Staff Writer |Ryan Ziwa
The perks of online and in-person course modalities have been tainted, so much so that class selection should no longer rely on them. Instead, course modality should be considered only through the extent of control it allows.
During class registration season, students take on an additional role: detective. Mental evidence boards of required credits to graduate, fickle Rate My Professor reviews, peer advice, and other commitments are meditated on to build an ideal schedule.
A core consideration for the “ideal” schedule, subjective though it is, is the course modality.
In-person classes offer an accountability system through deadlines and peer influence.They also facilitate socialisation, which is regarded as a pillar of education. This is one of the stronger appeals of in-person learning, especially in the context of the loneliness epidemic, where unmediated social relationships have diminished.
Yet, my classes this semester have closely resembled post-apocalyptic society in their scarcity and inhabitation.
Attendance has constantly dwindled, at times low enough for me to count the students present in one breath. Even when the students are present, they seem to be repulsed by the class, unwilling to stay a minute past the end time. I’m often left wondering whether the socialization benefits are in the room.
Online classes provide efficiency and accessibility–all pertinent for students juggling multiple responsibilities. These advantages are relevant considerations for the commuter community, who make up 92% of FIU undergraduates.
In reality, the flexibility provided by online classes can, in-part, be experienced in in-person classes through virtual self-check-in technologies that can be manipulated.
Course modalities have been tainted by convenience leaving us hammer and anvil options: would I rather respond to discussions written by a large language machine model, or sit in a class that could have been a discussion post? Would I rather leave this lecture playing in the background and do something else, or go to class and do something else?
While each modality has perks, those of in-person classes work in theory; in contemporary culture, they cower. Online classes seem to hold the upper hand with accessibility, though precluding the possibility of a perk, is a drawback itself.
The preference for one of the other can only be made on the premise of convenience–less time, less effort. This mentality is warranted by the different faucets that emerging adults (18–29) have to balance: relationships, work, academics.
Choosing a course modality that offers greater convenience works in favor only when it provides greater control over what matters to you. Exercising control also avoids learned helplessness, which may contribute to psychological distress.
On the other hand, choosing greater convenience only to spend the “freed” time doomscrolling, something that significantly affects Gen Z, or binge watching would be a poor trade-off.
The distinction between online and in-person courses is being redefined by technology and social attitudes.A more useful consideration when choosing classes is control.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.
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