If someone told me at the start of the semester that I would be spending the last few months of my junior year learning from home, I would have laughed. Oh, how quickly things can change. With the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s decision to move to online learning for the time being, myself and countless other students had to quickly adapt to this foreign way of learning. No longer would we have the familiarity of the UMass Amherst campus. Now, we would be solely using the internet to attend class. This is our new norm, but it still does not feel normal.  

I came into online learning rather skeptical. I have very little experience with Zoom, the online video platform UMass students are using to attend class, and could not imagine how this would function normally. I am so used to physically attending class. How could I possibly focus, or even have the drive, to attend class remotely? I had my doubts about how seamless this transition would be. 

So, how did my transition to online learning go? Surprisingly, a lot better than anticipated.

Monday: Peer Advising Office Hours

Back on campus, I spend my Mondays, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., in my office hours as a communication peer advisor. Here, I connect with students within the major, or who are interested in joining, and aid in whatever help they need. My main responsibilities are helping students with their schedules, and making sure they are meeting all their requirements for graduation. 

My favorite part about this job is meeting with students. Now that we are remote, I can no longer have that direct interaction. In place of these office hours, each peer advisor is responsible for monitoring our email and answering students' questions. While my first remote shift went well, it is going to take some getting used to. With this necessary shift to online learning, a lot of things are just not going to feel the same for a while, like this position. I will get used to this new way of advising, but it is still sad that I will be missing out on directly working with students during our busiest time of the year, registration.

Tuesday: Geology 103: Intro Oceanography and English 300

Geology 103: Intro Oceanography: This class is a large 200+ person lecture. I was rather skeptical about how feasible this class would function via video chat. When the class time arrived and I entered the video call, things felt pretty normal. While there were some technical hiccups, which is expected, the class was bearable and worked in this new online format. It was better than I anticipated!  

English 300: Being a small discussion-based class, the course translated very well to this new Zoom environment. It was great to interact with my classmates again and get my mind off what is going on in the world. Truthfully, attending this class felt normal, something I was desperately looking for. We also had the chance to break out in small groups, a function in Zoom, which perfectly mimicked the small discussion groups we normally have in person. Attending this class truly lifted my spirits toward the potential in online learning: It can feel normal.

Wednesday: Peer Advising Meeting and English 494DI: Dystopian Games, Comics and Media

Peer Advising Meeting: I look forward to these meetings every week. In the Communication department, we have such an amazing team that I love working with. It was great seeing everyone again, even if it was only through video. Despite the new remote setting, the meeting felt normal and productive as always. As a returning peer advisor for the 2020-2021 school year, planning for the fall gave me hope for the future, and I needed that. 

English 494DI: Dystopian Games, Comics and Media: This is one of my favorite classes. The topic is unique and something I enjoy, video games. It felt great to attend class, even if it was only through video chat. Given that the class is about dystopias, now more than ever the class is extremely relevant. It was therapeutic to address our current situation through the lens of the theory and literature we have read. It was nice to take a break from everything and bond over something that the whole class loves, video games.

Thursday: Oceanography Exam and English 300

Oceanography Exam: Taking an exam online, with my slow WiFi, really stressed me out. This new format is something that I am going to have to get used to. In this class, we normally take exams using scantron sheets, not the internet. While I did okay considering my circumstances, I missed taking the exam in person. This is one of the faults of online learning; some exam formats just do not translate as well. I am determined to remain positive, especially now that I know what to expect. It will only get better from here.

English 300: Yet again, the class was great and ran smoothly. We broke up in small groups, discussed books and life, and had another successful class. During the week, and even as I am writing this, I find myself eager to keep attending class. Who knew online learning could be enjoyable?! 

I will be the first one to admit that online learning is not perfect. There are always going to be bumps in the road when doing something new, especially something as unexpected as this transition to remote learning. I know it is hard and feels like it will never get easier, but trust me, it will get better. Have faith, and remember that you have people in your life that love and support you. Things will get better. This will pass.