Computers Are Not Classrooms
Online classes may be necessary now. But colleges must recognize they can never fully replace in-person learning.
On March 4, I walked out of my last midterm exam excited to begin spring break. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that was the final undergraduate class I would ever attend. A week later, my college, along with almost every other university in the country, announced that classes would shift online. Students were given a week to pack their belongings and vacate campus. As a senior, I wondered when and if I would see many of my friends again.
A month later, more questions remain than answers. However, we have settled into a new “normal” of online classes. Bleary eyed students roll out of bed straight into early morning Zoom sessions. Professors ask the participant with the barking dog in the background to please mute their microphone for the third time. International students casually remark how a class is taking place at 1 AM their time.
I’ve been impressed at the resilience of students and professors in adopting to this arrangement. For many such as myself, online learning is an annoyance but not an insurmountable hurdle. I also respect that in-person classes are not currently feasible given the public health situation. However, it is imperative that universities recognize that online learning is not an acceptable long-term substitute to in-person classes. Many students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, are already suffering this semester and will continue to do so as long as classes remain online. To prevent these students from falling even further behind, universities must make every effort to reopen their campuses in the fall. Anything less will result in a two-tiered system of higher education: between those with and without the resources to continue their education online during a global pandemic.
Students pay for knowledge and experiences, not marks on their transcript.
Those hurting the most right now often do so invisibly. Students caring for sick relatives or working part time jobs to keep their families afloat are unlikely to remark about their struggles over a Zoom call. Some of these students may not even be present in online classes because they lack the necessary technology or a safe environment to study. Universities have taken some steps to acknowledge this reality by providing students with the options to take classes pass/fail and remain on campus with approval. However, these are band-aid fixes rather than long-term solutions. No one should be forced to make a last-minute choice of whether to remain on a deserted campus or stay with their family, especially given the uncertain circumstances. And the switch to pass/fail doesn’t address the actual inequities that are occurring in the learning process. Students pay for knowledge and experiences, not marks on their transcript.
Online learning removes the intangible factors that make college both a unique experience and equalizing force. No matter your background or family income, students at most schools stay in same residence halls, eat the same food, and study in the same libraries. This is not to say that that inequalities are absent at universities. Divisions between those with financial means and those without permeate college campuses, just as they do every facet of American life. But college also can grant the ability to rise above this. In their four (or more) years as undergrads, people form lifelong friendships, gain access to unparalleled resources, and hopefully forge a new path in their lives. These experiences are impossible to recreate on a computer screen.
With this in mind, universities should do everything in their power to reopen their campuses in the fall. Much of their ability to do so depends on the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. Certainly, no university should go against public health guidelines or unreasonably risk student safety. However, given that the vast majority of students fall into the “low-risk” category for COVID-19, it is possible that colleges could welcome them back this fall with some changes.
Large gatherings such as frat parties, sporting events or even big lecture classes would continue to be banned until a vaccine is released. Virtual options would remain available to international students restricted from travel and immunocompromised students who need to stay home. Rapid testing would also have to be widely available, with special dorms set aside to quarantine any new cases. This would all be a massive undertaking for most colleges. However, it would also give fulfill universities’ core mission of educating their students in a way online learning cannot.
If anything, COVID-19 has revealed the critical role that expertise and knowledge from universities serve in times of crisis. The college students of next year will go on to become the future innovators and leaders of our society. Most have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are today, and all deserve a chance to shape their own futures by attending college. While I may be missing out on part of my last semester, I was fortunate enough to benefit from an amazing college experience over the past four years. I sincerely hope that next year’s undergrads get the same opportunity to begin or continue their own journeys on college campuses next fall.
