Online Classes and Academic Stress at SMC
During the Spring 2020 semester Santa Monica College (SMC) abruptly went online in the time span of a few days. Now nearing the end of the Fall semester many students are beginning to feel the toll online classes are taking on their academic careers.
SMC recently announced that the Spring 2021 semester is going to be fully online. This marks the third semester that SMC Students and professors are participating in classes remotely, and still adapting to the change.
Lillian Gibson is a freshman at SMC majoring in Sociology. She started her SMC journey at the beginning of the fall 2020 semester. She has yet to experience in person classes at SMC and what they have to offer. "I think that online school has taken a toll on my grades in a negative way, however, I do think my teachers are being reasonable and doing the best they can with the situation," said Gibson. "I don't think they are necessarily grading too harshly."
Students that have been attending SMC prior to this semester seem to be having a harder time coming to terms with how hard their professors have been grading. There appears to have been a shift in what is expected from students this semester compared to last.
Edgar Jimenez, a current sophomore and Biology major at SMC said “I've been so busy teaching myself course material, completing assignments, and studying for exams that I haven't thought much about the final. My grades have definitely been impacted negatively, I divert time from assignments to study for tests because they are worth a greater percentage of my grade. If classes were in person I would not be falling behind.” Good pull quote for layout
There is a lack of communication that comes with online classes. Students are not getting the in person interactions they need, and most teachers do not require the use of a camera during zoom meetings. This allows students to do almost anything they want behind the black zoom box with their name in the corner. “Last semester classes began on campus, we were able to interact and build connections with other students," said Jimenez "Fall 2020 semester began online with a class of strangers.”
Redelia Shaw is a media professor at SMC, she has tried to make her class as interactive and fun as possible, as well as educational. She implements the use of break out rooms so that students have a chance to interact with one another other than just being in a large group setting. Even with the hard work of professors, there is still a lack of effort from students.
“I have definitely noticed less student engagement from last semester and I think it is due to the continued stress of the pandemic,” said Shaw. “It is hard for some students to focus on their studies with so many things in their lives going on that impact their academic success. It is equally challenging for all of the faculty and staff at SMC. I just think during these times, we have to be extra gentle with one another.”
Not only have professors graded more harshly this semester while teaching online, some have also begun to implement the use of Proctorio. Proctorio is a Google Chrome browser extension that monitors screens to make sure no other tabs are opened during tests. It also requires the computer webcam be turned on so the ‘proctor’ can make sure test takers don’t cheat.
Some professors have decided to opt out of using Proctorio and instead use their own set of standards to adapt in the online environment. Erica Alexis is a nursing student currently taking Physiology at SMC. “My professor told us that she has created the exams to be incredibly difficult and open-book to avoid the use of proctorio,” said Alexis.
Students also believe Proctorio has become a major invasion of privacy and are mainly concerned with the webcam and who is really watching them.
SMC recently released a statement on their website saying, “Through the Fall 2020 term, any student who objects to the use of Proctorio or other video-based online proctoring set ups must be granted an exception.”
Many SMC students are still unaware of this new information regarding Proctorio, “I had no idea about that,” said Gibson “I wish I had known that sooner and the administration had made teachers aware of that as well.”
Academic stress and online school go hand in hand. With little face to face interaction and in person resources, this semester has not been a walk in the park for many students.
