In January of 2020, I transferred from a community college in Wyoming to CU Denver. I expected many things to be different, like class sizes and a more rigorous schedule, but I never could have predicted the global pandemic that changed everything. By March, the university decided to transition to 100% online learning for the safety of the students and staff.

The initial transition was a little rough. Things had to switch to an online format very quickly, so several assignments from my classes had to be restructured or reformatted. One of my classes was a math class, and I had specifically chosen an in-person class because math has never been an easy subject for me. However, the teacher was excellent and did a wonderful job providing examples and resources for online learning. She was always available for questions, which was incredibly helpful. She remained flexible with her class structure and assignments, which I believe helped create success in her class.

The worst part of online learning is the lack of social interaction. Many of my classes meet on Zoom, so we do get to hear each others’ voices and have some interaction; it’s not quite the same as being in the same room with your teachers and fellow students though! Zoom can also be exhausting if you have to be online all day, but teachers can help by allowing students to keep their cameras off and allowing for a break every now and then.

Overall though, moving to online learning became a lot easier as the semester went on. My program, Digital Design, translates very easily into an online format. Most of my work already took place on my computer, and had to be submitted online. Honestly, it didn’t change that much for me. I’ve also had the experience of taking classes online before, so I was somewhat familiar with the process. I’m glad the school decided to make campus health and safety a priority and keep classes online for the Fall 2020 semester as well.