By Jordyn Forte
When English professor, Helga Duncan, first learned that all courses at Stonehill College would be taught fully in-person for the first time in a year and a half, she was excited, but plenty nervous.
Since sending students home for the remainder of their spring semester in March 2020, Stonehill has given both professors and students the ability to choose a learning style – whether it be in-person learning, hybridized learning, or fully remote learning – that best fits their needs in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic.
For the Fall 2021 semester, however, Stonehill College opted to resume in-person learning, thereby eliminating any form of remote learning unless a positive Covid test or contract tracing deems it necessary.
“When the College first announced that there was not going to be any choice, I wasn’t initially feeling great,” Duncan, who has not taught a class on campus since March 2020, said, “I was a bit apprehensive.”
After being on sabbatical in the Fall 2020, Duncan opted to teach fully remotely in the Spring 2021.
“I actually didn’t mind remote learning,” Duncan said, “and, after reading my students’ responses and seeing course evaluations, I don’t think the students minded it too much either, with the exception of missing the social aspect of school.”
“I don’t think taking an online class was a total disaster,” Duncan explained.
But, with numbers and statistics surrounding the Coronavirus constantly changing, Duncan still did not yet feel entirely comfortable returning to campus this semester.
“The concern of getting sick even in a group of vaccinated people still exists,” Duncan said.
Stonehill College, however, has taken a number of measures to ensure that the transition back to fully in-person learning will be as safe as possible, such as requiring Covid-19 vaccinations for students and staff, as well as implementing a mask mandate that is to be effective in all shared, indoor spaces.
“All of these steps that Stonehill has taken have made me feel much better about returning to campus,” Duncan explained.
“And, now that I’m back on campus, it’s nice to see people,” Duncan added.
Communications professor, Angela M. Paradise, is also eager to return to campus this semester.
“I am excited to be back on campus. Teaching while wearing a mask takes some getting used to, but overall, I have enjoyed being back,” Paradise said.
During the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, Paradise taught five online courses.
Like many others, Paradise initially faced a number of challenges in running her online courses smoothly.
“I soon learned that teaching an online class requires far more time than teaching an in-person class does, especially in the beginning,” Paradise said, “and, I think one of my biggest challenges during my first semester was trying to get students to feel comfortable with turning on their cameras and participating in an online class.”
With time and adaptability, though, these classes became easier to manage.
“During my second semester of online teaching, I was better equipped and more comfortable online compared to the prior semester, and I believe the same applies to my students; during the Spring 2021 semester, more students turned on their cameras, more students participated, and attendance was significantly stronger,” Paradise said.
Like Duncan, Paradise became increasingly comfortable with online learning, even going so far as to find some positive aspects to this new type of learning.
“As challenging and time-consuming as it was to teach an online course, there were actually many positive and even enjoyable aspects when it comes to teaching an online class. By my second semester of online teaching, I was actually able to form relationships and get to know the students much like I would in the physical classroom,” Paradise said.
Along with a number of other students and staff members, Duncan and Paradise remain hopeful that this transition back to in-person learning will be a smooth one.
“Stonehill students have proven themselves to be adaptable and resilient over the past 18 months, and I think that their transition back to in-person learning will be positive,” Paradise said.