As the semester begins to wind down, Florida A&M is asking for students to complete fall 2020 evaluation surveys for the FAMU Student Assessment of Instruction. The surveys ask students about the course climate and their abilities to grasp their course material. Due to the on-going pandemic, most classes this semester were converted to remote instruction.
For many students, remote classes posed a challenge to be able to fully comprehend course material. Micaela Tart, a freshman at FAMU majoring in pre-nursing, is among the students who viewed remote learning as a challenge.
“It is a struggle to focus with online classes and since I am a hands-on learner it hasn’t been easy grasping the course material,” Tart said.
Tart said that in the beginning of the semester she tried her hardest to be fully invested with her courses, but as the semester progressed it became difficult to focus.
“Initially I tried hard to learn the material by taking notes faithfully and watching the lectures in full duration, but as the semester went on I wasn’t doing those things as often, but just enough to earn a good grade,” Tart said.
Tart is not alone with her experience. Twitter user @stuckoncali took to the social media platform to express her frustrations.
“Semester Review: I feel like this semester was too rushed. The course work was entirely too much. The assignments were absolutely ridiculous. I didn’t learn anything. Overall score 0/10.”
The National Library of Medicine conducted a survey at Texas A&M University to investigate the mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and found that 48% of the participants displayed a moderate to severe level of depression, with 38% having moderate or severe anxiety and the remaining 18% having suicidal thoughts.
Mental health has a direct correlation to how motivated a person can be and their willingness to do daily tasks such as completing assignments. This semester was a tricky one with many students trying to navigate virtual learning, day to day activities and maintaining their personal responsibilities such as school.
Wesley Boone, a third-year student majoring in graphic design, said he tries to focus on one task individually and paces himself with his classes.
“My learning style is not too equipped for online learning, but I know I can pass my classes, so I am just trying to take it day by day as I attend my classes,” Boone said.
Boone said that he plans on completing the course evaluations for each of his classes to explain his experience with online learning to the university.
“I think it’s important that the university know about our experiences as students, during this unprecedented time,” Boone said.
The evaluations are accessible for students to complete by a link sent to their FAMU email or through their Canvas account. The assessment will be open to students for completion until midnight on Sunday, Dec. 6.