Education in times of national emergencies - - A Global Story
In preparation for Aspire Artemis' upcoming Digital Transformation and STEAM symposium in Tortola in April 2022, we will be highlighting stories by our Rising Leaders of students’ hopes for the future of learning.
Through interviews, our Leaders carved out a global story about the importance of an education, especially in times of national emergencies. It details aspirational ways the education system can be adaptive and inclusive of their needs.
Going to college for me was a great way to get exposed to new ideas and perspectives, all while acquiring the soft and technical skills needed for my career. When the COVID-19 pandemic started and we were abruptly told to attend classes online, it was a shock to all of us. Online classes didn’t seem worth the amount of money we were paying. The networking opportunities that college was supposed to bring became almost non-existent. Class time was wasted with technical issues. Nevertheless, as time passed, and as we realized the pandemic would last longer, we started adapting. The technology for classes improved, and we started finding creative ways to network online. In addition, when small gatherings became permitted, we got the opportunity to get to know classmates more intimately through small gatherings, as opposed to the usual large gatherings. In fact, I made some of my closest friends at school as a result of the pandemic.
When the COVID-19 situation started improving, the school migrated to a hybrid model, which means I got to attend 50% of my classes in-person. I found hybrid learning to be a great model. It took the school a bit of time to get it right and for teachers to adapt their teaching methods to it. However once they adapted, I found that hybrid learning combined the benefits of in-person learning with the flexibility of remote learning. Many of my classmates were able to earn more income to support their education due to remote learning and working, as they had more time to work. In addition, they had more time to dedicate to their fitness, family and/or mental health. Now that classes are fully in-person, I kind of wished they kept the option to attend online when needed.
Sarah Jane Noujeim
My experience with online learning had a promising start. I had been struggling with getting enough sleep and was constantly tired, somehow always late, and in a rush to everything. While deeply and sincerely excited about my academics and my plans, each morning I would find myself thinking that I would give anything for a few more hours of sleep. I was exhausted.
When classes first went online, it felt like a blessing. I could finally sleep, rest, and not rush anywhere in sweaty panic. I could roll out of bed and into my class, then back to sleep. There was a lot of uncertainty, but there was also a lot of kindness. Professors were understanding and compassionate, students were checking in and supporting each other, and the pressure was taken off of us. For the first 2 weeks, it was actually enjoyable.
That all changed when a month later my mother got sick, I started losing interest in everything, I lost my ability to focus, and my anxiety went off the rails. I would stare at the screen and listen, but information just would not stick and learning simply stopped being enjoyable. So much of learning is being in the same space with your professor and peers, and staring at boxes of straight faces on a screen simply does not compare to the joy of learning in-person. It became clear to me that online learning, while helpful in many contexts, is not the long-term solution students and professors deserve.
Irina Preotescu
Eda: Tell me a brief story about what education means to you:
Zain: Education for me is about challenging and evolving the way you think. There’s the obvious outcome of learning things, but I think the most valuable thing education can teach you is the ability to think critically for yourself, and to challenge your own curiosities. For me it’s not the end all be all. IN a way, it’s the very first step to becoming who you are, which in my opinion happens after you finish your traditional “education”. It provides you with an opportunity to develop a character that you then grow into beyond your years of school.
Eda: How do you feel your education was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Zain: The biggest disruption was the loss of the classroom, or in my case, the loss of studio space. As an architecture student the shift to online learning was incredibly difficult, not for technological reasons, but because of the ways in which architectural students interrogate and work through their assignments. It is a very hands on, material, tactile type of learning structure. One heavily dependent on collaboration, and communication. That was the hardest part of the transition to online learning. We lost our “studio” space. Our pin-up walls… I completed my thesis entirely online, a process that would usually have ended with me pinning up drawings and models on 18 feet of pin-up wall space and presenting to a live panel of critics. That was challenging for me.
Eda: How do you feel about in person learning?
Zain: I think its really up to the educators in this case. I’ve had in person classes that I’ve loved, and in person classes that I’ve hated. I think the common thread I found was that educators who make an effort to engage students in interesting ways in person, were much MUCH more successful in making the transition to online learning. Those who were quite passive and lacked creativity in their in person classes, all but lost me in their transition to the online classroom.
Eda: What are the benefits of having had more encounters and friends across the globe through the use of digital technology?
