The sudden rush of remote learning is coming to an end as we enter our fourth week of online classes, and also the end of this spring semester. Although it seems as though things are going wrong, Zoom is here to give us some sense of normalcy while also not losing valuable class time.
Different professors, however, have decided to go remote in different ways — with some not holding class meetings at all and having everything done as personal work.
Even with the video classes, most of the material is to be learned outside of class, before the lectures and discussions. This allows people with different computer and internet access to keep up with the material, which is nice when Zoom continuously shuts down.
Learning has become more difficult without easy access to peers and professors. It has affected many students’ own motivation to do work now that they are not surrounded by the energy of their peers, but it is important to remember that’s to be expected.
Sylvana Szuhay ’22 has said that it is “remarkable” yet “exhausting” to have class over Zoom, and it just zaps the energy right out of her. It is especially demanding when class and homework are both all done on the computer now. There is no break from the screen in class, and “after hours we are still on zoom”. She also notes that it is nice to interact with people, especially in the small discussion-based courses that use direct contact as is possible through Zoom, but it just is not the same as being all together on campus.
Overall, Zoom has made this transition to online learning slightly easier by providing a platform, frustrating as it may be sometimes, to connect. That dynamic classroom energy has some trouble traveling the many miles between screens, which can make for some awkward interactions, but this can also be a sense of humor in this dark time. Just take a look at this SNL skit.
Zoom continues making schoolwork a reality, which is not always the most uplifting statement to hear, but it helps to bring a state of normalcy to this very not-normal time. It might not be the same as a pitch meeting in the newsroom or all tapping together in the Multipurpose Room, but Zoom is allowing for these non-academic connections to continue in a time when they are very necessary.
Hannah Geller ’20, the president of Stompin’ Soles, has been putting together Zoom meetings for the club. Meetings are shorter than they once were since “rehearsals and meeting times are primarily spent learning choreography for our upcoming shows,” and since we have gone remote there will be no more show. That doesn’t mean that the club hasn’t been keeping in touch. It has just been different.
Geller said that Zoom has been unhelpful because they “don't get to share doing something that we love - dancing - that helps us to express ourselves, connect, and work towards a common goal,” but it still allows for more face-to-face connections than would be possible without the platform.
Szuhay noted that being able to connect with friends through Zoom was a “reprieve from work.” The joy she gets from these interactions “overrides the other exhaustive effects of Zoom itself,” making it feel less like she was alone in a room on her computer all day.
So, Zoom has some problems, but its fun backgrounds and frustrating signal allow for a connection to remain in the Skidmore community. It brings us together, separately through a computer screen, to make it through this pandemic, one dropped call at a time. Despite the variations between classes, and not entirely conducive learning environment, Zoom has given Skidmore students a sense of normalcy with each in-person class, meet up with friends, and/or club events.