The COVID Time Capsule
How We Helped One Another
While COVID was physically separating people from one another, it also revealed the strength of their communities. Neighbors were delivering groceries to isolated families, teachers learned to adapt their curriculum to online learning, and essential workers became the main backbone for our society. We collectively found new ways to be together, even when we were forced apart.
The Switch To Online
Based off of an analysis completed by David John Lemay, Paul Bazelais, and Tenzin Doleck, they were able to conclude that the pandemic disrupted more than normal teaching and learning activities. While students a part of their survey reported an overall positive academic outcome, they also showed an increase in stress, anxiety, and difficulties concentrating. This suggested that the challenges that came with fully online learning weren't just limited to technology and instruction obstacles, but also from social challenges from being isolated and distanced from others. However, even through their struggles, based off of their responses, their teachers were still dedicated to providing a good education to their students, and the students themselves were trying their best, showing that there was still a good amount of people who were putting in the effort to adapt to their new environment and make do with what they were given. With this work representing a population of students who experienced online learning during COVID, this can help us get an idea of how students in general were impacted during this time. While we can't necessarily apply these results to every person across the world, it still provides us with a general insight.
Lemay, D. J., Bazelais, P., & Doleck, T. (2021). Transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 4(100130). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100130
A total of 149 students from a college in Northeastern North America were surveyed about their experience of the transition to online learning.
Out of all the students that were surveyed, 45 were employed prior to COVID-19, but then unemployed due to it. 28 kept their employment status through the Winter 2020 semester. 76 were not employed to begin with. Figure 1 to the right presents the student's living situations before the pandemic. Surveyed students had reported that it was hard to find spaces to study because of there being too many people, not having enough space, and/or there being too much noise.
Table 2 showcases the frequency of online, blended, and face-to-face courses reported by students. No students that were surveyed had taken fully online courses prior to the wholesale transition to remote instruction.
This summarizes levels of food and/or money insecurity in the earlier months of the pandemic. Even though the pandemic impacted everyone, unfortunately some were affected a bit more than others. Even for a relatively affluent population, these insecurities were an issue for some. This shows that regardless of the governmental measures at the time, there were still students challenged with problems at home.
Represented to the left is the student's access to technology and how prepared they were for online learning. There weren't really many issues regarding accessibility in the majority of surveyed students.
Figure 2 displayed on the right represents what type of internet connected device each student was utilizing for their online learning.
Figure 3 showcases the main ways in which students were connecting to the internet.
Figure 4 represents how many classes the surveyed students had taken previously to the pandemic, most not having any experience in a 100% online course.
This table shows what students thought of the transition and how it affected themselves personally and academically.
Table 6 was quite similar to table 5 in the sense that it also displays the consequences the transition to online learning had on students, but instead, this table focuses more on the courses and their respective workloads.
Figure 5 can be seen showing how the pandemic made the students feel, where we saw quite a range of emotions, all the way from apathetic to stressed to happy.
The table to the right represents how students felt regarding their academic performances during online learning during the pandemic, with most believing they still did a good job in their new environment.
This is a showcase of what surveyed students believed were affected or not regarding academic standards and overall outcomes of their courses throughout the pandemic. For the most part, the results showed that academic integrity was still just as valued, regardless of their current circumstances.
Table 9 sums up how much progress students believe they made during their experience in online courses during the pandemic. While some students had their doubts in their abilities after virtual schooling, most of the surveyed students were still confident in their capabilities.
The table shown on the left summarizes how impacted students' abilities to learn were in their opinion, and majority declared that their experiences weren't necessarily negatively impacted, at least not by a lot.
A thematic categorical table that shows a list of things students believed their college could have done different to help improve their online learning experiences.
A list of things students found to have a negative impact on their online learning experiences during the pandemic.
Various positive outcomes students experienced during their time in online learning during COVID-19.
Practices that students felt their instructors could have incorporated to better the transition to virtual learning throughout this time period.
Lastly, any other final thoughts that the surveyed group of students felt was important in regards to their experience in transitioning from traditional schooling to online learning.
*Disclaimer: These are only a few examples of featured stories, but there are far more available to read in The New York Times Magazine.
Kate Doolittle, 45, Malden, Mass.
Physical Therapist
Kate's Story:
"I see patients at home who have been discharged from a hospital and maybe aren’t ready to go to physical therapy in an outpatient clinic. We get a lot of orthopedic patients, but also people with heart failure, C.O.P.D. and elderly health issues. Most are between 70 and 90 years old. We work on walking and getting in and out of bed, in and out of the bathroom and up and down from a chair. We also focus on safety, endurance, strength and balance. I’m often there two times a week for months, so there’s a lot of trust. So even now, although people are uneasy about letting non-family members into their houses, a lot of patients are like: “Oh, it’s just you. You can come in.” We have a couple of therapists who are out right now. I was covering for someone yesterday, and one patient I saw expressed a little bit of frustration that so many different people were coming in and out. I have had other patients who didn’t know me refuse to let me in. One patient’s wife asked my travel history. I understand. Those are questions we ask them, too. Over the weekend, my agency, Partners HealthCare at Home, announced a new protocol that we have to wear masks at all times. Normally I don’t wear protective gear. Should I be wearing gloves? Should I be wearing goggles? I don’t know. I’m trying to make sure that patients see me use hand sanitizer, so they know that I’m keeping my hands and equipment clean. I take their vitals when I first arrive — I have to touch everyone when I put on the blood-pressure cuff. I sanitize my equipment in front of them, before and after. I think it’s probably reassuring to see that."
Brian J. Bourquin, 46, Boston
Veterinarian
Brian's Story:
"​We made the call late on March 16 to make our two clinics “client free” buildings. The next day, we called all our clients to let them know that there would be much more stringent policies in place. When you request an appointment now, we will call you to find out what is going on. Appointments are scheduled only for sick animals or animals overdue for vaccines. At that point, we explain the protocol: When you get here, you will stay in your car or stand outside. We will take the animal’s history over the phone, the same way we would during an inside-the-building exam. Once we do that, we will come outside and get the patient — veterinarians refer to the cat or the dog as the patient. We have orange tape around our entryway, six feet from the front door, to give us room. Clients have to stand behind that line for social distancing. We wear gloves and masks, and we use a new leash on dogs, so we don’t have to touch the client’s leash. For cats, clients set the carrier down and move away, and we use our own towels to take the carrier inside. We do the exam inside, formulate a plan, call the client and let them know what we think is going on."
Debra Holloway, 36, Wisconsin
Mail Carrier
Debra's Story:
"I’m a U.S.P.S. rural mail carrier. My regular route is in Briggsville, Wis. — 26 miles, 226 boxes. I often pick up the mail at the Wisconsin Dells post office, except for on Sundays, when we do Amazon deliveries. On those days, I might be in Pardeeville or Poynette or Portage, which is where the Amazon hub is. And that’s what makes me the most nervous. On those days, you don’t know whom you’re dealing with or what you’re getting yourself into. At least on my usual route, I know the people. Early on, our boss held a meeting about the coronavirus, and she said: “Right now, we’re just taking it day by day. If people come out to the porch to get their mail, just ask them politely to stay inside. Don’t let them touch the scanner.” At one point, we were leaving a lot of redelivery notices for packages that require a signature, asking people to come pick them up at the post office instead. I just saw a thing in a Facebook group for rural carriers: “Is it safer for the clerks in the office or for us?” There are still a lot of unknowns. I heard a report that technicians for the electric company around here have started to wear protective suits. I haven’t heard anything about that for us."
