I have never really attended a full online course before. I've done hybrids but I've always gone in person for tests and quizzes and even some lectures. However with every single class being online at Rowan University, I feel like I can't get a hold of the schedule and am distracted at home. I miss being able to stop at the student center to get a snack and going to the library so I can sit in silence and study. Home is very distracting for me since I have an almost 10 month old, a kitten, and a fiancé.
I am Distracted, go away
I knew I was in for something else when I failed my first test. I understood the content I have been studying for almost two weeks, studying the vocabulary, the grammar and so on and I still bombed it. Personally, I don't think the university could prepare their students enough for this. for those especially who have never taken an online class before it is a very hard adjustment. I've been diagnosed with ADHD when I was 14 and I've been struggling with it ever since. I'm not a controlled environment and trying to focus on a computer screen is extremely difficult. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of things on my screen and my notes. I miss going to class and I thought I would never say that.
Send help
The professors are doing their best at trying to make class engaging but I've noticed in a lot of my classes it is a bunch of crickets. I do my best to participate but I don't know the answers to all the questions and I wish people would speak up more. also I've noticed that a lot of people don't put their cameras on and I feel like I'm just looking at a bunch of black screens. I miss face-to-face contact with people even though they are strangers to me. I wish the university did some kind of preparedness class for this because anyway I feel like we are all lost in our own way. Due to COVID-19, I get it but I wish there is something that we could do to make class feel more like class. I feel like I'm learning less because of the fact I'm being so distracted, and that is not the teacher's responsibility to keep me distracted. I just wish there was someone to talk to about finding ways to stay focused.
We got this...maybe
When I think about being in college I can't help to think about students who are in elementary and middle school. On the other students dealing with a high amount of stress but the parents and the teachers are as well. I don't think anything could have prepared us for what is happening in today's world. I believe that this situation is going to make us stronger but it is going to take awhile to get there unless everything manages to go back to normal but I'm not sure when that's going to happen. Until then, I learn more about how to be less distracted. I hope parents and teachers find new ways to cope with today's environment and stressors in life. I hope professors realize that it isn't easy for us either and that we are struggling but it's hard for us to talk about it. So to Zoom University, you've definitely done it but I'm not waving my white flag.
