The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying stay-at-home mandate means students are now struggling with their home and school lives being pushed together.
The transition caused a lot of problems as students had to find ways to fit the new demands of all-online classes into their lifestyles.
Eliz Soto Hernandez, a Delta student and tutor, said nothing prepared her for the all-campus closure.
“Not really much prepared, it caught me off guard, they emailed us saying we are going to move on to virtual classes and are going to be through canvas or another software and with tutoring my supervisor told me to find an app or software in order to teach,” said Hernandez.
Soto said it took her about a week to get used to it with all her classes but after that it was easy to adjust quickly, especially when it came to sitting for hours.
“It wasn’t that hard for me at least because I had already taken online classes. The Zoom video livestream, I was new to that, I’m a tutor so I had to get adjusted in order for me to tutor but for other students, it might have been a bit hard for them because it was their first time,” she said.
While she is accustomed to online classes, there were classes she never thought about taking online. That made it a bit difficult when it came to classes that aren’t meant for online, chemistry included.
“We can’t do any labs; lab periods are more lectures as the professor gives them out which is a bit harder. Supposedly we are supposed to do an experiment at home with home materials. It’s OK, but it’s a bit confusing and harder to understand,” said Hernandez.
Time management has helped her transition.
“It doesn’t impact me in a negative way, I feel like it is divided between good and bad. Time management is the key as it gives more flexibility to finish your work at any time,” she said.
As of right now she says she’s doing fine given the stay-at-home order. She said she has had a bit of stress relieved knowing she doesn’t have to arrive on campus physically at a certain time anymore, but she still has to keep an eye on emails and MyDelta.
Her advice for students who are struggling for the first time, she advises students to seek out assistance if they feel they’re lost on Canvas.
“When I came to Delta, I took online classes and I was lost and had to email the Canvas people to help me adjust along with the tutorials on how to use Canvas,” she said.
Summer classes will be online but the Fall is still up in the air.
“For me I’m not that into online, for students it’s going to be a 50/50, there are some who have to take some physical classes and for other students may prefer online space because of the flexibility in their schedule,” she said.