How Millikin students are adapting to online learning
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth a challenging and rapidly changing time for Millikin University and higher education institutions across the country.
Certainly no one expected the world to stop halfway through the spring 2020 semester, but the response from the Big Blue community has been positive and uplifting as students and faculty have helped one another adapt to distance learning.
Faculty have adjusted their online classes to fit Millikin's Performance Learning curriculum, taking innovative and creative steps to make sure Millikin students are getting the most out of their distance learning experience.
How have Millikin students adjusted to the changes? Here's how some students are making the most of the semester.
Bekah Ford
Senior Commercial Music major from O'Fallon, Mo.
The idea of completing my degree through online learning was daunting at first, but my professors have worked tirelessly to ensure the students' success. I have Zoom calls for production, songwriter's workshop and voice lessons, which ensures I still receive an intimate and individualized education.
The biggest challenge for me is not having access to the resources I normally use every day for my major. Commercial Music majors spend most of their time in the recording studio, providing students hands-on experiences while earning their degrees. Without having access to the equipment needed in order to produce and engineer recording projects, professors have provided us with more research-based assignments.
It's important to make study time more effective. I highly recommend making a workspace separate from your lounge space. It seems easier and harmless to take a 9 a.m. Zoom call from your bed, but carving out a dedicated space will help your brain work effectively and provide a sense of routine.
Kei'Von Evans
Senior Health, Fitness, and Recreation major from Rockford, Ill.
So far, the experience has been different because it takes some adjusting to get used to online learning. In reality, I feel like it's making me stay focused on what I am truly here for and that's an education.
There's pros and cons to this situation. I just hope this doesn't set anyone back because it is easier to get distracted now with so much time on our hands. I miss being in the classroom setting, interacting with other students and my professors. I miss being able to interact with friends and family.
Use this extra time to dive deeper into your education.
Connor Mendenhall
Junior Acting Major from Platte City, Mo.
Moving theatre classes online has been challenging. Acting over Zoom is something that I don't think has ever been attempted before. I imagine most majors at Millikin, being a Performance Learning campus, are having an interesting time adapting to online learning. It's a big adjustment, but if you take the challenge presented and do the best you can with it, you are going to be just fine.
Breathe. These are unprecedented times and the future can look scary, but all you can do right now is breathe. Stay quarantined and do the best work you can do now.
Kalli Farmer
Senior Sport Management Major from Columbia, Ill.
Kalli Farmer's courses in sport management have changed completely due to the restrictions of online classes as opposed to in-person ones.
"Honestly, it's working out fairly well," she said in an interview with the Herald & Review. "Professor Joel Blanco had to change the course of our whole class. The way we were doing things was, we were supposed to have events on campus, and market for those and set up for events, so the fact that we cannot do that anymore, we had to figure out how to change. I'm enjoying how we're learning. We have specific topics each week that we read and discuss. It's not ideal in the sense of how we're doing things, but our professor has been so flexible, and I think it's going as well as it could."