Learning at home but not alone

Alejandra Yañez | THE RIDER

With the start of Fall 2020, The Rider checked in on UTRGV students after the first week of school to see how they are adjusting to classes during this unparalleled semester.  

“It was pretty smooth,” said Daniela Cruz, a health science sophomore, about her first week. “I had work and quizzes, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I wasn’t stressed or anything like that, so it went pretty good.”

Cruz said she has all online classes, except for one this semester, and is having a hard time transitioning to online learning. 

“I’m more of an I go to campus, I listen to the professor, I take notes and I’m there face-to-face [type of student],”said Cruz. “So here, it’s like, I’m at home and I get distracted very easily. Like, I’m doing homework and then I get on my phone, or I start doing other things that when I’m on campus, I don’t do.”

Kathia Rodriguez, an anthropology senior, said she is also struggling to stay focused on her classes at home.

“It’s the first week, so it’s been kind of calm,” Rodriguez said. “But I have seen that all four classes are requesting something different from me. One is requesting that I film myself doing videos, another is requesting that I do a presentation and I’m doing a bunch of reading for all of them. So, I really have to push myself to be more organized than I’ve ever been before, which is kind of hard considering that I’m usually a disorganized person.”

The senior said she finds herself getting easily distracted at home with her daily responsibilities, which take her away from her schoolwork.

“I feel like I have to shift gears to be more focused,” she said.

Asked how she would compare this semester to previous ones, Rodriguez replied, “I definitely feel like I have to be more productive since I’m more of an I-have-to-be-in-a-school-environment [type of student]. I tend to get more distracted at home than if I was on campus. So, I feel like I have to really push myself to be more productive than I’ve ever been in previous semesters.”

Cruz said she has noticed a change in the workload her professors have assigned since she switched to online learning. 

“I feel like they give us more work,” she said. “I feel like the professors think we have a lot of time on our hands so they give more work, and last semester I felt like … I don’t know, like, everything was easier. Before, I could finish my work for a class in one day and right now, it feels like I have more work and no time.”

Asked what she anticipates will be the greatest struggle for her this semester, Cruz replied that teaching herself at home will be the most challenging part for her, since she is an auditory and visual learner.

“I feel like if I would go to class and listen to the professor, and be able to see the professor, I would learn the material more than just being at home,” she said. 

Rodriguez acknowledges that the best thing for her and her peers is to stay home and safe during the pandemic, but said it will take more concentration on her part to be successful this semester.

 “Obviously, it’s more important to maintain our safety, but I guess for me the cons kind of outweigh the pros because I’m more of, like, a physical learner,” she said. “I need to physically be in a school environment to focus and really get my stuff done.”

Asked if she is satisfied with the way her classes are being taught, Rodriguez replied that she feels her professors have done a good job at transitioning to teaching online and is pleased to see that they have been uploading lectures and making themselves available.

Rodriguez anticipates her biggest struggle this semester will be staying on top of her due dates for her assignments and readings. 

“I really have to utilize my planner this time,” she said.

Both students said they are excited about the flexibility that comes with online learning and are striving for a successful semester despite the challenges.