difficult to concentrate since I do not have enough space in my room to set up a study table, and there is a lot of noise in the living room. My only option is to work and study at night, after my family goes to bed.”
7. Just being on campus.
The basic act of being on campus provides a pleasant educational and social postsecondary experience. Instead of the hazy place in which students find themselves right now, campus creates a clear demarcation between work and home. “I envision my home to be a safe place, a place that I don’t have to stress in, where I simply relax and forget about the day.”
Campus also provides a critical gathering place for students who live far apart to interact and connect. Perhaps most significantly, campus provides an ideal learning environment for studying, concentrating, and completing homework. One student says, “I go to York every day, even if I don’t have class. Every day at 7:00 a.m., I’d arrive at York and study until my class began; most of my classes were in the afternoon, and I’d stay at York until around 5:00 p.m., after all of my lectures and tutorials were over. York was the site where labor was done.
“It’s scary to think about how long we’ll have to endure online schooling. “Will this be the new reality of learning for university students?”
Thus, for both undergraduate and graduate students, online learning appears to impede both educational outcomes and social interactions. “It’s scary to think about how long we’ll have to endure online schooling. “Will this be the new reality of learning for university students?”
Students struggle to stay focused, motivated, and devoted, and there is no longer a sense of familiarity or community between students and faculty. This is not to imply that online learning can exclusively result in poor consequences, but rather to recognize the severe obstacles it presents to all students.
Yes, the global epidemic has allowed students to reflect on their educational experiences and genuinely appreciate the physical space and face-to-face contacts they have had with their friends and lecturers on campus. In the middle of the worldwide pandemic, we are experiencing what it means to be left to our own devices, both figuratively and practically, and students agree that real social connection begins on campus.
