The Transition to Online Learning

For anyone reading this who is unaware, last Thursday saw Ireland introduce sweeping measures to attempt to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. One of these restrictions was the closure of all schools and third-level institutions in the country. As a result, the other on-campus students of the MA programme and I have now transitioned to studying online. While it has only been a few days, the change has already presented challenges and revealed to me some perspectives on how I like to work and learn. I’d like to use this post as an opportunity to reflect on these at this early stage and perhaps return to them as this crisis continues to explore whether my views change as this likely becomes the medium-term norm.

When deciding to embark on the journey of the MA last year, I spent some time considering whether to study part-time or full-time. I also had to decide whether to attend on-campus or remotely. It’s a testament to the flexibility of the programme that I had these options. I chose to study full-time and on-campus. I determined this route was for me not only because I was keen to complete the course in one year instead of two, but I was also aware that I thrive on routine. At the time, I felt having physical lectures to attend would be an essential motivator to ensure I performed to the best of my abilities. I also believed that I would find it much easier to engage with content In the physical setting of a classroom rather than solely accessing it online.

Having been forced to work from home for the past few days, I am convinced that I was indeed correct in my initial assessment.

The biggest challenge I have encountered so far is maintaining focus and motivation on the tasks at hand. Not being used to working in this environment, I have found it to be very distracting. Trying to concentrate on university work, when just to the left is a pile of laundry which needs ironing and folding, or knowing that the dishwasher has just finished its’ cycle and needs unloading is an unwelcome experience. Because I am living in a house-share, I do not have the luxury of being able to set up a dedicated study space. Instead, I have had to convert a corner of my bedroom to a quasi-office. I hope this will become easier as I become more accustomed to these arrangements, but I would be lying if I said this had not dramatically affected productivity.

Another difficulty is that of accessing material. Currently, I am working on a report for the TW5212 module. Not having access to the library’s selection of physical books is a limitation. While there is ample online resources available, such as e-Books, journals, articles and more, not all of the key texts which have become go-to sources of information over the past few months are accessible in this way. For now, I am working around this restriction. It has encouraged me to seek out a more diverse set of sources, which has expanded my knowledge of the field. However, I think that should the closures extend past the projected March 29^th target I will likely purchase some of the literature on which I have come to rely.

As this week contains a bank holiday, and because we are currently working on significant assignments, there are no new lectures this week. I am personally grateful that this will provide a period of transition before I will need to engage with new material via the virtual learning environment alone. While our lecturers have assured us that they will be on hand to provide the necessary support, I am concerned that not having the physical option to interface with will affect my learning experience negatively. I will need to adjust how I learn to accommodate this new situation, and only time will tell how successful I will be.

I do not wish this post to come across as overly negative. While what I have outlined are undoubtedly challenges, they are certainly challenges which will allow me to develop many skills. Learning to work more independently will be a benefit, as will gaining experience of remote-working software tools.

I am also acutely aware that the problems discussed pale in comparison to this health crisis. My temporary uneasiness is nothing compared to those directly dealing with this virus. If this period of disruption does indeed aid in the ultimate halting of this disease’s progress, then it will have been worth it, regardless of the impact on my personal learning experience.