UW-Green Bay Education major writes ‘we work hard as a community to keep everyone safe’ about virtual learning decisions

Although UW-Green Bay is intending to be open in fall and welcoming faculty, staff and students back on campus, some classes originally scheduled for in-person instruction will be moving online or having online aspects to them for the safety of the UW-Green Bay community. Current UW-Green Bay students who transitioned to online learning in Spring 2020 demonstrated that they are resilient problem-solvers and describe their experiences while providing some advice to future students…

Anahy Lopez is a junior majoring in Early Childhood Education.

Anahy Lopez

“Navigating through uncharted territories has been an interesting challenge for me these past few months. I had to learn to adapt to a complete virtual experience: from my courses, field placement, and student employment. I have learned to appreciate everything the university has been doing to ease the process of an online transition. Although, like most, I enjoyed being at the University all day long, my professors and university employers work hard to give us the same quality of learning and employment.

A similarity between in person and online courses is how simple it is to reach out to our professors. They take upmost responsibility in keeping in touch with students, keeping us updated on any changes, and helping us answer any general or class related questions. This is typically through email or video chat platforms, such as zoom. Another similarity in my experience, is connecting with my classmates. For some of my courses, the professors organized us in groups through Canvas, with makes it easier for us to communicate, work together, and exchange ideas. The major difference would be spending less time at the university, however one is still allowed to spend time in any permitted areas, for instance the Coffin Library. The benefit I see to this is having more time for myself to give optimal focus on my courses and enjoy time at home with my family. For my student employment as a Student Ambassador and The Learning Center receptionist, we continue to work through online platforms. We adapt to the changes by keeping students connected to our new methods and making sure we still have resources available for those who are seeking them.

It is important to keep a positive outlook and appreciate the opportunities we continue to be given. We work hard as a community to keep everyone safe and take the precautions necessary until we are able to once again transition back to our regular, in person methods. The online experience is nothing to fear, it has allowed us to show how strong we are as a community and how flexible and resilient we can be as students.”