TIMES OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

THE ONLINE INTELLECT-

MODERNIZTION OVERTAKES IN TIMES OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

After the many turmoils of 2020, students and teachers alike are wondering what the future of education is to come. When the first confirmed coronavirus cases hit the United States, it took a matter of months for its impact to be felt throughout institutions nationwide. As schools transitioned to an online format for the remainder of the spring semester and many schools similarly have done so this fall or transitioned to hybrid-style learning, it opened a discussion as to whether or not the future holds a larger interface of online courses post-coronavirus.

The adaptation to online learning taught many universities that there was a large quantity of courses previously taught in-person that could easily be completed online just as effectively via Canvas, Webex,Zoom and similar interfaces. In parallel, many courses which were forced to switch digitally were proven to not be as productive as when taught in the flesh.

Associate Provost for Academic Programs at Iowa State University Dr. Ann Marie VanDerZanden is responsible for communicating with community colleges, university efforts related to accreditation, academic program quality improvement, distance education and international programs. VanDerZanden held an essential role alongside her team planning for the partial reopening of campus this fall alongside her team. Some of the initiatives included were laptop accessibility, mobile hotspots, academic and instructional support and access to learning services such as the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

“Iowa state is a residential institution that’s why students come to Iowa State,” said VanDerZanden. “We’re not institutions like Southern New Hampshire University or Arizona State where that online footprint is really their goal. Our goal is accessibility to Iowans as a public land grant institution.” Additional aid made accessible included information technology support to assist instructors and students struggling with Canvas, testing accessibility and a number of other complications. Kristen Constant vice president and chief information officer of the Information Technology Services Office partook in the Executive Committee for Fall Planning to help draft plans to safely reinstate teaching and research programs on campus.

“Whether its students, faculty or staff we have certainly built a lot of resilience,” said Constant. “We’ve upped our game in developing our resources to be able to handle something like this. From a technology point of view I think we will be making sure that we have a broader range of delivery formats just to be able to reach more people and help them manage the complex lives we are all trying to [navigate] right now. I don’t think that we’re ever going to go back to being exactly like we used to be, we’re forever changed and that being the case I think that online delivery will be more prevalent.”

VanDerZanden said if post-pandemic it makes sense to offer online courses so students may have more flexibility to take courses during the summer, during internships, studying abroad or other exceptions, additional courses offered will be selective with great expertise and great faculty.

Where Iowa State University stands to innovate is yet unbeknownst to all, as students, faculty and staff continue to traverse these complicated and constantly developing circumstances. The one thing known for sure about the changing interface of learning communities is that only time will tell.