My name is Ruby Jia. I am an international student from China, Suzhou. This is my last semester at SBCC, so I only take a psychology class and a math class. But it is not an easy semester for me. I am facing all of my courses online for the first time. I wasn't used to it at first, especially for my math class. But my school life gradually got back on track when I started to manage my time and organize my schedule. Before the semester started, I decided to take an 8-week online psychology course. This class was very intense. Every week, I needed to finish a large amount of reading, discussions with my classmates, and quizzes. In addition to regular participation, I also had to write two papers and take a midterm seriously since they decide the majority of my grades. I had a lot of deadlines every week, plus two other jobs on campus, so I felt overwhelmed.
But in the third week of the course, I began to find the regular pattern of the course. I planned ahead for myself what I need to do this week and next week, and wrote them down in my daily planner. I began to move ahead and never finished my homework on the same day as the deadline. I decided to start as soon as my instructor posted the homework. In this way, I had more time to progress, and the efficiency and quality are improved. I kept adjusting my schedule and I even made time for exercise every day. As this class was a little difficult for me, I finished the paper in advance so I could go to the writing center to revise my paper and contact my in-class tutor in psychology, who also gave me useful advice. In this way, I divided the reading and writing tasks of the psychology class into Monday and Wednesday, and the math study time into Tuesday and Thursday. Besides my schoolwork, I could easily handle my 19.5 hours of working time per week.
When I finished my psychology class, I felt relieved. Not only because I only had one math class left, but also because I think my psychology class was done well. But it didn't last long. I received the news that the school was going to turn into fully online courses due to the influence of COVID-19. Although I have a difficult multivariable calculus math class that is not generally offered online, I decided not to be anxious and stay organized. Here are the things I am doing to fulfill my last class at SBCC perfectly.
I follow the pace and study the video uploaded by my professor carefully, as if I were in the classroom. Although the notes are all online, I still print them out and follow the professor to fill them out. Then, I staple them in order. This not only deepens my understanding and memory, but also makes it easier for me to organize and use when reviewing.
I pay close attention to the pipeline emails since there are instructions from professors on course information such as office hours, exam dates, and homework deadlines. I also check my email frequently to keep myself up to date with the latest news from COVID-19.
I make my weekly plans on my Google calendar. Because all my study and work is now online, I find it more useful to use Google calendar instead of a planner on paper. I added all my meetings, online classes, and training to my Google calendar. It always reminds me before the event starts, so I don't have to worry about missing something. As a math tutor on campus, it is convenient for me to have appointment slots on Google calendar for students to schedule tutor sessions with me.
I always use online resources. My math professor has his office hours only for our class during our regular class meeting time. So it is a good chance to interact with my professor, ask him questions, or even just be there and hear from my other classmates. I did some free online training about online meeting apps, such as Zoom and Pisces, which helped me adapt to the new teaching style more quickly. Although now I cannot go to campus, the campus resources are moved online. I can still get help from tutors in the writing center or math lab. I can still look up the academic journals I want from the library website. I can even check out a Chromebook and have access to campus WIFI, which helps me succeed.
Last but not least, now everyone stays home for safety, but that doesn't mean I should sit in front of my computer all day. After working on my computer for an hour, I often get up and walk to give my eyes a rest. I also do some stretching at home to get some exercise. To stay healthy, I ensure daily intake of vegetables, fruits and proteins to increase resistance against COVID-19. During my break, I usually read my books, video chat with my family, and embroider cross stitch.
My experience is that I figured out my own learning style first and then made and organized a plan according to my style. Remember that although it is flexible to take online classes, we still need to do our work conscientiously. Being consistent and not procrastinating is the key to succeed in online classes.
