Pandemic Academics

College students have been no stranger to the multiple changes and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has shaken the world of many seeking higher education and caused students to adapt to a new lifestyle.

The pandemic hit in early March of 2020 and by the fall semester, nearly two-thirds of U.S. colleges were fully or primarily online. Undergraduate rates began to fall, campuses were seemingly empty as most uprooted their living situations and students were attending school virtually.

Southern Illinois University law student, Trey Sandefur, of Ohio County, was forced to change many aspects of his life when the pandemic hit.

“The pandemic has affected my day-to-day life as a college student drastically,” he said.

Formerly living in Carbondale Ill., Sandefur moved back home to Ohio County after the pandemic hit and his college switched to a fully virtual platform. Sandefur found the transition to all online classes to be very difficult and often harder to comprehend the content being taught. The lack of face-to-face interaction and ability to speak individually to professors and ask questions became almost impossible.

“I haven’t had a class taught in an actual classroom in about a year,” Sandefur said.

Other impacts during this time for Sandefur and many others have included internet issues and/or access to resources needed, as well as lack of interaction with others and a toll on mental health.

“My stress levels are constantly through the roof,” he said. “Law is a stressful program by itself and when we’re in the middle of a pandemic, it just adds to the stress.”

For other students, alternative, virtual learning platforms have brought some positive aspects to their education and personal lives. Married couple and college students, Kaitlyn and Edward Casteel, have found their time at home to be beneficial in managing their work, school and personal lives.

“I believe we see more free time in between classes and are able to see each other more often,” said University of Louisville nursing student Kaitlyn Casteel.

Casteel and her husband Edward – an industrial electrician student at Owensboro Community Technical College, no longer need to commute nearly an hour to and from their schools multiple days a week and find this to be a time saver as well.

“It has been good but also challenging in some aspects,” Edward said.

Edward has also found himself taking fully virtual classes and began to question whether his quality of education would accurately prepare him for the workforce when he graduated.

“I wondered if upon graduation I would even feel confident and know what I am doing,” he said.

With the swift transitions that many institutions made, the plans and practices for many programs – especially those that required hands- on training, were left unplanned for. As time went on, these universities and professors have since been left with more time to pivot and recreate the best practices needed. Students in Casteel’s program are now being sent home with “trainers” in the form of supplies that allow them to practice on as they go along in classes.

“It was pretty cool to wire up plugins and lights for the first time from the comfort of my living room at the time that works best for me.”

Casteel has since grown more confident in the skills he is learning from his education which has been mostly online learning thus far.

As a nursing student approaching her time to enter the medical field, Kaitlyn Casteel has found the health care sector to be quite hectic.

“Being in healthcare during COVID-19 is a completely different world than it was before COVID,” she said.

Casteel has taken her lecture courses online, however said that her clinicals and time spent in the field for her required degree have not been affected much.

“It can be challenging but also rewarding…I try to provide support and the best care possible to help everyone through these times.”

While many people may point out the obvious nuances of healthcare such as PPE and the sheer amount of patients, symptoms and dangers associated, Casteel says there are many things that go unnoticed. These issues include post-COVID complications that she often sees with patients and the strict visitor policies that take a toll on many patients and limit their interactions.

The biggest downfall for Casteel has been the limited interaction with her peers, as she says it is simply not the same as sitting in class and in-person with others.

As online learning continues, many students are becoming used to the “new normal” in their educations. Others prepare for the unknown graduation ceremonies that they hope to have and many high school seniors question what their first year will look like. Student loan payments continue to remain frozen and universities are working daily to continue to adapt along with its students and professors.