Hello, Virtual

University of Houston’s March 11 announcement of the move to remote learning didn’t take sophomore Avani Shah by surprise. Yet, she had mixed emotions when the news came.

“For safety reasons, I was really happy to see that the campus was taking steps that needed to be taken,” she said. “But I was still upset that my freshman year was cut short and that I wouldn’t get the full experience.”

The news sent the C.T. Bauer College of Business student back to live with her parents.

She is one of the 46,000 UH students who made the swift move to virtual learning in the spring. It was the beginning of a “new normal.”

Within two weeks, more than 5,000 UH courses were successfully transformed into an online format.

“I think we [Bauer] had an advantage because we were already transitioning a lot of our content and programs to online,” said Emese Felvegi, senior professor of practice in the Bauer College of Business. “But it was certainly not something we expected to happen at such a great pace. The speed at which we had to adapt … that was unprecedented.”

Professor Emese Felvegi of UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business stays connected to students with virtual meetings. She leads the recently created Bauer Office of Digital Learning, which helps Bauer faculty, staff and students with online learning tools.

Professor Emese Felvegi of UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business stays connected to students with virtual meetings. She leads the recently created Bauer Office of Digital Learning, which helps Bauer faculty, staff and students with online learning tools.

Within two weeks, more than 5,000 UH courses were successfully transformed into an online format.

Felvegi credits peer-to-peer collaborations, faculty and departmental instructional support, and the Faculty Engagement and Development Office for the success. “I saw a tremendous sharing of resources that allowed us to make the most of what was really an abnormal situation,” she said.

Shah commended the professors for recognizing that every student had different circumstances. “Professors said, ‘If you don’t have access to a laptop, or a microphone or a camera, please let me know, and I’ll help you get one or work around that,’” said Shah.

UH also implemented an undergraduate grading policy that allows students to choose how their final grade is reported, recognizing the impact COVID-19 may have on their academic performance. “I really appreciate how the University is feeling for students and how they understand it’s [the pandemic] putting a lot of pressure on us,” said Sorosh Malekzad, a Bauer sophomore.

Malekzad admits he prefers in-person classes, but he also now enjoys not having the two-hour, roundtrip commute from Sugar Land, Texas to campus.

Plus, asynchronous courses, which are offered this fall, don’t require students to meet at a certain time for live virtual classes. Students simply review their course materials, videos or modules and submit their assignments, which Malekzad also finds beneficial.

When asked about the cons of remote learning, he said, “There’s definitely less communication than you would have in person.”

Felvegi admits that students and professors teaching large classes “have lost that in-person, informal social interaction, which is a challenge.” To compensate for the loss, Felvegi schedules students for virtual one-on-one meetings and holds virtual “walk-in” office hours.

Both Malekzad and Shah have made modifications as well. They are choosing to take their preferred or major classes later when they are held in person.

While they are adjusting, they all believe it’s well worth it. Shah’s grandmother regularly visits her; so, she has an even greater cause for not contracting the virus.

For Malekzad, seeing a friend affected by COVID-19 has given him a sobering point of view on the importance of social distancing that remote learning provides. “You know, it’s okay not to hang out with your friends as much because you’ll have your friends after this semester. They’re not going anywhere; you can see them later when it’s safer,” he said.