Hey everyone! It has been slightly over a year since I started learning online and using my laptop/phone for practically everything. Malaysia is in its third lock down. I don’t see these online classes ending any time soon. I’m sure I will have graduated before physical classes become a thing again. However, I am definitely used to it now so I can’t complain about it as much as I did the last time I wrote about learning online.

Given that it has been more than a year since I started learning online, I decided to write about the things I’ve come to realise because of online meetings.

1. We never needed all that paper

Do you have those lecturers who want you to print out all the notes they give out? Those who only want hard copy everything? Receipts from the finance office, forms from the admin office, printing out flyers,posters or tickets for your events and exam question papers that you are allowed to take home with you but then you only use them once so you throw them away when you get home. So much unnecessary paper. We really didn’t need to use all that paper.

Why did we even do that? The amount of paper I’m getting rid of at the end of each semester has significantly reduced since I started learning through my laptop screen. This is one thing I hope continues post-pandemic, if post-pandemic happens. PDF everything. Besides, printing costs money and that’s not money I’m willing to spend. I don’t know why we thought it was okay to use all that paper.

2. I never needed to leave my house for group discussions

Pre-pandemic, whenever I had group work or something, I would have to go all the way to my faculty, discuss what needed to be discussed and then go all the way back home. Can you imagine we never needed to do that? Can you?

Zoom has been around for a very long time and before the pandemic hit, I only used Zoom for classes twice. I had one lecturer who was determined to never miss a session and if it so happened that she couldn’t be on campus the day of her class, she set up zoom meetings. The chance to realise all that could be done with zoom was right there but it took a pandemic for us to actually get into it.

You Can Also Read: My Online Learning Experience (A Semester Online)

3. That Really could have been a text or an email

This goes hand in hand with number 2, except now we have people who are ‘Zoom happy’. Thank God for Zoom and all but I do not appreciate people setting up meetings for the tiniest discussions or announcements. You can literally just text me to tell me what I need to do. We don’t have to take it to Zoom or Google meet. There is always that one person who just wants to create a meeting even when it is not necessary at all.

4. Lecturers think us not physically being in class means we have tons of free time

I have come to realise that some lecturers don’t understand that the fact that we are learning online doesn’t mean their class is the only one we are taking. There’s also this very annoying habit that I have seen come about where lecturers decide to give you projects that should have been given at the beginning of the semester, at the end.
For some reason, lecturers give way too many assignments and projects now. On top of that, they changed the format of the exams. Last semester I had an exam that took two weeks to complete. Those two weeks weren’t even enough because I still had other assignments and other exams too.

I have realised that there is a disconnect somewhere and lectures need to fix it.

You Can Also Read: Tips For Working From Home (Online classes, work etc.)

5. No one is really paying attention

I may be exaggerating. There are definitely some people who pay attention. It’s just so hard to pay attention during online classes. Sometimes I find myself thinking about other things. To make matters worse, if all the lecturer is doing is reading from the slides, I mentally check out because I might as well read the slides myself.

I think I also take advantage of the fact that most, if not all, of our lecture sessions are recorded. I always tell myself I’ll just go back and watch the video. I know a lot of people don’t pay attention because somehow, at the end of the class, no one knows what assignment we were just given.

6. People will be innovative when need arises

I appreciate technology and it’s ability to literally connect people from anywhere and at any time. I’ve realised that when there is need to survive, human beings will adapt. It’s interesting how it took a short amount of time for everything to go digital.

Online systems were suddenly developed in order to keep things running smoothly and well, ever since the start of the pandemic and online learning, Zoom, Google Meet and others are constantly making improvements in order to make “online” learning and meetings more bearable. It is interesting how we can be innovative when innovation is demanded.

I can complain about uni all day so I will end here. What are some things that you have realised were not necessary before things went online and digital? Leave a comment and let me know!

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Wonani Xx

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Hey guys! It’s week 3 and day 10 of the Afrobloggers WinterABC 2021 Challenge. This week’s theme is “Business and Tech”. I’m a student currently learning online so I figured I could start it off in my world. Follow the blog to keep up with everything I share this week!

Find all WinterABC 2021 posts here!