In the past year, education has changed for everyone. From the professors, teachers, and administrators who create the educational environment to the students who participate in it, no one is getting the same experience as they did before 2020. Purdue is no exception and now has even more reason (and video posts) to say their favorite term, "Purdue grit," this year than in the previous years.
What one might be curious to see is what students are actually getting out of this wildly different educational setup. The short answer is that Purdue students are getting what everyone else is–a crash course in adapting and how to use Zoom. But if we look at the silver lining of this season of COVID school, we may find that we are gaining valuable skills that we might not have been able (or forced) to learn in our ordinary educational contexts.
The first and most obvious adjustment to my Purdue courses this year was that the normal course structure was ripped away. At least in the liberal arts and education realm, which is very familiar to me, classes tend to be predictable. They have regular reading, regular writing, and a couple big projects here and there. While some classes, including 515, were flexible (as they should be in 2020), some of my courses stripped due dates and professors said "here's the coursework, have it all turned in by December 7." For a procrastinator and someone who is a few notches short of being a time-management specialist, this was an educational nightmare for me. This was a learning situation that I was not trained for and not supported during.
Another adjustment to school that affected people across all majors was the drastic change in collaboration. Group projects in which students would typically meet in person at a library changed to remote work, especially in cases where students were off-campus for the semester. GroupMe and email went from secondary importance to the primary platforms of communication, with the addition of Zoom of course. While for seasoned writing majors, it was not a problem to coordinate and write reports without being in person, the design projects, labs, and presentations were nonetheless much more difficult to create.
One of the most underrated adaptations to the semester, however, did not take place in the classroom at all. Student leadership in clubs, councils, and other student organizations was, at the very least, tedious. At the very most, it was downright difficult. The interesting part about Purdue courses was that professors led and provided flexibility. For student organizations, we are the leaders. Yes, we have access to faculty sponsors, advisors, and alumni, but they are only part-time and heavily rely on us to keep things running. This means that students in positions of leadership (unless their club didn't do anything this year) had to keep organizations running in addition to making sure that the organization complied with Protect Purdue. Oh, and in addition to that, they were responsible for making sure that other students complied with Protect Purdue to keep the organization out of trouble. That, by the way, is a lot of management–and most students do not initially have this kind of managerial experience.
But here's the thing. Students who are in college during 2020 (especially students with leadership positions), are coming out of school with a wealth of experience that they would not have had access to without a global upset that affected school. To go along with the stress of getting the virus ourselves or giving it to friends and family, we also had to complete school, keep our organizations running, and in many cases, something else, such as hold a job or volunteer. When people say that you should put this stuff on your resume, they're right, but I'm pretty sure the resume and the interview both will not be enough to cover all of the experience acquired.
Purdue COVID School, while criticized for its lack of education, has educated us in other ways. We're tougher, more resilient, and adaptable. We have learned to manage our time, while if not perfectly, at least a little better. We can collaborate and produce great products with no in-person contact. And if you ever need someone to lead in a crisis or a difficult context, try interviewing some Purdue student leaders who received a crash course in the subject. We are emerging with degrees, but in addition to degrees, we are emerging with strength and wisdom. As Dr. Salvo said in our final zoom class, "You've already demonstrated that you can succeed under fire," and that is exactly what COVID school has done for us. We've got the grit–and the determination–to overcome.
What one might be curious to see is what students are actually getting out of this wildly different educational setup. The short answer is that Purdue students are getting what everyone else is–a crash course in adapting and how to use Zoom. But if we look at the silver lining of this season of COVID school, we may find that we are gaining valuable skills that we might not have been able (or forced) to learn in our ordinary educational contexts.
The first and most obvious adjustment to my Purdue courses this year was that the normal course structure was ripped away. At least in the liberal arts and education realm, which is very familiar to me, classes tend to be predictable. They have regular reading, regular writing, and a couple big projects here and there. While some classes, including 515, were flexible (as they should be in 2020), some of my courses stripped due dates and professors said "here's the coursework, have it all turned in by December 7." For a procrastinator and someone who is a few notches short of being a time-management specialist, this was an educational nightmare for me. This was a learning situation that I was not trained for and not supported during.
Another adjustment to school that affected people across all majors was the drastic change in collaboration. Group projects in which students would typically meet in person at a library changed to remote work, especially in cases where students were off-campus for the semester. GroupMe and email went from secondary importance to the primary platforms of communication, with the addition of Zoom of course. While for seasoned writing majors, it was not a problem to coordinate and write reports without being in person, the design projects, labs, and presentations were nonetheless much more difficult to create.
One of the most underrated adaptations to the semester, however, did not take place in the classroom at all. Student leadership in clubs, councils, and other student organizations was, at the very least, tedious. At the very most, it was downright difficult. The interesting part about Purdue courses was that professors led and provided flexibility. For student organizations, we are the leaders. Yes, we have access to faculty sponsors, advisors, and alumni, but they are only part-time and heavily rely on us to keep things running. This means that students in positions of leadership (unless their club didn't do anything this year) had to keep organizations running in addition to making sure that the organization complied with Protect Purdue. Oh, and in addition to that, they were responsible for making sure that other students complied with Protect Purdue to keep the organization out of trouble. That, by the way, is a lot of management–and most students do not initially have this kind of managerial experience.
But here's the thing. Students who are in college during 2020 (especially students with leadership positions), are coming out of school with a wealth of experience that they would not have had access to without a global upset that affected school. To go along with the stress of getting the virus ourselves or giving it to friends and family, we also had to complete school, keep our organizations running, and in many cases, something else, such as hold a job or volunteer. When people say that you should put this stuff on your resume, they're right, but I'm pretty sure the resume and the interview both will not be enough to cover all of the experience acquired.
Purdue COVID School, while criticized for its lack of education, has educated us in other ways. We're tougher, more resilient, and adaptable. We have learned to manage our time, while if not perfectly, at least a little better. We can collaborate and produce great products with no in-person contact. And if you ever need someone to lead in a crisis or a difficult context, try interviewing some Purdue student leaders who received a crash course in the subject. We are emerging with degrees, but in addition to degrees, we are emerging with strength and wisdom. As Dr. Salvo said in our final zoom class, "You've already demonstrated that you can succeed under fire," and that is exactly what COVID school has done for us. We've got the grit–and the determination–to overcome.
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