Chantel Rodriguez

Staff writer

Cvr5570@psu.edu

This past year, many changes and adjustments with education due to COVID-19 made it a not-so-typical semester for many students worldwide. Students had no choice but to switch from traditional classroom learning to a completely virtual experience overnight. 

As an adult student myself, there were pros and cons for online and in-person learning. However, one outweighed the other for me. I can say that in-person learning is a much better experience than online learning. 

Online learning seemed to take a heavy toll on mental health. The constant distractions of being at home, homeschooling my children virtually, and dealing with the effects of a lousy wifi connection were a recipe for disaster. Connecting five different people to one wifi connection made it almost impossible to learn effectively, stay focused, and organize and retain information from all the classes and professors. 

Taking several classes online made it easier to feel like assignments or video lectures could wait until later. There was no way I could listen and take notes to a pre-recorded 45-minute lecture without someone in the family interrupting during the day for most of the classes. There wasn’t a quiet space or an empty room in the house to do so. Most times, staying up late and pulling all-nighters was the only option to stay on top of assignments and reading. 

It was a challenging time, and I was more disorganized than ever with online learning. There was no consistency as every week was a different struggle as ‘Zoom fatigue’ started to set in. 

The reality with online learning was sitting for several hours in front of a computer screen, with back-to-back classes and not catching a break. It got hard to engage in class discussions with classmates and professors, and sometimes it felt easier to zone out. In some ways, it felt unmotivating to continue and felt easier to give up. 

Professors made it possible and gave their all to make everyone’s online learning modality an easier transition. They gave students, like me, the opportunity to finish out the semester strong even when so many things were still in question with COVID-19 and how education would continue. 

After attempting online learning for the past year, I appreciate the experience and benefits of traditional in-person learning much more than before. 

In-person learning is structured, consistent, well-balanced, and organized. Professors create a standard classroom environment where the distractions can be removed, and learning becomes tailored to each student’s ability. 

The ability to step foot into a traditional classroom and see the professor and classmates has many learning benefits. The more out of what the professor or students are saying can be expressed by viewing their body language, which is a personal and beneficial experience. Nothing can beat face-to-face human interaction with others, especially with group projects. You build a sense of trust for the person I feel can’t be achieved through online learning. 

Online and in-person learning have brought up different challenges and emotions for many professors and students, but whichever mode is better for learning will depend on the individual and what’s best for them.