BC has been conducting classes on Zoom since the beginning of the pandemic in March. Students are feeling the challenges and struggles of online learning, but so are the professors.
All professors have different experiences with Zoom and the technical issues that go along with it. Kristopher Stallworth is an art professor at BC and has shared some difficulties with Zooms’ technical issues during class.
Stallworth shared that he upgraded his internet router in order to minimize his issues and it has been a good decision. Even though there could be technical issues, he brought up surrounding distractions such as construction that was happening last week near his home. Like students who have noisy homes, teachers may as well especially when younger kids are virtually learning too.
Stallworth teaches a variety of art classes involving photography. In his Black and White photography class description, the students would be able to have lab days in a dark room or develop the film. However, since COVID prevents in-person meetings with groups of people, he decided to get more into the terms of photography and well-known photographers.
He stated that he felt this helps the students better understand and gain more knowledge around photography. Most who take Stallworth’s classes are not required to, which means that they may be more engaged out of curiosity.
Steven Holmes is a political science professor at BC and shares a different experience with online learning. Holmes shared that the Academic Senate department decided to make their courses flexible. This meant that there were prerecorded lectures for students to watch on their own and then take a midterm after.
He explained that the decision was made because they took into account the students’ requests that were in the spring and summer. However, fall students have shown that having flexibility has been difficult.
Holmes doesn’t have the technical issue that many have with Zoom since his classes did not consist of live lectures. He does share the same aspect of teaching with Professor Stallworth. They both try to bring the live classroom setting to record the home lecture.
As for their students, both claimed that they see their students doing exceptionally well. Although Holmes explained that he is seeing more of a bimodal distribution when looking at grades.
Both professors love what they do and express how they miss the connection that they have when meeting with students face-to-face. Professor Stallworth understands that the aspect of Zoom is awkward and uncomfortable at times.
He describes being on camera feeling “more like a performance” when he is teaching a class full of blank screens. But notes that he understands why most students do not turn their cameras on.
Overall, Zoom is challenging for most that are not used to online learning and that includes the professors as well.