Writers! I just went through the comments you’ve written on the discussion board. Many insightful comments were there. I can see you are all thinking deeply about your new college experience, which is certainly unique this semester. I have posted follow up notes  here to encourage you all to go back and read what your peers wrote and how you responded to each other. I also want to post a reminder: the Discussion Board will close tomorrow morning at 10 am, so please participate if you have not done so. The link is here and in full below.

Congratulations to all of you who got online this first week!

Lensky writes about how online learning will be be tough and there are many different websites to learn and navigate at once! He notes at the end that the initial frustration is alleviated when you start learning how each course is run. Lensky, I’m so glad you started off with that point! I do hope that as we go on, things will fall into place. You also write about the importance of asking for help. That will be extra important this semester!

Carlos also discusses the importance of communicating with professors. Carlos, yes this is true! I’ve communicated with some of you on email and during office hours, I hope everyone takes advantage of instructor communication and eventually communication with your peers. We’re all in this together!

Fatou likes English classes and writing! She also writes about what she learned from being online last year: organization and time management. Fatou, l’m glad you brought up the fact that many of you had online learning experiences last year. Though they varied, this will help you this semester as you get used to being a new online college student. Liking English is certainly not a requirement to do well in this class, but I’m always glad to know when a student has liked writing the past!

Brielle feels confident about her new experience. Her concerns with online learning (falling asleep or just staring for hours at the screen) are balanced with the possibility that there may be fewer distractions in this environment. Brielle, you bring up concerns many are dealing with right now. Hopefully learning how to pace yourself will help with staying focused on the tasks at hand.

Maurine reflects on the disappointing fact that this semester may not feel like the “full experience” of being a new college student. Maurine, this is totally understandable. There is so much excitement wrapped up in our ideas of what being in college means, and this is probably not what anyone expected last fall when thinking about college applications and making campus visits! Try to take advantage of social activities and services that ARE happening right now and keep in mind that this will change when we can safely return to campus.

Richard gives some great advice: don’t try studying in bed! He also writes about the challenges of budgeting time. Richard, time management is difficult for all students. Learning how to deal with that now will help for the rest of your college years, whether online or in person. Trying different time management techniques will be necessary these first first few weeks!

Ji advises everyone to check all of the communication and information the instructor sends you. Ji, this is great advice. It’s also challenging right now because there is so much information to go through! Learning how to manage email is becoming as important as learning how to organize time, but these skills will soon get easier with practice. 

Anaya likes writing stories! She also worries that this asynchronous class experience will seem “invisible.” Anaya, I understand this concern about the asynchronous format. It does have many challenges, but I hope it won’t feel invisible. I’m making materials to discuss this format for tomorrow’s asynchronous session. You can also come to office hours and communicate with me via email to make this seem more “live”. But as the class progesses, you might get a sense of how it works and hopefully, it will feel more real!

John, like Maurine, writes also about the “college experience” not being quite like he expected. John, I understand how this may take some getting used to, but it is the safest option right now for everyone. We’ll also learn many skills that are unique to online learning and take those back to the classroom when we can return. 

Mia  writes about feeling frustrated by the technical aspects of figuring out what is due and when and issues of time management. She also writes about how online learning does have some benefits for students who struggle with social anxiety. Mia, these concerns make sense. It is hard in all online classes to keep track of deadlines and schedules. And, each class is set up differently. Some students find an old fashioned planner helps or getting used to using a calendar app to put in deadlines for the whole semester (you can use the syllabus to do this!) Hopefully these issues will seem less surmountable over the next few weeks.

Awa discusses her sense of nervousness about starting college online. This is not what she expected! However, she also feels that this is the best choice because many people are still resisting wearing masks and online learning is safer. Awa, the nervousness is something most new students feel. You are all getting used to so many things at once, which is exciting and nerve wracking. I agree that though it’s difficult, the online environment is the healthiest for everyone involved. I also like the question you chose for your peer. You and many of your peers do have online learning experiences that varied and affected the last year of high school. We should all keep that in mind. Some things are not entirely new!

Adrian is excited about being here despite difficulties. He is going to try to stay calm and also is remembering his previous online learning experience. He learned to budget his time in a different way. Adrian, your advice to try to stay calm during these first weeks is important. There are some things you can control and how you respond to stress is one of those things. Time management skills are also important and a skill you will develop even when courses can safely move back online. I hope you find the resources at City Tech beneficial. There will be online tutoring available for writing, which I hope you and others take advantage of soon!

Lubna writes about the importance of checking-in with yourself and keeping up with assignments because your instructors are not actively reminding you of work done in person. She writes like many of you about time management. Lubna, thank you for sharing the strategies you’ve used for time management which is hard for many. With the conditions of the pandemic, time itself even seems different. There is also the challenge of so many emails! When teachers do remind you of work done, it comes in a different format. An email can be hard to keep track of. Your point about contacting your professors is also good. In fact, many students find speaking to professors over email to be more comfortable than in person. 

Jerome writes about feeling worried about time management and his Procrastination Demons! He also notes the tip from the article about taking your program and yourself seriously. Jerome, both of these are valuable and I like how you made procrastination into a demon. Many students struggle with procrastination demons and they take different shape online. Often starting projects or tasks is the hardest part. The demons don’t like that. They want you to put things off to the last minute, but starting something right away can really put you on the right track. The tip you selected, take yourself and your program seriously, is very important. Your studies and your effort will pay off in the long run. Your college experience is an important one. The choice of major and program is one that will bring many new ideas and opportunities if you take advantage of what is available online and, in the future, on campus.

Julio writes about being happy about coming to college yet concerned about not “meeting” people in person. Peers often give us support in classes and it will be hard to find that support in this environment. He is also concerned about not being able to contact professors when necessary. Julio, I like what you write about your peers. Peers do give us support and it’s hard to meet when there is no face to face time. Hopefully, as time goes on, you will find ways to communicate with peers in ways that are comfortable for you. Regarding communicating with professors, be persistent! They can’t always answer right away, but they are aware of how hard this is for students and are trying to be responsive. 

Yaritza likes writing and English classes! However, like many of you, she is concerned about online learning and the technical challenges of this environment. Yaritza, I’m so glad you like writing! I look forward to teaching this class in this new way and hope you will find lots to write about and explore as the semester goes on. We can all learn from each other this semester.  Also, you are not at all alone in your concerns about how this all will fall into place. 

Finally, Akmal is nervous about this online experience as are many. Like Yaritza and Fatou, he loves English! Akmal already has college experience and shares how keeping a schedule and doing work on time is a big piece of doing well. Akmal, I’m so glad to know you enjoy writing! Your previous college experience will help you this semester. The school has been working hard to make it less challenging, but there are always limits. The quarantine  and this new learning space is also making us rethink what “time” means. So much has changed!

All, I feel like I have just “hung out” with you! I do hope you find words in the ideas your peers offered here. I am impressed with your reflections about this new environment and hope the readings gave you something to respond to. I also hope you feel a little less isolated in this whole experience. And……congratulations on finding and joining this course!

As mentioned before, those who have not posted can still do so before 10 am tomorrow. If you have posted and want to respond to someone else, you can also do that. I will put tomorrow’s activities on the site tomorrow morning.

Discussion Board Link: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/groups/eng1101-lc09-fall-2020/forum/topic/being-a-new-online-student/