Covid and Classes: A College Student's Perspective

 Online education has been such a touchy subject for the last couple of months. The debate on whether online learning is the best option for students of all ages has been one that has caused a lot of divides and typically has brought on even more confusion for the ones impacted the most: the students. Since I have experienced what online education has brought on the first hand, I believe that I am informed and educated enough to decide that online education has not provided an equal opportunity for learning during Covid-19. First of all, there is no set curriculum or way teachers should be teaching via online formats, so there is no consistency in our education system right now, which is causing some students to fall further behind than others. Not only is there no consistency from state to state or school to school, it even comes down to teacher to teacher. I personally am taking 5 different classes right now through The University of Kentucky and all 5 of my professors are approaching online learning completely differently. This has caused me to have confusion about which class is doing what and I have found myself feeling more lost than ever. Besides the teaching styles being different, online learning is not providing an equal opportunity for learning because some students can not learn through a screen. I am a physical learner. I need physical textbooks, notebooks, a pen, and a pencil. Online education does not provide me with the opportunities I need to be able to fully understand the material being presented to me. I know that I do not have the worst situation though, some students do not even have access to the internet or a computer to join in on zoom classes. This creates a huge learning deficit that can not be repaired, especially for younger students who are in critical learning years right now. 

Additionally, I do believe that there should be a hardship clause for students impacted by Covid, but I believe there should be an extent to which this is given. I have always been a straight-A student, but with covid I have found myself struggling more than usual in my classes. This has not come from a lack of effort or motivation, it is purely because I have to adapt to a different education style than what I have been used to for the last 14 years of my life. So, for students like me or similar to me, there should be a bit more leniency for students who are genuinely struggling to adapt. On the other hand, there are some students that would take advantage of the situation and not put any effort in and know that they can just blame it on covid. I understand that it would be very difficult to differentiate between the two situations so it would make it difficult to ensure fairness, but it is something to consider. 

Lastly, I do not think that I will be any less competitive in the job market because of Covid. I believe, if anything, potential employers would see my resilience and dedication through covid to continue my education despite the circumstances.