Western University has recently announced that summer school will be done online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This will not be an average summer semester as all classes and assignments have been adjusted so that students can successfully practice social distancing. Since Western moved to online learning mid-March it has had mixed reviews from students and as a result, the decision has left students questioning whether they want to follow through with summer school.
Students rely on summer school to pick up extra credits or take prerequisite classes so they can change programs or improve their GPA. This can take away from a student’s learning experience as its tougher to contact and build relations with their professors.
A big reason why some students go into summer school is to take prerequisite courses so they can take another class or to get into another program before the school year starts. In a brief conversation with recent Ivey Business School graduate, Mark Nirenstein, he said he plans to come back to Ivey to pursue a computer science minor to add to his resume.
To go into the program Nirenstein has to take some prerequisite courses over the summer, but with the recent announcement that summer school will be online, he’s considering waiting for the start of school to take the required courses. This could add another semester to his time remaining in London.
On the other hand, online courses can be beneficial for students that need flexibility for the summer. Claire Kearns is planning to go into her second year of summer school at Western whilst working as a bartender at Earl’s Kitchen and Bar, she enjoys online school during the summer as it creates flexibility and she can focus more on her work.
Kearns said that she likes online learning because she can watch the classes or go through the notes around her work schedule. Online learning allows students to be able to work longer hours as they don’t have to be in the room.
Although Kearns enjoys the flexibility of online learning during the summer, she also says that the move to online for this summer semester could cost her going into the next academic year. She is planning on applying for a work-study, however, she needs some prerequisite courses, which require lab tutorials, to apply and she planned on taking those this summer. Now, she’s unsure if those classes will be done this summer because they won’t have access to the labs.
Online classes come with more responsibility on the student’s side but several students don’t know if it’s worth the risk for the summer semester. The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting everyone’s lives but it could have a different impact on what the next few years will look like for some. Between having to stay in London longer than anticipated or stopping students from having different opportunities in the coming years.
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