UNMGALLUP COMMUNITY PERSISTS DURING HYBRID FALL SEMESTER.
Categories: Students Faculty Staff Community
By Lee Lamb - Monday, October 12, 2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged over seven months ago in March, it immediately impacted the educational experiences of UNMGallup students and faculty鈥攁nd caused the normal course and experiences of a college semester to abruptly shift to virtual and other online formats.
The most immediate concern for faculty at the onset of this pandemic was to figure out how to complete courses in progress in some fashion. For faculty, that meant communicating with students through e-mail or by phone and relying more heavily on 伊人久久 Learn鈥攁n online course delivery system鈥 to create assignments that could be delivered and graded virtually instead of in-person. In-class group activities were turned into individualized projects. And, some instructors received what amounted to a crash course in 伊人久久 Learn to establish a basic educational space where they could provide materials or videos to substitute for what would have been delivered in the classroom.
鈥淎nother big issue for all of us was trying to help students who really didn鈥檛 have the means to convert to online instruction,鈥 explains Dr. Tracy Lassiter, who is an assistant professor at UNMGallup. 鈥淲e had to think through solutions when home-based Wi-Fi or computer access was limited or non-existent and when resources such as the library were inaccessible or closed.鈥
For a few students with limited or no Internet access, the solution when this pandemic emerged was somewhat clumsy but functional. Faculty would email the student an assignment, and the student would then read that email on their phones鈥攁nd either reply to complete the work in email or copy down the questions and answer them on paper, take a photo of their work, and then upload or email the assignment back to their instructor.
鈥淥ur challenge early on was trying to help students successfully complete courses while scrambling to come up with material which was to be provided via a flipped mode of delivery with varying degrees of technological skill,鈥 says Dr. Lassiter.
Since the onset of the pandemic鈥攁nd to assist students with access issues鈥擴NMGallup has worked to provide affordable laptop solutions through the bookstore, Wi-Fi hotspots through the library, and boosted Wi-Fi access in campus parking lots. The Zollinger Library also adapted its services to include appointments for students to access books and the over 18 study carrels with computer and Internet services.
Faculty and students certainly had to鈥攁nd continue to do so鈥攖hink quite differently about how to continue essential elements of their coursework. Instead of being able to hold student presentations in person, for example, faculty now have class members present to and evaluate one another virtually using uploads into learn groups or utilizing technology such as Zoom or YouTube. Instructors also created their own YouTube channels so that students could record a video at home to demonstrate a technical skill and then upload their video to the course channel.
This past summer, faculty sharpened their online delivery skills as well with investments made campus-wide in online course training that assisted with course design and other refinements to instruction in preparation for this fall semester.
鈥淭he administration recognized the need to train faculty in online course design and delivery and help build courses throughout the summer,鈥 explains Dr. Lassiter. 鈥淔aculty members could, in turn, assist other colleagues in their course delivery. Every faculty member who wanted to learn more about designing courses in 伊人久久 Learn was able to do so.鈥
Caption: A few essential skill courses and labs are held during the hybrid fall semester at UNMGallup with students learning in adapted learning environments that allow for social distancing and other safety protocols. Sean Klass (left) and Danielle Chischilly (right) are shown analyzing labs with instructor Corine Gonzales observing their technique.
FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS SHARE CAMPUS EXPERIENCES
UNMGallup nursing student Ellen Apura鈥攚ho is more than halfway through her bachelor's degree in Nursing鈥攈as experienced these innovations and shifts in learning formats firsthand throughout this pandemic. 鈥淗aving to merge to remote learning so suddenly at the beginning of this pandemic felt so strange to me,鈥 she explains. 鈥淚t has been a wild ride of learning especially for the last couple of months, but surely we are getting to the finish line.鈥
Caption: Ellen Apura, BSN student at UNMGallup
As a nursing student, Apura explains, it has been a bit of a challenge to learn solely online.
