If you’re currently a student living in 2020, chances are you’re being taught online. And if you’re a student in 2020 with social media, you’ve likely seen the many complaints people have about remote learning. However, I believe that there are some positives to the situation that people aren’t looking at. Here’s my optimistic take on why online learning isn’t actually the worst.
First off, online classes make this the year for cozy learning. When you don’t feel like getting out of bed or turning your camera on, you can wear sweats and leggings. On the other hand, it’s easy to wear something cute or throw on some makeup when you’re in the mood to keep the camera on.
A lot of professors have also decided to pre-record lectures and post them online. This means we get to watch them at our own pace and take our time instead of rushing to take down notes. If the prof is going too fast, we can pause to catch up. This way, we can make sure we have the time to get all the information we need.
However, some lectures may still be live and just held over Zoom. You may not be able to play, fast forward and rewind, but there are still benefits!
For one, you can have class anywhere- outside on your patio or still cozied up in bed. You could even be having a full dinner! (Which, by the way, eating during Zoom classes needs to be more normalized). Instead of waiting for your lecture to finish so that you can get some food, you can easily have a cup of noodles while your lecture is going on. Plus, by not being on campus, you won’t be tempted to pick up some food, therefore saving you some cash. We should be enjoying the fact that we can literally take part in our lectures from anywhere we want. Besides, it just hits differently when you can roll out of bed and go to class.
Lastly, and this won’t apply to everyone, but personally, I find that some of my professors have been way more understanding. They know that some of us have jobs, have people to care for and now may even be in a different time zone. They are now taking our personal lives into account because they understand that they do affect our school life. A lot of professors are even changing up their assignments to make it easier for us in an online environment, as it’s not like we can go to the library for sources. Plus, for those of you who don’t like group assignments, there have definitely been a lot less of those!
I know that online learning isn’t the best, yet it is the situation that we are in. It’s better to look at all the positives rather than the negatives. We’d all rather be on campus going to class, but that day will come again! For now, let’s just enjoy the online structure while we can.