Student Accessibility

By Jenna Piitz and Lisa Zangerl

Due to COVID-19, education has primarily changed to online learning for many. There are numerous barriers when dealing with online learning such as the integrity of education, the lack of support available, along with implications with students abroad and accessibility. This section of the archive will dive into the numerous barriers associated with online learning and what it means for university students. 

 

Student Integrity 

When living in a society surrounded by technology and media, it is easy to fall into the digital world. Since COVID-19 emerged, students have been forced to adjust to online learning. This has posed many questions towards the integrity and quality of education available. As university students take on classes from home, this also means that examinations and other testing is done remotely as well using programs like Respondus. The issue with this stems from professors being unable to monitor students during exams. This leaves ample room for students to cheat or copy their peers, so the question remains; how can we ensure students are actually learning the content? The answer is, you can’t. There are different systems that can be put in place to try and monitor students during examination but it is impossible to be 100% sure. As a student, one would like to assume that fellow classmates would treat online exams the same as an in-person exam, however there are some students out there that simply cheat their way out. In the short term, this may seem like a good idea, however in the long term the student suffers as they end up not learning the content. To add, the quality of education students are receiving is just not the same as pre-pandemic. The discussions that are held in class and being able to communicate with one another in person is not the same as the online format. Professors have been working hard to try and transfer the traditional learning to online, however, it can not compare. For many students, attending class was something that got them out of the house and able to connect with peers, but due to COVID-19, the element is lost. The barriers that come along with online learning are much greater than those that came with traditional teaching styles. Having to attend lectures online, with over 100 students a few times a week, from your home is not as enjoyable as attending campus was. It is unfortunate that this is the reality of our current education, however students must try to make the best from the situation. 

 

Professors and Students  

As one tackles the world of online learning, they are faced with numerous obstacles. To speak specifically, the support available to students is unlike what they used to receive. Forming positive relationships with professors and teaching assistants is important in order to be successful in a class. Having a professor that is understanding and compassionate makes all the difference when a student is struggling. As university students, their lives do not solely revolve around school. While it is important, many students work and have difficult private lives as well. In saying this, being a student means accepting all the responsibilities that come along with doing so. Due to COVID-19, many students are struggling more than ever. Worrying about their health, their loved ones, financial stability and many other factors contribute to their academic performance. Having only knowing your professor through a lens plays a role in the extent in which they can support their students. A survey of faculty’s experiences during COVID-19 revealed that many instructors are worried that their engagement with student’s has been compromised by the virtual nature of learning, which reveals existing equity gaps. Researchers found that the biggest complaint among both professors and students was the lack of engagement and interaction between both parties. The findings from this study support the notion that professor-student interaction is important for student success, and COVID-19 has hindered the capacity in which this can be achieved significantly. 

 

International Students

COVID-19 has immensely altered how students around the world are receiving their post-secondary education which has presented several new challenges for those studying abroad. International students already face a number of difficulties by adapting to learning in a different country; VISA status, finances and being far from their friends and family, to name a few. These obstacles have heightened since the emergence of COVID-19, specifically on how it has impeded on their ability to go home due to border closings and travel restrictions. After universities announced that they would be transitioning to an online learning format, international students had to decide if they would be returning to the country where they were studying or not. Those who made the choice to stay have faced a number of difficulties. Some international students come from developing countries that may have limited internet access, which affects the student’s ability to find success in online learning. Time zones are likely to differ, which creates complications with synchronous lectures, exams and quizzes, and submission deadlines. Universities must acknowledge the unique struggles that international students are faced with during this pandemic, and it is imperative that they are doing the utmost to provide students abroad with the support that they need. Students that live in the United States and travel to Canada every day for school do not need to quarantine for 14 days every time they come over.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented several barriers for both domestic and international students, in terms of academic integrity, student-professor communication and accessibility. The transition from traditional in-person learning to online learning has created more challenges that students are faced with, 

References 

Lederman, Doug. “Faculty Confidence in Online Learning Grows.” COVID-era experience strengthens faculty belief in value of online learning, institutions' support for them. Inside Higher Ed, October 6, 2020. https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/10/06/covid....

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