Do Zoom Classes Have a Future at Marist?

Online classes have their perks, but will they stick around in a post-COVID world? Source: Thirdman on Pexels

It is that time of year when students begin checking their credits and four-year-plans as registration quickly approaches. It is a season of anxious emails to advisors, consoling tearful friends who did not get into their classes and all the usual young adult angst. Only this year, one question in particular looms in the background as classes return to on-ground format after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic: What will happen to Marist’s online classes?

Marist has long offered asynchronous online classes for graduate programs, and likely shall continue to do so  —that is, classes 100% online at the student’s pace. But for synchronous classes, or the ones developed during the pandemic that consist of a Zoom component instead of in-person class time, what will happen to them? For some, the word “Zoom” itself is sufficient to provoke flashbacks locked away in the deepest recesses of the mind, but for others, virtual schooling has its benefits and they hope that these classes will continue.

I am guilty of this too. Some mornings, before the long walk in the cold or rain to my 8 a.m. Organic Chemistry Lab, I think about how much more convenient it would be to simply roll out of bed, turn on my computer and log onto a Zoom call. It was nice to finish class some days just by turning off my computer, leaving me free to be in my room without having to make the trek back from the Allied Health building. Online classes also meant being able to attend class even if I had a slight but manageable cold that I did not want to pass on to others. Commuter students got more time in their day for schoolwork and leisure once they no longer had to be physically present in the classroom every day.

Despite these benefits, ultimately Zoom classes lack the human component that in-person learning contains. I cannot carry on conversations and recurring jokes with several different people on a Zoom call without everyone hearing what we have to say, for example. There are less one-on-one interactions via Zoom, unless one uses the chat feature or speaks up during breakout rooms. Human interaction aside, there are other drawbacks, such as simple feasibility. For some classes, having a virtual course is impractical to their major—such as an acting course, which requires getting up and moving around, or even a science lab, which requires mixing chemicals and using lab equipment. For more lecture-based courses it can be feasible, but there are obvious downsides.

For certain classes that are primarily lecture-based, I see a future in catering to a small group of individuals for the sake of convenience with Zoom classes. Although Zoom classes have their drawbacks, they can be helpful in some ways, and should not totally be erased. I am not suggesting that every class be offered on Zoom. However, for a few more lecture-based courses, it could be beneficial for many students to have the option to take an online class. Therefore, I propose that on a case-by-case basis, Marist should consider offering Zoom classes for one section of a particular subject, provided that there is a demand for it.

I base this on my own experience. I know that many people wish to see Zoom eliminated completely, but I think that keeping a few online classes will only improve the future of Marist’s education. In a few minutes, I shall Zoom into my flute class, which I do not mind at all. It saves me a half hour of my day walking from Fulton to the Student Center and back, and saves my teacher a trip to the college. Therefore, I do believe that Zoom classes have a place at Marist in the future, albeit in a greatly reduced role.