ESCHLEMAN: Hybrid class structure has benefits for many students
Column: Shower Thoughts
The thought of returning to an all in-person schedule this spring semester after personally experiencing an ideal hybrid schedule during the fall semester is very overwhelming. When classes were recorded via Zoom, I was able to re-watch lectures that I found confusing. This allowed me to really grasp the subject instead of being limited to hearing it just once.
Online classes eliminated the time it would have taken to pick out an acceptable outfit, gather all my materials into my backpack, wait for a bus to arrive, actually get onto the bus and walk to my class. And this might come off as lazy, but with this commute eliminated, I had more time to do productive activities, such as a homework assignment or a quick workout.
I would have hated a completely online schedule. There are many positive aspects of in-person classes. It is way easier to collaborate in groups instead of being subject to awkward Zoom breakout rooms. It is healthy to escape your dorm room and change locations for an actual lecture hall to avoid Zoom fatigue, feeling overall sluggish and engaging in some actual social interaction.
And some classes may very well need to be in person, like labs, and cannot be as effective online. And most importantly, it is way easier to monitor academic integrity in an in-person environment.
But I think Rutgers should continue to offer fully online classes for courses that can be conducted effectively online. Some people may despise online courses with a passion, which is why they should just remain an option for those who thrive in them.
And it may cause alarm if students in a world after coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are able to take a completely virtual schedule, so I think Rutgers should limit students to one or two online courses per semester for the sake of academic integrity.
I know many of my fellow Rutgers students also encountered conflicts when trying to schedule classes on two different campuses that were half an hour apart for the spring semester. Rutgers did not allow this, unless it was between Livingston and Busch campuses, due to concerns of students not making it to class on time.
That said, being able to take a course or two online would hopefully resolve some of these conflicts if students had the option.
Additionally, this format would not only benefit Rutgers students but also Rutgers as a whole. Online courses would allow Rutgers to hire professors from around the country and around the world if some professors were allowed to conduct their courses remotely. Remote learning expands the expertise Rutgers could offer students and, as a result, makes them a more appealing and competitive university.
Overall, Rutgers students today know what environment they are most productive in after being subject to online courses during these COVID-19-infiltrated times and, prior to that, standard in-person classes. If a student knows that they are more productive in an online setting, they should have the ability to make their schedule hybrid.
A study led by Jose Maria Barrero from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology, Bloom and Steven J. Davis from Chicago Booth conducted monthly surveys of more than 30,000 U.S. employees aged 20-64 starting in May 2020 who made at least $20,000 annually in 2019.
Six out of 10 workers reported being more productive working from home than they expected to be, and 40 percent of workers reported they were more productive at home than they had previously been in the office. The study demonstrates how during the pandemic, U.S. workers discovered that they are more productive in a remote setting.
Rutgers can learn from this experience as well, as they have offered an abundance of online courses to students due to COVID-19 and should consider offering online options for students who have also discovered heightened productivity in remote learning.
But, I still think Rutgers’ best option is to encourage a hybrid schedule for students. It combines the positive aspects of both worlds. Students still get social interaction, academic integrity can be monitored, commutes are reduced, lectures and recitations can be re-watched and productivity can be maximized.
And those who disagree and need a completely in-person schedule in a post-COVID-19 — or less prominent COVID-19 — world do not have to participate in online classes. Rutgers should really consider embracing the middle ground and not surrendering to either extreme.
Sara Eschleman is a Rutgers Business School first-year majoring in marketing and minoring in English. Her column, "Shower Thoughts," runs on alternate Thursdays.
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