Pierce College offers in-person Friday classes. This works well with many college students who are balancing their education, jobs, social life and any other responsibility they may have. Colleges have a diverse population of students and their needs differ from one another. Pierce should take into consideration its students’ learning styles and continue offering Friday in-person classes.
Many students have jobs which may interfere with scheduling classes. Having Friday classes gives students an extra day to be able to go to school in person and dedicate time to their education.
Online courses can affect a student’s readiness and organization. Taking an online course means students will have to create a routine for themselves to get assignments done. Usually, with an in-person class, the structure and routine is already there. According to Education Seattle PI, “Students who struggle with traditional course rigor often have difficulty with the time commitment required for online classwork.”
If a student already struggles with making time for assignments with in-person classes, it is going to be even more difficult when they need to take those extra steps to make sure they are on top of assignments on their own. In an in person class, it’s more likely that the work can be completed in the classroom.
If Pierce were to shut down the campus on Fridays and only offer online classes, that could impact its students’ academics. Students became roughly familiar with online classes after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Schools were shut down and students had to shift to complete online classes.
The transfer to online classes caused a strain in students’ academic engagement and made it difficult for students to be able to experience in-person learning. According to PubMed Central, “students were less attentive on Zoom when compared to students physically in the same classrooms with their instructor, experienced reduced attentiveness for synchronous only classes, and demonstrated lower engagement for synchronous classes greater than 30 minutes.” If a student is not able to fully focus in class that will negatively impact their ability to complete the course and retain information.
It is inevitable that certain classes may fill up rapidly. A Friday class may be the only available class. In-person classes allow for people to socialize. It also becomes easier to ask professors for help rather than having to sit behind a screen where this might be difficult.
According to The EvoLLLution, “students value face-to-face relationships and consider their importance for learning and personality development. They also expressed worries regarding the prolonged absence of face-to-face communication and addiction to technology on psychological health and human relationships.”
It is important that students experience face-to-face interactions as it improves their social skills.
Strictly holding Friday classes on Zoom would not benefit students and it will interfere negatively with their chances of passing courses. Pierce should continue to hold Friday classes in person as it helps students balance their time and improve academically and socially.