By Leonardo Cervantes
The reopening of on-campus classes benefits everyone.
The year 2020 has been unprecedented, to say the least, and has impacted mostly everyone’s normal routine. One of the oddest circumstances this year has been the closure of the majority of schools.
East Los Angeles College has an enrollment of over 36,000 students and they have all had to adjust to remote learning. Most students attending ELAC are young adults, so they should be able to be responsible and look out for one another.
Masks must be made mandatory on campus and students trusted to socially distance and respectfully follow the rules.
If classrooms all have hand sanitizers and students wear masks at all times, it can definitely work well. It is human nature to be much more relaxed in your own home, so in turn, students might not be as focused as they would be on campus.
Students in a classroom, tend to pay extra attention to the subject at hand. While taking online classes, students are likelier to doze off or miss Zoom classes. Students can also be on Zoom but pay no attention to the lecture, since it is much more difficult for the instructor to call you out via Zoom for not participating.
In Zoom, for any class that has over 15 students, it is hard to keep track of the mini squares that students are in.
Campus opening up again would benefit low-income students the most. They do not have the same resources as other students and may not have a stable internet connection.
They also might not have a functioning computer or tablet.
With the campus reopening, they would not have to worry about all of this and would instead be able to focus in class.
Although technology continues to improve every year, some people are just not tech-savvy.
Younger students have grown up in the rise of technology, but for whatever reason, some were never interested in it.
Older instructors have had a certain way of teaching for decades and now all of a sudden are forced to teach a class in front of a camera.
It is a tough situation to be in for both students and instructors are not accustomed to using technology.
Learning online vs learning in the classroom are two completely different experiences.
The socializing aspect is the biggest difference between the two ways of learning. Often students are instructed to interact with their classmates, in a classroom.
This gets a conversations going and will keep the classroom engaged. On Zoom classes, two people can’t converse at the same time. It’s more so the instructor calls on a student and they respond and then the instructor calls on another student.
Students take turns speaking instead of being in a classroom and everybody being able to converse with each other.
Opening the campus has its risks, but if the proper safety precautions are taken by students and those in charge, then it can definitely work.
Both instructors and students work best inside classrooms due to fewer distractions or worry about technology.
Studying inside classrooms also offers the experience of working with classmates. If students have questions, instead of immediately asking a professor for help, they can ask classmates for help. Taking online classes, the only way they can communicate with your classmates or professor, is via email or text.
Students can use the library once the campus reopens. Trying to find books online can be difficult and oftentimes students are unsuccessful.
The library has access to many books and odds are you will find the one you are looking for.
Students can look through multiple books at a time to find the specific one that will help you out. It is also a quiet place that can help you finish your work with no distractions. Students may live with multiple family members and can make them lose focus while doing homework while the library offers a quiet place with no distractions.