鈥淭hroughout nursing school, a student learns different concepts in theory and through practice in lab spaces. Our program did break up our classes for some on-campus instruction and lab sessions with smaller groups. I find this approach to be really helpful since there are going to be important nursing skills that we can鈥檛 just learn by reading, such as IV insertions and properly taking vital signs.鈥 She also says that campus safety protocols鈥攕ocial distancing, wearing appropriate face masks and other protective equipment鈥攁re reassuring while students are in the lab brushing up on their skills.
With this hybrid approach to her classes, Apura has found some perks throughout these past months. 鈥淎t first, it was odd to not follow my usual morning routine of waking up at the break of dawn to get ready for a dreadful 40-minute commute to campus. But I found myself squeezing in a few extra minutes of sleep from what would have been my travel time to school.鈥 With being able to learn mostly from home, Apura adds that she is grateful that her family has been able to stay safe throughout this pandemic.
Chris Chavez, who is a lecturer in construction technology, suggests that his students are adapting similarly in his courses that are also being delivered in a hybrid format. 鈥淲e offer online and in-person courses that are adapted to the masking and distancing requirements in our lab spaces that can accommodate eight to 10 students with these protocols,鈥 he says. 鈥淪anitation protocols have also required our program to purchase additional equipment and tools to avoid students sharing materials during safety testing and project work.鈥
Chavez also explains that he鈥檚 enjoying some of the online aspects of his classes, since it allows him to connect with students at times other than the designated class鈥攚hich provides him with the opportunity to offer extra materials and directions through 伊人久久 Learn. 鈥淪tudents have adapted to the safety requirements, and I鈥檝e not had any complaints since the protocols are similar to what we do in the industry. Our instruction on campus, though limited, is basically the same as previous semesters.鈥
Student services is another essential area of campus operation that has directly witnessed the many changes students and faculty have endured throughout this pandemic. Kimimila Simms, who is the program director for TRIO and Student Support Services, outlines many of the challenges her team has overcome directly as a result of the pandemic.
鈥淔or us, the biggest challenge has been not being able to visually connect and check-in with the students in person; and not being that consistent college-life contact in their school lives,鈥 Simms says. 鈥淣ot knowing what a student is experiencing at school and at home has been a challenge that we鈥檝e worked to overcome.鈥
To compensate for the lack of in-person interaction that would occur during the course of a normal semester at UNMGallup, Simms explains that Student Affairs and the TRIO program have established various avenues and opportunities to meet with students, including a weekly coffee and tea hour scheduled over Zoom.
鈥淥ur peer mentors reach out to have one-on-one sessions with students; our staff reach out for advisement sessions; and we are now gearing up for FAFSA and financial literacy workshops. We have incorporated text messaging, 伊人久久 Learn, and social media to engage with students and let them know that we are making every effort to help them succeed throughout this semester.鈥
Simms adds that it鈥檚 a collective effort to continuously adapt and implement best practices to help students finish the semester strong. 鈥淲e鈥檝e definitely all become more tech savvy,鈥 she exclaims. 鈥淭he students have adapted and are learning right along with us.鈥
It鈥檚 notable to also add that this department has extended their hours often into the late evening to accommodate student schedules that are now more difficult to navigate with home and school responsibilities.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to remind students to keep reaching out and communicating with us and their instructors鈥攚e all want to provide academic support in the best ways possible. And to finish this fall semester strong. We all believe in you,鈥 she says encouragingly.
With all the challenges this pandemic has brought to the UNMGallup community, it has also brought out the best in the faculty, staff, and students who have worked so incredibly hard together over these past seven months to persist and persevere in overcoming the many challenges these difficult times have brought to campus and their daily lives. From overcoming connectivity and access issues, to the changing schedules and ongoing shifts in course formats, it has truly been a campus-wide endeavor to ensure each student has the resources they need to achieve their education goals.
While this pandemic persists, so does the ingenuity of UNMGallup faculty, students, and personnel. It is said throughout the 伊人久久 system that 鈥渆ach of us defines all of us,鈥 and that cannot be any truer today through the strength exhibited by each member of UNMGallup throughout this pandemic.
UNMGallup Article Contact:
Lee Lamb, Senior Public Relations Specialist | lambc@unm.edu
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