Everyone has beef with Zoom University, and I don’t blame them. It’s hard to learn, it’s even harder to stay engaged, and sometimes the WiFi connection makes both of those things impossible. You’ve heard that all before, and we’ve all had our fair share of Zoom burnout. Call me a hopeless optimist, but I think it’s worth looking at the bright side of things for a bit.
Before the announcement that Emory classes would be conducted online this Spring, I had been planning on writing this article and titling it “Things I Will Miss About Zoom University.” But alas, life is not a fairy tale. That doesn’t mean a girl can’t dream, though. Here’s what I would miss about Zoom University if online classes were ending anytime soon:
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Taking class straight from bed. Think of how many more minutes of sleep you can catch by being able to wake up right before class. What a blessing. Most comfortable class ever.
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Being able to put minimal effort into your appearance. Your professor and classmates can usually only see you from the shoulders up, depending on how your camera is angled. You can easily get away with wearing pajamas and turning on the “touch up my appearance” video setting on Zoom. Even your professor could be wearing sweatpants and you’d never know. If you’ve lost all energy and motivation to make yourself look presentable for class this semester, this is a big perk of Zoom University.
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Enjoying some privacy by turning off your camera and microphone. Maybe you’re having a bad day and you’d much rather people not see or hear you. Or you have four consecutive classes like me and you don’t have enough time to cook or buy food, eat, and use the bathroom in between. You can do all that during class without disrespecting or interrupting the professor. Thank you, Zoom, for being so accommodating and considering students’ needs!
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Not having to be in a particular location. You can join class from literally anywhere: grocery store, grandma’s house, bathroom, Antarctica, you name it! The time you’d normally spend commuting to class can instead be spent doing other things like taking a break, doing homework, turning in an assignment, or studying. It has never been easier to get an attendance grade of 100%.
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Multitasking. Yes, you’re technically supposed to pay attention. But, you know, most classes are recorded, and sometimes the professor is just reading off the PowerPoints that will be available on Canvas later. With all the extra work that has been piled on us this semester, can professors really expect us to not make every minute of the day count? Plus, Zoom makes it easy—you can have the screen on one side of your computer, and a document or website on the other. Multitasking is a highly desired skill in the workplace, after all.
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The chat feature. Raising your hand in a classroom doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get called on. The professor might not see you or get to your question or comment before class ends or the subject changes, leaving you to awkwardly lower your hand and lose the opportunity to engage with them. With Zoom’s chat feature, the professor will at least read your question or comment. Essentially, the likelihood that you’ll have your questions or comments addressed through this function are higher. Also, if you’re like me and speaking up in class is anxiety-inducing, the chat feature always comes to the rescue. Additionally, you can talk to your classmates without disrupting the class. The downside is that the professor will see what you said in a transcript when the class ends, so it’s up to you what you’re willing to let the professor read.
Have I sold you on Zoom University yet? Wow, maybe I should switch my major to marketing. Hey Zoom, I’m graduating in 2022. Hire me maybe?