Zain: It has allowed me to operate as a global citizen. By that I mean that the phenomenon that influences my thinking, whether they be social, cultural, economic, political, or religious, come from everywhere. This finds its way into everything I do. From the people I gravitate towards and am able to build strong relationships with, to the types of careers and life experiences that I want to pursue. Without the ability to connect and engage with these diverse backgrounds I think I would live in a very closed bubble.
Eda: What are the benefits of both digital and physical learning (hybrid education) for you?
Zain: I don’t think anything is better than in-person learning, merely because there is a sense of community that is hard to replicate in the digital space. That being said though, in certain tasks there is a much more efficient attitude towards work that is done in the digital space. There’s flexibility to see content on your own time, however, it comes with the inability to discuss. I think the best hybrid classes I had were those that used digital classroom time as discussions, not as lectures.
Eda: What do you think is the best approach for your learning experience now with the delta variant around?
Zain: This is tough. I think the safest way to proceed is hybrid, and not only because of delta but also because of certain efficiencies that it offers. With respect to quality of education though, I think a LARGE burden falls on our educators here to be creative. What works in the classroom does not work in the digital space. That’s where development and creativity need to be invested.
Interview conducted by Eda Ozvanligil
Interviewee: Zain Elwakil, Syracuse University 2021
#aspireartemis #technology #STEAM #learningneverstops #NoOneLeftBehind #steameducation
Hi, my name is Amira. When covid first started school shut down and everyone was to be quarantined. It was pretty scary knowing that just by going to a store you could get this life threatening virus. When we started online school, all of the teachers and students were trying to figure out how it worked. This meant we were getting a lot less work, but it still made it hard to do on a computer as I wasn’t used to that. No one was allowed to see each other in person. I was just stuck in my house. I missed my friends and my family.
I wish that more trainings are conducted online so that we could get used to learning and using our computers to do our schoolwork.
Amira Albert is a high school student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Canada
I’m a dancer and do multiple types of dance. When covid started all of my dance classes had to stop and I was really disappointed. It also didn’t make the situation any better to not be able to physically see any loved ones. Even when I could see people, I just wished I could hug them.
Kaleigh is a high school student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Canada.
At first when covid hit, I wasn’t able to see anyone or do anything; I was quarantined and just staying in my house. I wasn’t able to see my grandparents or friends like I usually do. It was hard just being stuck in the house with my family for so long.
Anika is a high school student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg Canada.
COVID-19 challenged education in countless ways, but it also highlighted the creativity, flexibility, and persistence of our school’s community in finding ways to support one another and keep our learning moving forward. I was touched to see teachers going above and beyond to adapt their syllabi to the virtual environment, and grateful for school administrators for giving them the resources to do so. Above all, I was heartened to see the faculty consult students in all aspects of COVID-related decision-making. I hope that this inclusive mindset will continue beyond this pandemic, so that all parts of our educational community can co-create the future of learning together.
Anonymous
I’m a gymnast and when covid started, I had to stop practicing. It was really difficult for me as this is my hobby and something I enjoy doing. I also couldn’t see any of my friends or family, which was probably the hardest part for me. I just really missed the normal world.
I hope that more creative methods are found to allow those in the creative areas to continue to pursue their passions whether online or in person.
Asha Heppner is a high school student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Canada
Covid affected my life a lot; from having to attend online school, to even being able to see people in person. I’m a very sociable person and one of the things I like to do is to spend time with my friends , yet, I couldn’t do that. The world just changed; at first I didn’t really understand why.
Chynn is a high school student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Canada.
I play water polo and I also dance. When covid started my two favourite activities stopped and that was really hard for me. It also affected my school. I had to do online schooling which wasn’t easy either. Overall, I just missed seeing my family and friends.
Ariel is a high school student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg Canada
I was just accepted for my Master’s degree when Covid19 disrupted my plans. I decided to defer to avoid online classes and to benefit from in person connections with professors and students. When I finally made it on campus, I realized that although most classes have moved to in person, events, conferences and interviews were still held online. I was a bit disappointed at first, however, I quickly realized that this model also holds a lot of benefits. I had the chance to hear, and connect, with speakers from all over the world, that would have probably not traveled to have small interventions in person. thus, the frequency and informality of the different talks I attend makes them a real asset and allows me to benefit from this model. However, whenever classes are held online, which still happens sometimes, I find it a disadvantage. In fact, for Seminars specifically, the online model undermines the purpose of the seminar, which is having lively conversations between students. All in all, I appreciate that everyone is trying their best, whether teachers or students, to try and make this experience as good as can be.
Anonymous
