By Sara Hansen, Department Chair
I talk with my students about how we should make an effort to be positive. We all can try to find SomeGoodNews as John Krasinski has been bringing us on YouTube. We are in a time of enormous challenge, and the way we choose to get through it can help us come out better. Crisis brings opportunity. For this generation of our college students, the COVID-19 crisis feels like it’s taking so much away, but it also is helping our students grow stronger and experience new opportunities.
Here’s what some of my junior and senior students said yesterday about what benefits they see in college online. We explored what they would say to a younger college student or high school senior feeling uncertain about pursuing a degree online. The media fields require constant learning to adapt online and take up new technologies – it can be difficult. But this growth builds resilience, and some of it can be exciting.
Though my students miss learning with us at Sage Hall, this is what they said about positives of online college learning:
Helps students better manage their time, for learning and life
Planning for the day and making task lists on your own can build personal management skills. With the flexibility in online learning, students can manage their time for moments when they are most productive. “It helps you be more in charge of yourself – I’ve noticed I’m better at my internship because I’m managing deadlines better and not missing little details like I did before.”
Provides more flexibility, virtual tools, always-accessible content – and free time
Students often can submit assignments or take an exam within broader timeframes. They can use new tools like virtual office hours to quickly get a professor’s help. Online lessons and lectures easily can be revisited. With self-management, you can make time for activities and interests, and work obligations. This Forbes article echoes many of the students’ thoughts here. Plus, you do not have to worry about always looking presentable. “You have your own free time between online learning classes, so you can go outside and do what you want.”
Prepares j-students for real work
In careers for multimedia journalism, public relations and advertising, j-students already were experiencing some remote interviews and work opportunities. Now they will be more prepared professionals as remote work expands. They feel the economic impact but see demand for news and communication jobs. “We can do work anywhere – write, take photos – and this is a time when a bunch of firsts are happening – our fields are more relevant than ever.”
Shows how the j-department community cares
On the day campus closed, the journalism faculty met to plan for supporting our students online and has since met weekly to share ideas. Students spoke well of the department’s instructional approach and noted smaller classes (through our ACEJMC accreditation) that help the learning process. “The journalism department has taken this seriously and they are good at communicating.”
Many of these students lost internships and jobs in the short-term as campus abruptly closed and Wisconsin moved to safer at home. We can’t ignore the frustrations they expressed too:
- Missing friends, in-class interactions and the overall college experience (including graduation)
- Lacking motivation some days
- Feeling anxiety about keeping up with deadlines with less in-person reminders from instructors and students
- Struggles in self-managing assignments and distractions
- Different instructor approaches to online expectations – some classes are difficult to replicate online, especially with the abrupt switch when campus suddenly closed; some classes require more demands than others
- Trouble with equipment and wifi
Before I was a professor, I worked 15 years in strategic communication in the industry. I learned firsthand how crisis is something we plan for – and how, when it happens, it’s an opportunity to improve. As educators, I’d like to think we are getting better at teaching, reaching out and building community with every week of online learning. We all feel tested, but this is how we grow.
All of us can try to look for some good news. Focus on your goals, new opportunities and how much you can grow during this unprecedented moment. Take time to explore the amazing community you are a part of in the j-department and UWO. Consider joining the j-department alumni Facebook group to get started. And check out the daily inspirational quotes from the department’s Chief of Positivity, Cindy Schultz.
As always, feel free to reach out to me and your professors at any time. I’m so proud of all of you.
uwoshjournalism.wordpress.com 