The college education is not prepared to go online
Tamonda Griffiths – Editor-in-Chief
As the number of cases for coronavirus or COVID-19 continue to rise here on the east coast, Connecticut now experiencing its first case, and spring break just a week away, students have been anxious to find out whether or not the university will go completely online after the break.
On Thursday, March 5 an email was sent out to university faculty in preparation for the potential of in-person courses being converted to online learning.
According to Inside Higher Education, the University of Washington and Stanford University in California have forgone in-person instruction, opting to teach the remainder of the semester online.
In New York, Columbia University, Hofstra University and several school districts have shutdown classes altogether.
I do not know what the universities ultimate decision will be regarding going online, however, I am skeptical of the overall effectiveness in such a decision.
Blackboard Learn 9, while a fairly diverse channel for professors to interact with students, is not without its faults. And let us knowledge the fact that some faculty on this campus outright refuse to use it, meaning students who have had them for years now may be unfamiliar with the software as well.
Not every major can be taught soley from a screen or a textbook. There is no consistency on how online classes are taught either.
And what of classes that were designed for inclass, teacher to student interaction? Can they be converted effectively?
My diagnosis is no.
SOUTHERN NEWS 