I am writing in response to the article titled “Addressing the Demands of Virtual University Classrooms ” published in your newspaper on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. As a college freshmen myself, I have also found it difficult to learn in a socially distanced, virtual environment. Being in person makes me feel more focused and engaged with the information that I am learning. While being behind a computer screen makes it easier for me to doze off and be easily distracted. Although, online learning is beneficial to me because I don’t have to commute and it gives me flexibility to attend class anywhere I’d like. Since my friends and I have felt the same difficulty of online classes, we would sometimes get together for a study group in order to help each other with our work. Our main goal really is just to pass our classes to the best of our abilities. Even though online classes are tough, I’ve also gained some new skills from online classes, such as new memorization skills. I cannot wait to go back to in-person classes, but at the same time I feel like my social skills have diminished quite a bit from the lack of social interactions I’ve had.
Maisie Nguyen
Springfield
Freshman at JMU