Online Class Rigor Examined
By Jessica Huang, Anna Kim, Andrea Luo and Ellie Ana Sperantsas
The implementation of synchronous and asynchronous class meetings to accommodate online learning has posed significant challenges for faculty and students at the Academy.
Synchronous, required all-class meetings, and asynchronous blocks, assignments to be completed anytime in the Eastern Standard Time day, have been adapted to better accommodate students learning in different time zones. Some members of the community argue that, with a decrease in overall class meeting time, the academic workload has decreased, while others argue that it has become far more unpredictable.
The online fall term has forced teachers to grade students whom they have never met in person before, leading departments reevaluate their grading system and expected workload for online learning.
“We are experimenting this term with a new weighting system for grading that we hope is better suited to the realities of distance-learning,” Classics Department Chair Matthew Hartnett said. “We have [also] cut back on the amount of material we are expecting our students to be able to cover over the course of the term.”
These changes are meant to mitigate some of the difficulties students face when learning a language through inconsistent Zoom meetings. “It can be challenging to maintain consistently high levels of student engagement in an online environment, especially with the asynchronous work,” Hartnett said. “The shorter class period has posed some problems for us, as well as the longer spans of time between synchronous meetings, which are particularly deleterious to language acquisition.”
The Science Department has also been forced to adapt to asynchronous and synchronous classwork. “Our main challenge was to find a way to deliver a lab experience. Some teachers made videos of themselves performing the labs, while others are performing their labs ‘live’ during a synchronous session,” Science Department Chair Albert Leger said. Recently, science teachers have also taken the opportunity to hold in-person lab activities as health restrictions allow.
Several other departments have also adapted their curriculums, teaching methods and assigned formats to accommodate online learning. “[The Modern Languages Department] had been looking at slowing the pace of teaching for some time. The online academic program has nudged us to finally do it,” French Instructor Viviana Santos said.
Despite challenges of online learning, Santos was “pleasantly surprised at how engaged students are.”
In the Computer Science Department, “teachers have had to work to come up with new assignments and strategies to make classes function well in this environment,” Computer Science Instructor Sean Campbell said. “I have not been able to replicate Harkness in Zoom. Online classes don’t allow for a seamless conversation.”
As classes approach their mid-term METIC discussions, faculty will consider student feedback to continue adjusting to the unique challenges of online learning, including reevaluating homework expectations and synchronous activities.
For some new students, the transition to Exeter has been a “relatively smooth journey,” according to prep Vedika Amin. Several preps said that the workload feels manageable and that the current schedule works for them. Others noted the increasing strain asynchronous work puts on their homework time.
Reaction to the new schedule, with its combination of asynchronous and synchronous formats, has been largely positive. Some students mentioned that the combination of asynchronous and synchronous blocks helps them get outside and meet friends, while others said they use it to get ahead of other classwork.
However, others had some qualms. “The asynchronous blocks are pretty much just more homework,” prep Lucy Will said. “The discussions that we would have had in class just turn into homework.”
Lower Jesalina Phan concurred. “Asynchronous work varies depending on the teacher, but some teachers will give the night’s homework, then the asynchronous classwork, then the next night’s homework,” Phan said. “All the work can build up and result in three hours of work for one class.”
Similarly, upper Lekha Masoudi felt that in-class review has been cut short, and she gets “a lot of extra major assessments that can feel like a lot at times.”
Though asynchronous classes have posed challenges for many, some students are grateful for the less restrictive schedule. “It’s nice because we have bigger breaks and it’s more comforting. There’s more chances to do homework, relax, and not stare at a screen all day,” lower Veruka Salomone said. “I use it to do other homework or sleep in.”
Students learning remotely noted that the schedule has placed constraints on their sleep schedules, making online learning more challenging. “It’s really hard to try and go to sleep immediately after night class and have nine hours until the next morning class, especially with daylight saving when I will have classes till 3a.m.,” upper Emily Wang, who is studying from Australia, said.
Upper Keona Edwards did not feel an increase in workload and attributed it to the implementation of asynchronous blocks, which offer “more free time in a day compared to previous terms.”
While there are differing opinions on asynchronous blocks, most students noted that they are enjoying their synchronous classes on Zoom. “Zooms are pretty productive, and there’s not much time wasted,” lower Lily Hagge said.
Many students like the resemblance to Harkness classes on campus. “I enjoy having synchronous classes because it is as close as you can get to being in person,” Phan said.
While the new schedule has caused numerous challenges, students are taking it one day at a time. Masoudi concluded, “It’s much harder compared to spring term since we have much more homework and asynchronous work, but overall it could be worse.”