On June 4, Florida A&M’s Board of Trustees approved the university’s reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year.
The plan calls for in-person instruction and online instruction. However, students reacted to their new schedules, saying that the majority of their classes are being taught online.
Many have said that they don’t learn as well with online courses.
FAMU’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences has been affected by the 2020 fall semester According to the college’s dean, Robert Taylor, all but one the college’s classes will be taught online.
Studies show that this will have a negative affect on the students. According to educationdata.org as of June 2020 63 percent of college students indicated that the online instruction they have received is inferior compared to in-person instruction. Only 5 percent indicated that the online instruction is better.
Students have said that being able to speak to their professors in person is easier compared to online. Todd Bellamy II, a theater student at FAMU, has a fall schedule with four online classes, compared to just two in-person classes. “I feel that learning online is harder than working in person. Having the professor there in your face without having to worry about your computer lagging, or having to wait until the professor sees your emails to answer your questions, is easier,” Bellamy said.
Some students believe that learning online via Zoom makes it harder to stay engaged in a course. Emaje Marcus, a student at FAMU, will have all of his classes taught online for the fall semester. Marcus said that trying to stay focused while learning online is a challenge.
“I feel that I am learning less with online classes because I just can’t pay attention,” Marcus said. “I’m too comfortable within my own environment and there are so many distractions.”
Students aren’t the only ones who believe that online learning negatively affects student learning. Faculty members say that students are more likely to cheat with online instruction. According to educationdata.org, 60 percent of faculty members feel that academic dishonesty is more prevalent in online teaching compared to 39 percent who said it occurs equally whether it’s online or in-person.
With the majority of classes at FAMU being taught online for the 2020 fall semester, students and faculty will have to adjust to this new way of learning and teaching.